Abstract
The British Imperial Government raised rifles and militias in the strategic Tribal Belt consisting of the local tribesmen
for performing military service during a time of need, as opposed to a regular professional force and a full time
military personnel. These militias were supposed to serve in their own territories for limited time, supported by
regular army during military expeditions in Tribal Belt. The British after launching more than forty punitive
expeditions against tribesmen had come to the conclusion that the recruitment of local tribesmen in militias would not
only serve their strategic interest of buying the loyalties of tribesmen which was considered vital for the success of its
policy in the Great Game but it would also ensure peace and tranquility in the volatile region. The British first raised
Khyber Rifles comprised of different Afridi tribes of Khyber, an irregular force which used its own weapons for
safeguarding historic Khyber Pass, a legendary force which not only served in Khyber but also in other regions and
earned laurels for its fighting skills and courage. The Khyber Rifles became the source of inspiration for the birth of
other militias in Tribal Belt which particularly served the interests of the Viceroy Lord Curzon‟s Tribal Policy of
pacification and contentment.
AbidaAzeemAfrid, Muhammad Daniyal Khan. (2022) The Khyber Rifles: The 19th Century Native Guardians of the British Indian Empire, Journal of the Research Society of Pakistan, volume 59, issue 3.
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