25 FEBRUARY 1989, Page 12

three days on the throne his successor, lnyatullah, offered to

abdicate if he too could be flown out. Such was the moral authority that Humphrys now exercised that all fighting ceased while he escorted Inyatullah and his entourage to the plane for Peshawar. Then on 25 February, he himself with the remainder of his staff boarded a Victoria, carrying with him the Union Jack which had flown over the Legation, and his prize woodcock.

It would be foolish to suppose that a modern British diplomat could act in such an authoritative way — the heroic gesture does demand heroic forces at one's elbow. On the other hand, the symbolic function of a diplomat's behaviour cuts two ways, and a premature exit not only cuts the supply of reliable information, it suggests a poodle spirit at home.