Military extremists wanted complete occupation, in other words to expand India still more. Just how Indian relations with that country should be developed was the subject of much argument in military and political circles. Afghanistan had had less experience of Western contacts than any other country in the Middle East and Central Asia, and was strongly averse to any more but with the collapse of the British forward defence policy based on Iran, Afghanistan was now to become the object of a military campaign aimed at forestalling Russia, and its establishment as a buffer state.
The early explorers, such as Conolly and others of whom more later, who were haphazardly trying to fill the void of ignorance of the region, were of course regarded as spies, just as Britain regarded their Russian counterparts. That belief caused Russia to hasten her preparations for a campaign to capture Khiva. There was a belief, which had a readily understandable and indeed justifiable basis in Russian eyes, that Britain intended to absorb the khanates of Central Asia. In Russian government circles British intentions in Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia were all regarded with like suspicion. Inevitably such a move was seen as evidence of an increasing threat to India. In England anti-Russian feeling was very strong.
There were rumours that Russia was preparing an expedition against Khiva. By 1838 the momentum of events leading to the Great Game was gathering force.
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