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British In Afghanistan in the 19th CenturyIn the early 19th century, three great powers seek to acquire Afghanistan: The France, Russia and the United Kingdom.
1.First contact with Afghans.
The first time that Afghans came into contact officially with the British, it was in 1809 when Mountstuart Elphinstone was sent to nearly Shah Shoja then on the throne of Afghanistan. This event precipitated the entry of Afghanistan into world politics. The reason for the British mission was to secure the alliance of the Afghan government against the Russian ally since the peace signed in 1807 with the France of Napoleon. A few years later in 1832, the emissary Alexander Burnes, then on his way to Bokhara, made a stop in Kabul. He met the emir Dost Mohammed. A friendship treaty was then adopted by both parties. The agreement stipulated that if France or Persia attacked Afghanistan, Britain would help the Shah of Kabul. But in return, the Shah would not let the French or the Russians enter into Afghanistan.
But for now, the biggest problem of Dost Mohammed lived in the advance of the Sikhs in the South who were becoming increasingly pressing. Taking advantage of chaos in Kabul, the Hindus had already taken Peshawar in 1834 and are now dangerously advancing towards Kabul. The situation became sensitive to the ruler of Afghanistan and he had to react. In 1836 he sent a detachment led by his own son, Akbar Khan, in an attempt to stop them. Although he was only nineteen years old, Akbar managed to defeat the Sikhs and killed their commander, Hari Singh Marwa, near Jamrud (a town west of Peshawar). But after this victory, Dost Mohammed did not launch an offensive in Peshawar, which was then yet to reach. Instead, he decided to make direct contact with the English that they intervene in the conflict, thereby bringing an end to hostilities. For these reasons, he wrote a letter to Governor General of India, Lord Auckland, in