There is evidence of fairly general unrest on the North-west Frontier. The number of raids is on the increase; among recent acts of tribal daring and truculence were the kidnapping of Major Duggal, of the Indian Medical Service, and a raid on Bannu Hospital, writes the New Delhi Correspondent of the "Manchester Guardian."
The district of Bannu continues to be the centre of mischief, though reports suggest widespread discontent from the Mohmand area in the north to Waziristan, The Fakir of Ipi is still at large and active, and to the band of malcontents must now be added Fazal-Din, son of the late Mullah Powindah, who had acquired in the early years of the century a reputation and an influence comparable with those of the Fakir of Ipi. The Mahsuds, described by those who know them as the toughest and most recalcitrant among the tribes, are also showing signs of restiveness, adding considerably to the anxieties of the Frontier authorities, One simple explanation of this tribal flare-up, at a time of the year when conditions are normally peaceful, is that recent measures designed to discourage kidnapping raids are naturally resented by the tribes and have evoke ed unpleasant reprisals. The Caroe Committee after its inquiry into the Bannu raid in July, 1938, made recommendations some of whic have been carried out by the Frontier Province Government. Prominence must be given in particular to the suggestion that the amounts of ransom paid for securing the release of kidnapped persons should be deducted from the allowances due to the whole tribe.
The measures suggested by the Caroe Committee to deal with the menace, including the institution of a system of blockade against defiant tribes, may be passed over with the comment that even such obvious steps as barbed-wire fences and the installation of more long-distance telephones need money which the Frontier Government cannot afford. Without the annual subvention of £750000 from the Government of India, representing much more than the total revenues of the provincial Government, the Budget cannot be balanced, in spite of the standards of expenditure on essential needs like education and agriculture being the lowest among the provinces.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.