The Diaries of Sir George Cunningham:
Since the entire policy of the British was based on Islam, therefore, it is important to record the diaries in detail. This will further inform the people how the British used these so-called devotees of Islam, followers of the Prophet, and inheritors of Namaz to serve their ends. And their entire faith was sold cheap.
George Cunningham's diaries are a shocking record of men nurtured at the excellent Islamic school at Deoband, who were busy serving the British. With the Holy Book in their hand and the Tasbih strung around their neck, these pilgrims set out to spread me word of colonialism,British Imperialism, and, for a few pieces of silver, agreed to serve as the custodians of slavery for the Indian people.
Sir George Cunningham's diaries are available at the India Office Library, London. If someone needs proof or wants to investigate further, that is where he should look.
The British policy of communalism could not work in the Frontier Province. Here, Muslims were in such an overwhelming majority that they were not afraid of any other community. Secondly, the Pakhtoons were so confident of their own strength that no one could impose any unwanted policy on them.
It became obvious that any people who were ready to tackle a strong, cruel and oppressive race like the British could not be cowed down. Therefore, the British generally sought out the Maulanas; and in the tribal areas and Afghanistan, they especially combined forces with the Maulanas. These religious leaders were expected, to align with the British against Russia. During the Russian Revolution of 1917, the British realized that along with the military strength a new ideology had emerged. Their experienced eye focused on Islam as the only way to confront and confound the ideological strength of the Russians. When faced with a real danger in the person of Amir Amanullah Khan, they used Islam against Muslims. With utmost cunning, Islam was used against a Pakhtoon ruler and the Muslims of Afghanistan. When Hitler's armies darkened European borders, the British, once again, found their boundaries endangered. At that lime we witnessed Islam being used in India to further British interest. It served as a useful ideological weapon against the USSR. During turbulent times in the Frontier Province, the British once again used Islam . Islam as a political force was strengthened not only in the Frontier Province, but also in the tribal areas and in Afghanistan.
Cunningham wrote that Kuli Khan was being used as the Mullah liaison. He was commissioned to work secretly with the tribal Mullahs and with others who were not prepared to come out in open support. It was a simple case of establishing an Islamic stronghold to combat the Kafirs including the Bolsheviks. The first Mullah recruited by Cunningham was Mullah Marwat. He was formerly connected with the Khaksar movement. Kuli Khan assured him that the only way he could serve Islam was by raising the slogan of Jihad against the enemies of Islam. Through Mullah Marwat, Kuli Khan established relations with the office bearers of the Jamiat-u-Ulema-e-Sarhad, and their supporters in India
These Mullahs, many of whom had consistently been anti-British, began to speak and write against the Russians and Germans. Subsidies were paid to all Mullahs through Mullah Marwat.
It was the responsibility of these Mullahs to tell the nation that since the British were believers in the book, Ahl-e Kitaab, even marriage with them was legal. On the other hand, the Russians were Bolsheviks; not only did they not believe in a revealed book, they did not believe in the existence of God. Therefore, the British and the Muslims were united in their common aspiration to fight this infidel race. They were required to continually remind the Muslims that enlisting in the British Army and fighting along with the British is a service to Islam.
Cunningham records that he persuaded the leaders of the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Sarhad to go to Waziristan and convince Faqir Ipi that since the British were at war against the Germans and Italians, Faqir should not bother them because they were now fighting against an infidel race. Their war, in its own way, was a Jihad, therefore, Faqir's Jehad against them should be called off. The British were conducting this intrigue with utmost secrecy. Their enemies had no suspicion that such documents and letters were being exchanged. Cunningham was happy that Faqir’s deputy, Mohammad Waris' letter written to Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Sarhad was friendly in tone. It became evident that Faqir and his companions had no inkling that the Mullahs were accomplices of the British, with explicit instructions from them.
