[THE ANGLO-AFGHAN TREATY OF 1921] معاهده فيما بين أفغانستان و بريطانيه = Mu'âhadah fîmâ bayn-i Afghânistân va Brîtânîyah [i.e., Treaty between Afghanistan and Britain]

TARZI, MAHMOUD BEG KHAN (1865-1933), ON BEHALF OF THE AFGHAN GOVERNMENT.

Huroufi Press, [Kabul], [AH 1300] = 1921.

Original yellowish wrappers lithographed an early form of the Afghan government symbol in dark red on front cover, marbled fore-edges, and gilt lettering on title page. Cr. 8vo. (19 x 14 cm). In Persian and Arabic (Title page in Arabic including the "Declaration of Faith" -Kelime-i Sahâdet-, printing details and title; the text is in Persian), 18 p. Miniscule foxing on pages, ownership stamp on colophon, a faint folded trace on centre of pages. Otherwise, a near-fine copy.

The scarce first Persian edition of this original text of the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1921, the outcome of peace negotiations following the Third Anglo-Afghan War which did acknowledge Afghanistan’s independence, accept the boundary delimitations agreed upon at Rawalpindi, establish commercial relations and postal arrangements, and provide for the exchange of information before military operations among the frontier tribes. 

According to this treaty, the Afghan frontier was to be demarcated west of the Khyber, and a treaty of friendship was to be concluded six months after the Afghan government had shown itself "sincerely anxious to regain the friendship of the British Government." But the key point appeared in a letter (on the last page) attached to the treaty, where Sir A. H. Grant, the head of the British delegation acknowledged Afghanistan's independence, stating that ". . . the said Treaty and this letter leave Afghanistan officially free and independent in its internal and external affairs".

During the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919, when Tarzi served as Foreign Minister, British India bombarded Kabul and Jalalabad. Tarzi was appointed head of the Afghan Delegation at the peace conferences at Mussoorie in 1920 and Kabul in 1921. After four months the talks collapsed because of the Durand Line. Sir Henry Dobbs led the British delegation to Kabul in January 1921. Mahmud Tarzi headed the Afghan group. After eleven months of discussions, the British and Afghans signed a peace treaty normalizing their relations. Although Afghanistan was the winner of the conference - as the British accepted Afghanistan's independence - Tarzi's diplomacy was shown as the British sent a message afterward to Tarzi, giving their goodwill toward all tribes.

THE TREATY:

The Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1921, also called the "Treaty of Kabul" because it was negotiated and signed at Kabul by Henry R. C. Dobbs, the British envoy, and Mahmud Tarzi, chief of the Afghan delegation, after arduous, eleven-month negotiations. The treaty restored "friendly and commercial relations" between the two governments after the Third Anglo-Afghan War and negotiations at the Mussoorie Conference and Rawalpindi. The negotiations proceeded in four phases: During the first session, January 20 to April 9, 1921, the Afghan Amir unsuccessfully demanded territorial concessions, while Britain wanted the exclusion of Russian consular offices from southeastern Afghanistan. In the second phase, from April 9 to mid-July, 1921, Britain asked Afghanistan to break the newly established diplomatic with Russia in exchange for a subsidy of 4 million rupee and weapons, as well as guarantees from unprovoked Russian aggression. When in the third stage, from mid-July to September 18, the British foreign office informed the Italian government that it was about to conclude an agreement that would, "admit the superior and predominant political influence of Britain" in Afghanistan, the Afghans refused to accept an "alliances." An exclusive treaty was impossible after Afghanistan announced ratification of the Russian-Afghan treaty of 1921. In the fourth and final stage of negotiations, from September 18 to December 8, 1921, the British mission twice made preparations to return to India, when finally an agreement was signed at Kabul on November 22, 1921. Ratifications were exchanged on February 6, 1922.

In the treaty, both governments "mutually certify and respect each concerning the other all rights of internal and external independence." Afghanistan reaffirmed its acceptance of the boundary west of the Khaibar, subject to minor "re-alignment." Legations were to be opened in London and Kabul, consulates established in various Indian and Afghan towns, and Afghanistan was permitted to import arms and munitions through India. No customs duties were to be charged for goods in transit to Afghanistan and each party agreed to inform the other of major military operations in the frontier belt. Representatives of both states were to meet soon to discuss the conclusion of a trade convention, which was signed in June 1923. (Sources: Iranica; EuroDocs, Cambridge online, Wikipedia, WorldCat).

As of March 2024, the OCLC shows only two copies worldwide (918433961, 993033204), not in the North American libraries.