|
An English political cartoon from the period, showing Sher Ali Khan
'caught in the middle' between the Russian Bear and the British
Lion |
During the 1870s, Russian and Britain jockeyed for position. As
noted above, Russia had extended her dominion south to Khiva,
less than a thousand miles from British India.
British India, of course, had expanded north into the Sind and
Punjab areas. A tenuous 'understanding' was promulgated
between the two powers, naming the Afghan territory and
Turkestan north of the Hindu Kush as "neutral territory" but it
never reached full acceptance in the capitals. |
