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'File 8/1 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: GWADUR/KALAT BOUNDARY' [‎56r] (111/215)

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The record is made up of 1 file (105 folios). It was created in 14 May 1942-7 Apr 1948. It was written in English and Arabic. 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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S&fffiEX-
No.H-33
(Camp) Karachi
Dated 21st. June, 1945
From
R.I. Hallows, Esquire,
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. ,
M_U_S_C_A_T.
To
The Hon'ble the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency.
in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ,
B U S H I R E.
Subject: Gwadur - Kalat Boundary.
Sir,
In reply to your telegram No.1012, dated the 31st. May, 1945,
I have the honour to give below my views on the proposal to restrict
encroachments into Kalat territory from Gwadur outlined in letter No.
12-P1/45/S/1, dated the 12th. March, 1945, from the Hon'ble the Agent
to the Governor General in Baluchistan to the Secretary to the Govern
ment of India in the External Affairs Department.
2. So far as Muscat is concerned, there seem to me to be a number
of objections to attempting to arrive at a working arrangement on the
lines suggested. In the first place, I think it unlikely that an ar
rangement of this nature arrived at without the knowledge or consent
of His Highness the Sultan would facilitate the settlement of boundary
questions. His Highness would be as unlikely to accept unfavourable
advice based on the proposed understanding, as he would be to accept
any proposed boundary which did not coincide with his own claims.
The position as regards the arrest and return of fugitive offenders
would, I think, remain substantially as before. In the second place,
it seems probable that in the course of time His Highness would deduce
the existence of such an arrangement - a development which might well
cause him to feel that the issue had been prejudged without due regard
to his interests and lead him to intensify any efforts he may have been
making to consolidate his position in the disputed area. A similar re
action might also occur in Kalat with the result that a great deal of
attention would be attracted to a dispute which is, at present, of com
paratively minor importance. In such circumstances, the possibility
can, for instance, be envisaged of the Kalat State authorities attempt
ing overtly to extend the activities of their levy post at Suntsar up
to the proposed boundary shown by the red pencil line on the map enclosed
with the Hon'ble the Agent to the Governor General's letter referred to
in paragraph 1 above. Any such development would be certain to produce
a violent reaction in Muscat which would not abate until the Kalat Levies
had discontinued their activities.
3. I have not commented on the question of principle which the pro
posal for demarcation of the boundary for practical purposes appears to
raise, as this is a matter for the consideration of the Government of
India. In regard to the possibility, mentioned in paragraph 6 of the
Hon'ble the Agent to the Governor General's letter, of a tacit acceptance
of the arrangement, my view is that the Sultan's claims will remain un
altered until the matter is settled by a Boundary Commission.
4- It seems unlikely that, up to the present, His Highness has given
any detailed attention to the question of his boundary with Kalat State and
that, in general, he has preferred to leave his interests in this dispute,
largely

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Content

Following on from the previous file (IOR/R/15/6/183), this file mainly concerns issues arising in relation to the boundary between Muscat-controlled Gwadur [Gwadar] and the state of Kalat. It features the following principal correspondents: the British Agent, Gwadur; the 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. and Consul, Muscat; the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the Agent to the Governor-General and Chief Commissioner in Baluchistan; the Minister of External Affairs, Muscat and Oman; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd]; officials of the Government of India's External Affairs Department.

The file includes discussion of the following: reports that Kalat state authorities are building a road which will pass through Muscat territory; reports of coast watchers of Kalat state patrolling in the Gwadur area; details of the Gwadur district, including its extent and limits, its customs and its population size; reports of Muscat subjects being mistreated and subjected to forced labour in Kalat state; the case for laying down a 'working line' of the Gwadur-Kalat boundary for the benefit of British political officers on each side, and whether the Sultan of Muscat and Oman and the Khan of Kalat should both be informed of such an arrangement; whether the question of the formal demarcation of the Gwadur-Kalat boundary should be reopened; dissatisfaction among neighbouring tribal leaders near Gwadur over the Sultan of Muscat's recent decision to cease paying their annuities.

Also included in the file are four maps depicting Gwadur and the surrounding region. The Arabic language material mainly consists of correspondence between British officials in the Gulf and representatives of Muscat and Oman.

Extent and format
1 file (105 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the front to the rear of the file. Circled serial numbers (red for received correspondence; blue/black for issued correspondence) refer to entries in the notes at the rear of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 107; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-106; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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'File 8/1 MUSCAT STATE AFFAIRS: GWADUR/KALAT BOUNDARY' [‎56r] (111/215), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/6/184, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100055627842.0x000070> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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