File 1880/1904 Pt 2 'Perso-Afghan Frontier: - The Undemarcated portion. Afghan encroachments.' [‎65r] (134/240)

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(&) A Darmian Mirza told me that Tazdan was at one time cultivated
^ by “ Daulat Shahis ** (Daulatzais ?) of Herat, the sons of one
Ata Muhammad of Herat. I have heard no confirmation of this
from any other source.
(c) It is said that another daughter of Haji Mirza Said Khan of Duruksh
V married Ahmed Khan of Sabzawar, the latter thus becoming the
private owner of one or more of the Yazdan Kareses, possibly
that at Atashan. This Ahmed Khan was subsequently killed in
Afghanistan and the Duruksh girl brought back. It is possible
that Afghan claims to Atashan are connected with this incident,
but if, as seems to have been the case, Yazdan was part of Zirkuh
the private acquisition of one or more of its Karezes by Afghan
subjects would not affect the situation.
At Atashan or Atash Khun there is a chatmi of 10 Afghan sowars. At
the present time the Karez is not worked. The Shaukat-ul-Mulk sent men to
open it in the spring of 1907, but they were prohibited from working by the
Afghans. In a telegram sent by the Shaukat-ul-Mulk to the Eoreign Minister
in °August 1907 on the subject of the capture of the refugees at Maliki
(referred to above), he states that he had previously represented the action
taken by the Afghans in this matter both to Tehran and to the Asaf-u-Douleh
(theii Governor-General of Khorasan) but had been told not to raise the
question.
It is said hy some that the Atashan Karez did not form one of the Yazdan
Karezes, and the point is at least doubtful.
The Karez at Zainulabidin was one of the 72 Karezes of Yazdan. I was
told that it was redug by one Zainulabidin of Sharakht (Sharaks) about 15
years ago and named after him. It is not worked now.
Kabuda is a spring of alkaline water near Yazdan. The land around it
is cultivated by Yazdan people for the Hissam-u-Douleh whose private property
it is.
As regards grazing rights, the Dasht*i-Naomed is open to all, and as stated
above, I think that the presence or not of Afghan malda^s affords no indication
at all as to ownership.
During the spring and early summer there are Afghan maldars all over
the Dasht-i-Naomed particularly at Maliki, Chah Zugal, Mahzangi *and
Shorao.
No sargalla or grazing tax is demanded from these Afghan maldars and
as was pertinently remarked to me they would not pay it if it was.
An incident which occured in 1907 may be mentioned :—
Two Seistani sowars that had accompanied the family of the Karguzar
(Ikram-ul-Mulk) to Meshed were returning, and having business with Sber
Muhammad, an Afghan refugee, who had been at Maliki for some years past,
went out of their way to stop the night at his camp. The next day one of the
Seistani sowars, Kohandil Khan, was murdered on the road to Ahwaz. The
survivor Asghar stated that an Afghan risala sowar In the East India Company army and later Indian Army, an ordinary native cavalryman or mounted cavalryman. arrived the previous
evening at the Rhel and he and the son of Sher Muhammad followed them
and treacherously attacked them, killing Kohandil Khan. Asghar fled, and
while the Afghans were stripping Kohandil’s body the risala Sowar’s horse
came after him and he went off with it.
Sher Muhammad and his people immediately decamped to Afghanistan.
The Karguzar took up the case very strongly and sent reports to the
Persian Government blaming the Shaukat-ul-Mulk for allowing so many
Afghan bad characters in the Kainat.
* The daJcTe marked in Captain Keyes’ map (faifc/fc-i-Patargun was pointed ont to me ai being 3 dakks :•
Jcfetargun lying to the north, Mahzangi to the south of it and Khushaba to the south of Mahzangi.