The Pathans were not eager to fight Ottoman Tturkey. This was evident among the Pathan personnel in the 20th infantry when the unit was destined for Mesopotamia in late 1914. Infact on 19 November and 26 November 1914, some kamber khel Afridis deserted to the ottoman Turks. Arthur barret cabled to GHQ India that this unit be sent from Mesopotamia to India. John Nixon was also against the north-west frontier pathans and afghans against Ottoman Turkey. On 12 April, during the Turkish attack at shaiba, the bajauri and bunerwal Pathans deserted from the unit.
The Army in British India: From Colonial Warfare to Total War 1857 - 1947 - Kaushik Roy - Google Books
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…Members of Pathan tribes of North-West frontier (Pakhtunkhwa) , however, raised strong objections on the religious grounds. Abstentions and desertions among pathans in the initial stages of campaigns exceeded those among all other martial classes. In early 1915, two Pathan units refused even to embark for service in Mesopotamia, with members of one unit opening fire on their officers.
Omissi has observed : "By march, major general Arther Barret, the original commander of 6th indian division in Mesopotamia, had twice requested the replacement of four companies of pathans which he didn’t trust. The authorities in India refused on the grounds that they could not depend on muslim troops to fight on North-West Frontier (Pakhtunkhwa) either, and therefore couldn’t spare non-Muslim units for service overseas.
In February 1915, the pathans who advanced upto the tigiris with the relief force, refused to fight the ottomans, consequently, in late February, all trans-indus pathans were removed from the force and sent back downriver.
The Indian Army in the Two World Wars - Google Books
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In December 1914 some trans-indus Pathans deserted to Turks in Mesopotamia, the remainder of regiment was withdrawn from frontlines.
British Strategy and War Aims 1914-1916 (RLE First World War) - David French - Google Books
**15th Lancers **
The 15th Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Indian Army which existed from 1858 to 1921. The regiment was one of the single class regiments, with all troops being recruited from the Multani Pathan community. In 1915, 15th lancers were detached from the Lahore Division and sent to the Middle East. On landing at Basra from Europe, 429 soldiers of 15th lancers refused to fight fellow Muslims, i.e. the Turks, in the Holy Land of Islam.
Izzat: historical records and iconography of Indian cavalry regiments, 1750-2007 - Ashok Nath - Google Books
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In 1914 there were nearly 5000 trans-indus Pathans in the Indian Army, of whom about half were Afridis. By June 1916 over 600 Afridis had deserted to Turks. In November 1915 all recruitment of trans-indus Pathans was stooped.
World War I - Michael S. Neiberg - Google Books