The daily worker., 1930-06-30
WAR ON THE NORTHWEST
FRONTIER OF INDIA

among the Indian propertled class. How far
this imperialist propaganda has effected the
thought of the educated" Indian is shown by
the following statement made by Professor
B. G. Sapre in discussing the question of the
defense" of India on the North West From.
tier in his recent book on the Indian Constitu-
tion:
"The danger of Soviet Aussia beyeod
Afghanistan is as immine& IS sWse. RMe
agents and emissaries of that government
have been continually busy and it is diff.
cult to foresee what the ultimate consequences
will be of their revolutionary and mischevous
propaganda"
As matter of fact, every effort is being
made by British imperialism to show that the
movement of the tribes has been directly en-
glneered by the Soviet Government The sug-
gestion was made in the proclamation of Nav
IL of the Chief Commissioner of the North
west Frontier Province to the tribal chiefs.
And the thought was uppermost in the mind
of the Liberal M. p, DR.. Burgin, when in the
debate on Soviet Russia on June 9Th in the
House OF Commons he declared:
II MOSCOW, in spite of being aware of the
feeling IN the House of Commons and in the
country, Systematically attempts to spread dis
content among the tribes and the peasants ON
the Northwest Frontier of India, the British
Foreign Minister must take steps to find a
remedy"
Pretext For War.
1t is clear that the forward school" of i'm.
perlallsts are seeking pretext for their war
preparations against the Soviet Union, and
the present campaign against the tribes has
given them the opportunity of using their
Air Force and bombing planes as a training
and rehearsal for the coming war.
That the "epoch-making changes" to be in
troduced in the Indian Army by the new COM
mander-in-chief, Sir Philip Chetwode, who is
succeeding Sir William Birdwood, are directed
against Soviet Russia is frankly asserted by
Wilson, formerly editor of the semi-official
Pioneer" of Allshabad and now editor of the
Indian Daily Mail" of Bombay, who is known
to have very close connections with authori-
tative men In military circles. The new COM
mander-in-chief is said to represent more
modern school, than the retiring chief He
and his staff are of the opinion that "the
danger to India C) from beyond the North
Western Frontier can no longer be met in the
old way" In the issue of April 4th Wilson
writes THE idea of mobile columns penetrat-
ing into the passes and supported with var
lous lines of defense does not find favor with
the new type of soldier. The plan which will
be put into operation will have as it's main
feature a thanking base at Karachi, with a
light extremely mobile fringe of defense
troops on the edge Of the passes while the
principal method of defense will be an attack
on the communications of the enemy in Af-
ghsnistan and beyond from the air. This is
of course assuming that Russia is the enemy"
Practicng Now
In addition to this, arrangements are to be
made for efficient gas drilling and for bot
thing gas in large quantities on the Frontier,
for, as Wilson writes, "if ever there was a
place which could be bottled up with gas it
is the Frontier"
In view of the fact that the principal weapon
employed against the Soviet Union will be at
tacks from the air not only from the Indian
frontier with Karachi as the air-base, but
from the Western Border States, Finland,
Esthonia, Latvia, Poland and Rumania, the
present war on the Frontier where hundreds
of airplanes have been bombing the tribes with
thousands of pounds of explosives is Of more
than usual significance The workers of the
world and particularly the British workers
should hinder the manufacture and transport
not only of guns, warships and troops to India,
but also of airplanes, airplane paEs and gas
which are to play so deadly part in the plan
for the destruction of the Workers and Peas
ants Republic.