§ Captain A. HUDSONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British representative in Afghanistan has taken up his duties; whether any damage has been done in the recent troubles to the Legation buildings; and whether His Majesty's Government has received any further information as to the present position of affairs in that country?
1398W
Mr. A. HENDERSONHis Majesty's Minister, as I informed the hon. and gallant Member for Chelmsford (Colonel Howard-Bury) on Monday last, left London on that date and is expected to be able to reach Kabul some time in March. The Legation buildings suffered considerable damage at the time of Habibullah Khan's attack on Kabul in December, 1928. I am not in a position to say if they have suffered further material damage since then, but if the hon. and gallant Member is referring to the Shinwari disturbances, about which I gave an answer on 17th February, these did not take place anywhere near Kabul. According to my latest information, conditions in Afghanistan generally are quiet, and the recent trouble with a section of the Shinwari tribe has subsided,