"ملف 8/16 ملخص استخباراتي بشأن البحرين" [و‎‎٧‎١] (٢٠٦/١٤١)

-3-
Rso600/- per mensem. Both Cle j rks and labourers are now
paid in gold by ARAMCO and the sale of this gold boosts
salaries still higher. There is no shortage of clerks in
Bahrain, however, as the Government Schools are still turning
out yearly a sufficient number of young men with some pre
tensions to literacy to supply both the Bahrain Government
and the oil companies„
2 °7o PAKISTAN CURRENCY .
The Karachi newspaper "DAWN” reported in its issue
of Sepoember 4th that "despite the overwhelming demand for
Pakistan Currency” the Political Agent had issued a notice
that all the transactions should be in Indian Currency and
not Pakistan Currency. The paper calls this "one more proof
of Britrin’s anti-Pakistan policy".
The Political Agent has issued no orders regarding
the currency to be used in Bahrain. At the request and on
behalf of the Pakistan Government, however, he sent the Bahrain
Government and Bahrain banks a copy of a note prepared by the
Pakistan Ministry of Finance in which it was alleged that
malicious propaganda had been carried on in some countries
in the Middle East with a view to sabotaging and discrediting
Pakistan Currency. The Bahrain Government replied that it
did not consider that there had been any propaganda in Bahrain
directed towards the discrediting of Pakistan Currency. This
was also the opinion of both the Bahrain banks. They added
that Pakistan currency was being freely accepted by the banks,
a charge of one anna for every ten rupees being made to cover
the cost of its repatriation to Pakistan. A similar charge,
they stated, was being made in purchases of Sterling Notes,
Iraq Dinar Notes, and Egyptian PoundsNotes to cover the cost
of repatriation to their respective countries.
208. PERSIAN CLi.IM TO B AHRAIN.
Reference paragraph 196 of Intelligence Summary
No.14.
The Persians seem to be carrying on particularly
intensive propaganda regarding their claim to Bahrain.
A report was current recently in Manamah that a Persian Deputy
had offered a large reward and grants of land in Persia to
anyone (including, of course, Persians in Bahrain) who could
bring forward proofs of the validity of the Persian claim to
Bahrain. The origin of this report was said to be a Baghdad
broadcast. A few days later an Arabic broadcast from Paris
stated that the Shah had settled satisfactorily to Persia her
claim to Bahrain with His Majesty's Government and that the
islands were to be handed over to Persia.
209. LIQUOR .
(i) Ghulam Akhtarzadah was once a servant of the
Adviser to the Bahrain Government and is now the proprietor
of a large new shop and restaurant called the Moon Stores.
He recently imported a consignment of apple cider and established
himself for a time as the most popular restaurateur in the'
island. Bahrainis, who partake impartially of Scotch, local
arak, ahd Eau de Cologne in secret, flocked to drink cider in
public. The alcoholic content of the cider was negligible
but such is the power of faith that many who drank it displayed
all