'Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Political Residency for the Years 1915-1919' [‎9r] (24/396)

FOE THE YEAR 1915.
7
officers and men killed and other British officials who have lost their lives in
the recent troubles in Persia will be paid from this balance.
After a considerable amount of telegraphing the Mukhbir-us-Sultaneh,
Governor-General of Fars, left Shiraz and the Qawam-ul-Mulk became Acting
Governor-General. The Persian Government apparently showed a hona fide
desire to fulfil the rest of the conditions and His Majesty's Government decid
ed to hand Bushire back. After two or Three other persons had been nominated
andjrejected, His Excellency the Darya Begi, who had been for some time on a
very dubious mission in Borasjun on behalf of the Mukhbir-us-Sultaneh, was
nominated Governor. After a good deal of delay and procrastination and one
false start, His Excellency arrived at Bushire on the 16th October and assumed
the Government of Bushire on behalf of the Persian Government. The British
flag was hauled down and the Persian flag hoisted with due ceremony in the
presence of a large crowd which evinced considerable signs of pleasure at seeing
their old friend the Darya Begi baek, and the Persian flag flying once more.
Meanwhile affairs in Shiraz and Pars had been steadily going from bad
, • to worse and His Maiesty's Consul had
^ n i vq'z q n h qvc
been having a very anxious time and his
position and that of the British Colony at Shiraz had become very precarious.
Wassmuss left Ahram for Shiraz towards the end of July and, after his
arrival at Shiraz, pro-German agitation became more and more violent. Several
pro-German newspapers, of which the " Jam-i-Jam " and the " Tazianeh" were
the most virulent, had been started and carried on a scurrilous and violent
anti-British campaign. The Gendarmerie, from the Commanding officer down
wards, were wholeheartedly pro-German. They had received no pay for some
months, and no doubt the officers, both Swede and Persian, received considerable
sums from the Germans. His Majesty's Consul endeavoured to arrange a loan
for the maintenance of the Pars Gendarmerie and it is understood that His
Majesty's Legation supported the proposal, but it did not materialize before
matters came to a head.
Wassmuss, having been succeeded as " Consul '* by Wustrow, Dragoman
of the German Legation, on the 23rd August, left Shiraz for Ahram about the
end of that month. The local agitation at Shiraz however, was carried on quite
effectively in his absence by Wustrow the new £< Consul" and the Gendarmerie
officers and the "Democrats" headed by Pakr-us-Sultaneh.
In end of September a party of riff raff from the bazaars, headed by
Shaikh Jaffar, a venal Mujtahid, left Shiraz under the grandiloquent self-styled
Mujahidin (fighters for the faith). Most of the first party deserted at
Dashtarjin and returned to their usual haunts. Eventually they were
reinforced again, and after considerable delay about 60 reached Borasjun in
the beginning of October. A well-known scoundrel called Ali Akbar Khurdil,
who had once tried to assassinate the Qawam, was one of the leading Mujahidin.
Shaikh Jaffar, on arrival at Borasiun, began to try and line his pockets and to
take charge of everything, much to the disgust of Ghazanfar-us-Sultaneh.
Shaikh Jaffar also granted (doubtless for a consideration) the titles of ' e Salar-
ul-Islam"and Amir-ul-Islam" to Shaikh Husain, Chahkutahi, and Zair
Khidhar, Ahrami, respectively. The " Mujahidin" never made any serious
attack on Bushire and were a starveling lot. Constant collections for their
support were made at Shiraz, but no doubt much of the money collected stuck
to the hands of the organizers of the collections and to Shaikh Jaffar's;
certainly not much reached the Mujahidin who gradually melted away and
finally the small remnant returned to Shiraz.
As mentioned previously, the Persian Government finally removed
Mukhbir-us-Sultaneh, the Governor-General, and he left Shiraz on 23rd
September. He halted for some days outside Shiraz and finally left the
neighbourhood about 30tb. September. There is not the slightest doubt that
he, more than any one else, was responsrble for the disturbed condition of Pars.
Although, during the earlier years of his administration, he was a strong
opponent of the Gendarmes, shortly before and after the outbreak of war he
heartily co-operated with them. This was probably due to his finding out that
they had the same object in view, the advancement of the German cause.