File 619/1907 Pt 10 'Arms traffic:- Persian Gulf. Prize Money for captures in Persian Gulf.' [‎118r] (240/424)

that arms and ammunition of modern pattern (European manufacture) were
reaching the tribesmen, apparently via Muskat and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Thus,
on the 30th July 1906 the Chief Commissioner of the North-West Frontier Region of British India bordering Afghanistan.
Piovince reported that a large number of Martini-Henry carbines had recently
found their way into tribal territory. These rifles, he remarked, had been
for sale m Afghanistan during the previous winter, and a considerable
number had been purchased by independent tribesmen at prices ranging
from Rs. 150 to Rs. 200. He added that the appearance of the carbines had
been noticed almost simultaneously amongst the Mohmands in Tirah and
(( othei parts' of the Khyber Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , on the Ivurram border, and in
“ aziristan.” The weapons were said to be part of a very large consignment
fiom the Gulf for Russian Central Asia, which had been stopped by the
Afghan authorities at Herat. The arms were then sent to Kabul for the
Amir s orders, and were finally distributed by sale. All accounts, in fact,
tended to show that the arming of the tribesmen in independent territory
with modern weapons was proceeding briskly with results that were described
by the Government of India in their Despatch of the 21st February 1907
as “ constituting a grave menace to the peace of the border.”
As_ regards the actual number of rifles (derived from all sources,
including local manufacture) in the possession of the tribesmen, the
Government of India estimated in February 1907 that, out of 270,000
men belonging to the frontier tribes, 94,000 possessed breech-loading rifled
arms. The latest information available gives the figures on the 30th April
1909 as follows:—Total fighting strength of tribesmen, 334,005 ; breech
loading rifles or carbines, 152,426 ; muzzle-loading rifles, 56,943A Sec also
paragraph 41 (2).
Situation in Afghanistan: attitude
of Amir.
26. As regards Afghanistan, the Government of India reported early in
1907 that they had recently received the “ disquieting intelligence ” that a
number of rifles had reached the Herat
and Kandahar districts, and were being
freely sold among the tribesmen with
the approval of the local Afghan officials. The Government of India added
that “ the trade in these arms is no longer prohibited by the Amir in
“ accordance with the policy pursued by his father, and His Majesty is
“ reported to have stated openly that he has no objection to the acquisition
“ of weapons of precision by his subjects, and to have rewarded some of the
principal men engaged in the trade.” In August 1908 it was reported
that the Amir had
granted
general permission to Afghan traders to bring
arms and ammunition from the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , and had authorised advances
to respectable traders for the purpose; and subsequent reports have
furnished further evidence of His Majesty’s desire to promote the trade in
every way.
An illustration of his attitude was afforded by the protest which he
addressed to the Viceroy on the 11th
l^Vicerey’s telegram of 16th October geptember 19 07 against the action of
1792/07. th® British authorities in stopping an
Afghan arms caravan in Kacha Gorge
in the previous May.f His Majesty complained of this seizure on the
ground that the arms were being brought for the purpose of arming the
people of Afghanistan, and expressed the hope that the British frontier
officials would be punished, and steps taken to prevent such action in the
future. The caravan, it should be noted, was actually over the border in
British territory at the time of its capture.
* These figures are taken from the latest edition (corrected up to 30th April 1909) of the
“ Statement of fighting strengths and armament of independent Tribes on the North-West
Frontier,” prepared by the Indian Intelligence Department.
t The caravan was ambushed by a party under Major Webb-Ware, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. ,
Chagai. The Afghans scattered to the surrounding hills, leaving 795 rifles and nearly 67,000
rounds of ammunition behind them. Over 70 of their camels were either killed or captured.