'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)' [‎39v] (83/156)

56
REPORT OF KHAN BAHADUR MAULA BAKBSH
He complained that his father did not treat him and his mother well, that
every penny of the revenue was remitted to him, and that he ^ave them no
allowances and expected them to live on the Havvai (literallv aerial), idiomati
cally uncertain income representing fines, presents, etc. This income he said
was precarious and amounted to almost nothing, as his father would not let him
deal with offenders and criminals and always tied his hands by directing him to
act on the advice of the priests who interfered in every ca<e and defeated the
ends of justice. He had always been loyal to his father* he added, and that he
intended to remain so in the future, but that his father had been led bv evil
disposed persons to suspect him of disloyalty in consequence of which he had
lately ignored all his letters and sent him
See paragraphs io(7i), 60,64, and 76. no answers or acknowledgments for
remittances of money.
He concluded by saying that the people were determined not to accent his
brother Sarhang Muhammad Reza Khan as Deputv Governor, and that thev
would not agree to his (Sartip Mir Ma'sum Khan’s) removal from Sistan unless
his father came and took charge of the administration himself, but that he
was writing to his father offering to carry out his wishes in every way.
76. During my stay in Sistan I had separate interviews with the chief
Views of the leading priests regarding the state P r l es ^j Hclji Mulla Ismail, and llis eldest
of affairs in Sistan. son and Chief Secretary Agha Mulla
Mehdi.
. Bot h gave me details of the recent events in Sistan and expressed their
views which materially agreed with what Allahyar Khan, the ex-Pishkar l.ad
° d me. therefore I consider it unnecessary to recapitulate them and onlv
report what was not mentioned by Allahyar Khan. -V
. Th ® prif t and his son said that they did not approve of the attitude
Of Apj fw'f - a i°i Kadk , hu ' as towards the Hashmat-ul-Mulk or of the murder
of Abdul A\ ahab -Beg, who was an innocent man.
■W ^7 T e t opinion that the leading men of Sistan had no special love
.or Sartip Mir Ma sum Khan, and that they would welcome I-mv other
Governor not connected with the family of the Hashmat-ul-Mulk. Thev were
however, afraid that it was impossible for them to get the Uashm-it ni i\r n*
deprived of the government of Sistan altogether, and timt^ev must
with a member of that family. Therefore
See peesgrapb. io ( «, so, 64, and 75 . they preferred Sartip Mir Ma’sum to hi.
brother or father.
They were not in favour of the Hashmat-ul-Muik eomln,, +„ o-
himself for fear lest he should punish them very’ severe! v * SlS !? n
murder of Abdul Wahab Beg. 7 euJy to aven S e th e
77. In course of conversation the chief priest of Sistan asked me what
rfg - rdi “ B object the British Government had in
Siah and whether they intended toTake'slstdn 6 Trephe^ that the reach'd
been opened to improve trade and to facilitate the traffic of caratans het«
India and Bars,a, and that the British Government had nolnSn^o'kTe '
(a) He then complained bitterly of the oppression exercised by the Amir
shifi persecution in Afghanistan. Afghanistan on his Shia subjects and
British Government would take stepst'ffecte'i; p^Tstip to^thlt‘n^
tion, because, if left uncheckprl if f ^ . bd 1 sl: . 0 P i t0 that persecu-
Afghanistan (as Shia Afghan subjects were migrating “ KhuSsanTd^S^^
could stop it if thej ehoTe to do so g 0 P [,res810n to §« on when they
He added that he was a well*wisher of thp RrifioU n
ready to do any service for them. I than“ked him fo" ffis®nd e tooT Ut T d
78. Agha Mulla Mehdi mentioned to me that held f ^ Ve ‘
the Russian Doctor, Miladchewsky^Turing
the latter s stay in Sistan last year to the