The North-Western Frontier has historically been a source of trouble for India, with various groups such as the Sakas, Hunas, Kushans, Pathans, and Mughals entering India through it.

Initially, the British Government was not directly concerned with the North-Western Frontier because Punjab was controlled by the Sikhs and Sind by the Amirs.

After the annexation of Sind in 1843 and Punjab in 1849, the North-Western Frontier became a significant issue.

The Russian advances in Central Asia and their attempts to influence Afghanistan made the British nervous about the safety of India.

The British Government was determined not to allow Russia to gain influence in the region and wanted to maintain law and order along the North-Western Frontier.

The Sind frontier was exposed to attacks from the Bugtis, Dombkis, and Jakranis from the Kachchi region, stretching for about 150 miles from Kasmore to the Hala mountains.

The Punjab frontier was ill-defined and unscientific, with a vast tribal area between India and Afghanistan that lacked real control.

On the Punjab frontier, there was no law as such, and disputes were settled through might and rifles.

The British Government faced difficulty in formulating a clear policy for the North-Western Frontier as the situation was constantly changing.

Social, political, and geographical factors differed across the North-Western Frontier, making a single policy difficult to apply.

The Sind frontier was more accessible, politically integrated, and controlled by Maliks, thus posing fewer problems than the Punjab frontier.

The Punjab frontier was long, mountainous, and ill-defined, with Pathan tribes being too intractable and freedom-loving to accept the authority of the Maliks.

This led to the creation of two systems of frontier administration: the Sandeman System for Baluchistan and the Close Border System for the Punjab Frontier.