Wednesday, 26th February, 2025
Next event: The Extraordinary History of the Pakistan Embassy Premises in Kabul
Our next event is a talk by Susan Loughhead as she explores the journey of the Pakistan Embassy premises in Kabul using photographs, letters and interviews, to provide a ‘behind the scenes’ insight into how an iconic building can tell the story of a region.
Pakistan’s present embassy in Kabul is housed in what was once one of the jewels in the British crown, designed to project British power and prestige after Afghan independence in 1919. How, why and when it transitioned from British to Pakistani ownership is a complex story however. It involves a three-way geo-political dance between Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, and to a lesser extent, Britain, which started with the ‘battle of the embassy furniture’ in 1948. The story begins however in the 1920s with the design of the building itself. The Home Secretary, Lord Curzon, wanted the British embassy in Kabul to replace “two or more battalions on the Khyber” and the British Ambassador to be the “best housed person in Asia”. He largely achieved this goal. In its heyday, it “was an invitation to dine at the British legation which was, and still is, the hallmark of having socially arrived”. Over subsequent decades, the compound had its fair share of adventures too – including being caught in the crossfire between two opposing Afghan armies. The Pakistan Government has restored it to its former glory and reopened it as its embassy.
Speaker:
While Susan Loughhead was based at the British Embassy in Kabul (2010 – 2013), she became interested in the parallels between her grandfather’s experiences in Afghanistan in the late 1940s and her own. He had witnessed first hand the fall-out from Indian Partition and its impact on Afghanistan and was directly affected by a tussle between Pakistan, India and Afghanistan over the division of the spoils of empire, including embassy property, set against the backdrop of the rapid decline in British power and influence.
When she returned to London in 2013, she dusted off her academic skills – a BA and MA in Medieval and Modern History – dug around in the British archives and interviewed men and women who had lived in the former embassy premises. The result was her first book, ‘The End Game: The Final Chapter in Britain’s Great Game in Afghanistan’. This was published after she won a history writing prize from the Historical Association and Amberley Publishing. She is currently writing her second book on the Siege of Chitral in 1895.
Date and time: Wednesday 26 February, 2025 at 6pm for a 6.30pm start and 8pm finish.
Venue: Chancery Hall, Pakistan High Commission, 36 Lowndes Square, London SW1X 9JN
Dress code: Smart casual
Attendance registration: Members may book for themselves, their spouse or partner and up to two others.
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