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Cunningham made three groups among the Maulanas. The smaller Mullahs were handed to the local Khans. Those slightly superior in rank reported through the Deputy Commissioners. The senior ones had a direct line to the Governor Cunningham:
" I have not been in touch with any of the smaller Mullahs myself. I have done it through me following agents with whom practically all my connections have been verbal, as little is put on paper as possible. Ghulam Haider of Sherpao village…he told me that he thought he could work through about nine or ten Mullahs including those of the following villages: Razzar, Kot, Tarnab, Tongi, Utmanzai and Umarzai later Prang and Charsadda. "
Cunningham wrote that he had asked Ghulam Haider of Sherpao village to meet each Mullah on an individual basis, prepare him to serve the true cause of Islam, give him forty fifty rupees, tell him that he will receive another visit after four months, at which time he should be prepared to brief the authorities about his activities to date. Cunningham asked the Khan Bahadur to hint to the Mullahs that if their work proves satisfactory they could expect a government pension. In return, Khan Bahadur told Cunningham that certain Mullahs were most untrustworthy. Better, if they were called in each month, but they should be well paid. Cunningham said that he had given Ghulam Haider of Sherpao village Rs 600. The list of Mullahs from districts Naushera and Peshawar was handed to the Deputy Commissioner, Iskander Mirza.
The Mullahs of Swat, Baneer, Mardan and Rani Zai were the responsibility of the Prime Minister of Swat, Hazrat Ali. Cunningham wrote, "The Wazir-i-Azam [Hazrat Ali of Swat] sent me a list of the Mullahs through whom he is working. He is paying them an average of Rs 15.00 per month."
This was unfair, for the Mullahs of Hashtnagar and Doaba were paid only Rs 10 per month. The Mullahs of Kohat were the responsibility of the Deputy Commissioner of that area. The Mullahs of Bannu were entrusted to Nawab Zafar Khan and Taj Ali. The latter was Khan Bahadur Ghulam Haider's son.
Cunningham had given Rs 600 to the Deputy Commissioner of Dera Ismail Khan, Mohammad Aslam, to pass along to three spiritual leaders of that area, Ama Khel Faqir, Pir Musa, and Pir Zakoori; two hundred rupees a piece. They were given the assurance that if their work was satisfactory they could get a raise!
Regarding Syed Abdul Jabbar of Satana, Cunningham wrote that he was connected with Hyderabad Deccan, and waspaid by the Prime Minister, Sir Akbar Hydari. That Hyderabad would pay for the work that was done for the British wasperfectly acceptable to Cunningham. He reports that Khan informed him that work was successfully completed at Sawabi,and that he had sent his cousin to look after the affairs of Bajaur. The Afridi Mullahs of Khyber were the responsibility of the political agent, Bacon. Cunningham had a long standing relationship with Maulvi Barkatullah, the leader of the Mujahideen:
My arrangement uptil now with him [Maulvi Barkatullah of Asmos] has been that he comes to see me once or twice a year. Barkatullah said he could also do a good deal through ten or twelve Maulvis in different places throughout Bajaur Mohmand country.... I paid him Rs 1000. I asked him to recruit ten or twelve Maulvis from Bajaur within this amount, and contact me in a couple of months.
Cunningham, then gave a detailed account of the activities of Kuli Khan and the Maulanas. It seems that a lot of work was accomplished through the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind. They organized several assemblies, passed a few motions, printed pamphlets and made contacts by touring various areas. In Cunningham's records there is evidence of anti-Congress propaganda along with anti-war statements. "Maulana Mohammad Shuaib toured the Mardan district, condemning Satyagraha. A pamphlet by Maulana Midra ullah condemned war situation and was anti-Congress."
Cunningham wrote that the Pir of Musa Zai came to visit him at Peshawar. He was friendly with Sher Ali. The latter was able to enlist the support of the Pir Taunsa. He had agreed to go along with him but unfortunately for him became involved in a civil suit.
In Khyber the political agent entrusted his work to Maulana Abdul Baqi. He placed implicit trust in him and claimed to have given him Rs 1000.
When the war broke out and Hitler became the supreme dictator, the British had to face defeat from all directions. They became concerned that the USSR, taking advantage of the situation, may move towards India. To forestall this possibility the Jamiat-ul-Ulema declared at their annual general meeting that if Russia attacked Afghanistan it was the duty of all Muslims to Join the Jehad against them. When the British were satisfied that there was no fear from Russia, Cunningham issued an edict, "I advised Kuli Khan to modify his anti Bolshevik propaganda and to concentrate more on propaganda against Germany and Italy
It is difficult to conceive how a true Muslim could bear to side with his sworn enemies. Right from the time of Sultan Salahuddin until the Ottoman Empire, the British had routed the Muslims. The British-Indian army had showered the Great Mosque with bullets.
