File 2869/1906 Pt 2 'Arms traffic: Mekran Coast and Baluchistan. Correspondence (1908-9)' [‎17v] (43/554)

Our men heard of a certain number o
rifles being sold to Persians -m '.ese
Arab ports r,nd taken across tbe Gulf to La-
ristan, etc., and some of the Afghans sai
that if the British stopped them fio.n
going to Masqat they would go to D »ai
or Kuwait for their rifles. However,
Persians and Afghans prefer to purchase
direct at Masqat, as this saves an extra
middleman’s profits and the purchase of
rifles in the Upper Arabian ports for taking
across the Gulf is exceptional.
It appears that practically all the
rifles bought by Arabs stay m Arabia
and are sold in the ‘ hinterland.’
Malcolm and Baijeot said that the
Arab trade averaged about 100,000 rifles
annually, but, as they made this remark
when our men suggested a reduction ot
prices on account of the slackness of sales,
it cannot be taken too literally. At the same
time there is certainly a large trade with
the Arabs, and the merchants said that only
last year the Afghan trade equalled the
Arab trade. The Arabs can sometimes
ship their rifles to Dibai and Kuwait
by the British India boats.
The Inspector of Customs at Masqat
said that if the Arab merchants made it
worth his while he could bribe the
Captain, Chief officer, booking clerk, etc.,
of the steamers and get rifles and am
munition shipped at Masqat for Dibai
and Kuwait, as Masqat ‘ Halwa ’ (sweets).
This was done in the S.S. Dwarka, Dumra,
and Kola. But, as a general rule, the
smaller men all take their arms up the
Arab coast in dhows.
While our men were in Masqat they
saw a good number of Arabs buying arms.
At Karachi .—The Amir’s Agent, Dost
Muhammad Khan, gives all the help he
can to the Afghans.
His name was often mentioned by the
Afghans (our men did not know that he
was the Amir’s Agent). Durani,* whose
rifles had been landed at fehirahan and who
People who assist the gun-runners.
One of Jan Muhammad,’party.