'Report of Khan Bahadur Maula Bakhsh, Attaché to the Agent to the Governor General of India and Her Britannic Majesty's Consul-General for Khurasan and Sistan, on His Journey from Meshed to Quetta via Turbat-i-Haidari, Kain, Sistan, Kuh-i-Malik Siah and Nushki (7th April to 28th July 1898)' [‎35v] (75/156)

48
REPORT OF KHAN BAHADUR MAULA BAKHSH
0
I questioned him about recent events in Sistan. The following is a sum
mary of the information that 1 elicited from him in course of conversation :
“ Formerly, when Mir Ma’sum Khan, Deputy Governor of Sistan, was a
minor, the administerial affairs of Sistan were in the hands of his mother and
the Pishkar.
“ Now the Sartip is about eighteen years of age, and for the last two years he
has taken a good deal of the work into his own hands. During this period he
has been dealing with the people rather severely and has been inflicting punish
ments and fines on different persons which led to complaints being preferred
against him by the parties concerned to the leading priests.
“The latter communicated with the Hashmat-ubMulk and advised him to
take steps to put a stop to Sartip Mir Ma’sum Khan’s oppression.
“ The priests have great influence and power in Sistan. The Hashmat-ul-
Mulk is alive to this, and is consequently afraid to turn a deaf ear to their
representations. In order to please them, and with other objects in view he at
first advised the Sartip not to act against the advice of the priests. But even
tually he decided to appoint his eldest son Sarhang Muhammad Beza Khan to
supersede his second son Sartip Mir Ma’sum Khan as Deputy Governor of
Sistan.
“ Accordingly, he sent Sarhang Muhammad Reza Khan to take charge of
the administration from Sartip Mir Ma’sum Khan and to send the latter nnH
his mother to Meshed.
“ Sarhang Muhammad Reza Khan being an unintelligent youth, the Hash-
mat-ul-Mulk sent his Farrash Bashi and brother-in-law Abdul Wabab Be«* a
sharp and cunning man, to look after him. Allahyar Khan was also instructed
to continue as Pishkar to help the Sarhang to carry on the work.
“ On arrival in Sistan towards the end of January 1898, Abdul Wahab Beo-
asked Sartip Mir Ma’sum Khan to vacate the citadel and to hand over eW™
to Sarhang Muhammad Reza Khan. r ° e
“ Sartip Mir Ma’sum Khan happened to be suffering from sore eves at tbe
time, and on the advice of his mother, who was unwilling to le/^ %
where she had been virtually ruler for the last six or seven years he ® ! a 1
himself from vacating the citadel on plea of illness. However he told Snri? d
Muhammad Reza Khan and Abdul Wahab Beg to take a house m the 8 r
HuSai ? bad t0 ? an '? ^ the Ministration from there'
Abdul Wahab Beg was not satisfied with this. He thought that „„ W sLT
Muhammad Reza Khan was in possession of the citadel‘’the willerl t ‘ S lan ?
the Kain Infantry Regiment located there he would not be ^0 1 as"^ ^
Governor. He was, therefore, devising plans to turn Sartip JHr MaW^Khi 7
out ot the citadel. He forbade all the Kadkhudas to have mv l . 1
with Sartip Mir Ma’sum Khan and threatened them with severe ^ nter . coure ®
if they did not obey him, but his threats had no effect. punishment
“ Abdul Wahah Beg, having recently murdered Dawesh Khan <s« 1 j-
Baluch headman, near Tabas, was in blood feud with the deeeasld’s rel!t b ^
Sistan all of whom worked against him. The only men who were realK f - ul“
with him were Abbas Khan, Jamalzai, Kadkhuda of Kimak (f 7 f '' Iendl y
Abdul Wahab Beg), and Ibrahim Kechi, Kadkhuda ofihTrifabdd *0^7 ^
a few other leading men who were either related to him or were hl "
phees in the murder of Harwesh Khan, Sarbandi. or were his aocom-
“ The leading Sardars of Sistan, viz., Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Khan T-tn rvi - 0 • .
Milak (son of the late Ibrahim Khan of Chakhansur) and S l ^ arl rJ Sen , ; !f rani of
Sarbandi (son of the late Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Lutf Ali Khdn) wl 0 ‘ n” P T' dl1 Khiin >
Ma sum Khan’s side, advised Mir Ma’sum Khan towards tlm m' i°n Sa i' tl v? Mir
^ 1898 to put Abdul Wahab Beg to death in punish*^ foSvl
and received i^t^iT Hot^itoTum^FV^ 8hauka ‘-«l-M«lk
Wahab Beg to be arrested and thrown into conflnement. MUar7 t0 CaUS6 Abdul
“ Sartip Mir Ma’sum Khdn was afraid to openly set hi. fo.i . , .
defiance, and he hesitated to take any action, but Abdul Wa^dl^t^’^threaten*