They had seized the throne from the Mughal Emperors. The memory of their treatment of the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, and his children will long linger in human memory. Then, before the very eyes of their brethren in the Frontier Province, how badly they treated the Pakhtoons in Afghanistan. Amir Dost Mohammad Khan, Amir Sher AH Khan, and, finally, Amir Amanullah Khan, all these Muslims were destroyed by the British. Were the Mullahs unaware of all the atrocities inflicted by the British on the Khudai Khidmatgars from 1930 onwards? Their bombing and attacks on the tribal areas were no secret for the Mullahs, and neither was their military action on Wazir, Masood, Afridi and Momand. The war against true believers and Mujahids like Haji Sahib Turang Zai and Faqir Ipi was inspired and instigated by the British.
The Mullahs were concerned neither with Islam, nor Quran, nor with the faith itself. These followers of the Holy Prophet were busy selling religion for ten or fifteen rupees a month. The British were their Muftis and Qazis. Their religious sanction came from the British. Having raised the sword in the name of Islam, they were prepared to pounce upon the "enemy" at the slightest nod from the British. If the British called the Russians "infidels", the Mullahs echoed "Yes". If the British declared the same for the Germans, the Mullah's nodded in agreement although the Germans like the English were Ahl e Kitaab. The Mullahs did not concern themselves with the principles: they waited upon the pleasure of the British. When it was a question of damning Italy, the Mullahs echoed the British sentiment without recognizing that Rome was the seat of Christianity, and Vatican city, residence of the Pope.
Cunningham wrote:
"Wazir-i-Aam of Swat is now employing eighteen Mullahs at Mardan and thirty two at Pir Baba Ziarat, paying each one of them thirty rupees per month."
Cunningham further wrote that Maulana Mohammad Shuaib and Maulana Midrarullah came to see him at Nathiagalli. They brought a detailed, Urdu pamphlet which was intended for distribution in the districts (Zillahs) and tribal areas. It was an excellent pamphlet; anti-Congress, anti-Japan and anti-Germany. What better proof could there be that these Mullahs wanted to "serve" Islam, and in what better way could they "serve" it than to perform Jehad with the militancy of their pen? They pronounced Islamic Judgements (Fatwas), but these were first approved by the British before they were announced:
Maulana Mohammad Shuaib and Maulana Midrarullah came to see me at Nathiagalli on the 26th August and produced a long draft in Urdu of the pamphlet which they proposed to issue both in the Districts and in Tribal Territories; all good anti-Congress, anti-Japanese and anti-Marxist stuff. They were extremely friendly.
The British did Islam a good turn by recording the names and addresses of these Mullahs. There were twenty-four Mullahs from the Peshawar district, of whom six were from the city of Peshawar, thirteen from the Tehsil Charsadda, three from Tehsil Naushera, and eighteen from Mardan and Sawabi. And so it goes. It is humiliating to read how these interpreters of religion sold their conscience to the political agents and bartered Islam for a few pieces of silver! It is further painful to see proof of their false Judgements (Fatwas) upon true sons and patriots of India. What amazing manipulations! To preserve their imperial regime the British were able to raise and organize a band of servile Muslims who never demanded a free India. On the contrary they resisted the freedom movement, and fully supported the British, confident of material support from them and moral support from their so-called interpretation of Islam.
The British strategy was to befriend those families whose heads were involved in the freedom struggle. The two most important persons fighting the Jehad against the British were Faqir of Ipi and Mullah Pawandah. Another crucial link was Haji Sahib Turangzai of Momand. The British were most interested in ingratiating themselves with these three individuals. And their greatest triumph was to win over the sons of these valiant patriots. Mullah Pawandah's son Fazal Din
and Haji Turangzai's son Padsha Gul. If one were to assess the state of things it becomes apparent that there were very few influential persons in the districts and tribes whom the British had not obtained for a price. After the death of Haji SahibTurangzai and Mullah Pawandah, Faqir was the only stalwart whom they could not buy!
An interesting incident occurred when, after the outbreak of the war in Europe, the British tried to persuade the Afghans to throw out the Germans. To pressurize the Afghans, they invited Shami Pir to the tribal territory, instructing him to incite the people against the royal family of Afghanistan. When the British were satisfied that the task had been successfully completed, they called Shami Pir to the Vana cantonment in Waziristan. They settled with him for £25,000. Shami Pir performed a disappearing trick! Having seen this task successfully completed the Secretary of State for India was thrilled. He asked the Viceroy to make a similar deal with Faqir. The Viceroy's reply is dated 14 July 1938. "There is, I fear, no possible chance in dealing with him on the same basis as Shami Pir. He is not only implacable, but also completely incorruptible. Who would rid me of this turbulent priest?"
