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‘Masqat Arms Traffic. 1908–1909.’ [‎45r] (94/128)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (60 folios). It was created in 1909. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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British Makran, landing of arms in-
53
REPORT OF SECRET AGENT “C.”
Landing at Pasni this man worked along
the coast to Gwadar. Until he reached
Gwadar he could hear nothing of any
landing of arms.
The precautions taken by our politicals
along the coast of British Makran appear
to be good, and the difficulty and risk of
getting the rifles away inland seem to have
discouraged gun-runners from making the
attempt.
No doubt the smuggling of a few rifles
and pistols and such like operations on a
very small scale do take place, but no
definite information to this effect was ob
tained.
The first signs of any landing of arms
were noted at Gwadar.
Here, there is a cloth merchant, one Mul-
la Bahram, son of Mulla Jumaat, who is
secretly employed by Mulla Abdirr Rahim,
to smuggle rifles. Abdur Rahim is believed
to be in the employ of the Indo-Persian Tele
graphs (not in his capacity of smuggler!).
The way Abdur Rahim works is that, when
the Wali of Gwadar goes over to Masqat,
he or one of his men follows him there. He
buys a few rifles and hands them over to the
servants of the Wali. As these men are
not inspected by the Customs, they can
land the rifles at Gwadar to hand them
over to Mulla Bahram.
There are also a few Hindu shopkeepers
at Gwadar who offered to sell our man
one or two rifles. Presumably they get
their rifles across by similar means, but this
smuggling is only on a small scale.
Gwadar is not used as a landing place
for rifles as, although it may be possible
to get them ashore there, there are no means
of getting them away from the place. East
of Gwatar (between Jini and Gwatar)
there is a small place called Sukkur. While
at Gwatar our man heard that on 23th
February 1909 one Abdulla, son of Din
Muhammad, Dewari Baluch of Kila Nasari
near Dizak, landed 800 rifles and 9 boxes
14 I.B.

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Content

Bound volume containing two secret reports, both authored by Colonel Wilfrid Malleson (referred to as Division of the Chief of the Staff in the first report, and Assistant Quarter Master General for Intelligence in the second), and both issued by the Division of the Chief of the Staff in 1909.

The first report is entitled Statistics regarding the Masqat [Muscat] Arms Traffic (Revised.) (ff 4-16), and contains several appendices and fold-out tables giving details of: caravan routes along which arms trafficking is carried out on the Makran coast; total values of arms and ammunition imported into Muscat and other Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ports; importers and (European) exports of arms.

The second report is entitled Special Reports on the Masqat Arms Traffic, Season 1908-09 (ff 17-60), and comprises a number of reports on the arms trade through Muscat, submitted by ‘secret agents’, and a map illustrating the arms traffic from Muscat to Persia, Baluchistan and Afghanistan (f 59). The report also includes two appendices, lettered G and H. Appendix G is a letter (in French) dated 28 October 1907, from M Pick to Messieurs Malcom and Company of Muscate [Muscat]. Appendix H comprises lists (in French) of arms for sale, with prices given in French francs.

The voluime includes a map illustrating the Muscat arms traffic, dated 1909, indicating routes taken by the Muscat arms trade from the Persian (Makran) coast and inland, into Persia, Baluchistan and Afghanistan (f 59).

Extent and format
1 volume (60 folios)
Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 62; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Pagination: this part also contains an original printed pagination sequence.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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‘Masqat Arms Traffic. 1908–1909.’ [‎45r] (94/128), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/20/289/A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100049315702.0x00005f> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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