'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)' [‎57r] (118/156)

ON HIS JOURNEY FROM MESHED TO QUETTA, 1898.
91
other tribes. However, his adherents are responsible for 90 per cent, of the
robberies committed, and he himself is the leading slave-dealer.
The number of his followers who are likely to stand by him in time of
trouble is estimated not to exceed about 200, and he has not got the means of
supporting even this number for more than a week.
In short, there is no Baluch Chief in Sarhad at present who wields any
real power or influence among the tribes.
(j ) The people of Sarhad are so divided owing to constant feuds existing
A general combination of tribes impossible in among themselves that it is said to be
* iarhal1, impossible for all the tribes or even the
whole of one tribe to combine into a common cause. Should a common com
bination be possible, the tribesmen could not hold their own against even a
small well-armed force for want of supplies.
(Jc) The Baluchis of Sarhad are all armed with old rusty matchlocks and
Tbiluchis of Sarhad armed with old rusty match- SWOrds. Some of the Chiefs have rifles
locks and swords. 0 f sor ts, but the number of such arms
does not by all accounts exceed fifty altogether throughout Sarhad.
(l) With regard to supplies, it may be said with certainty that since the
Constant .c.rcit, prevailing in Sarhad. P 80 ? 1 ® ° f Sarliad do not d e''°t e a uy time
or attention to agriculture, the corn pro
duced in the country is sufficient only for a very small proportion of the
population, and the majority of the populace chiefly depend for their supplies
of grain on Sistan and the Helmund district.
In consequence of this, a scarcity often prevails in Sarhad, and the bulk
See paragraph in. of tlie population is in distressed circum
stances. Were their supplies of grain
from Sistan and the Helmund district cut off for three months, the whole of the
people of Sarhad would be starved to death.
(m) Under the circumstances explained above, it may well be asked
Persian Government unaware of the exact state whether the hold of the Persian GrOVem-
of affairs m Sarhad. ment over such weak and miserable tribes
as are settled in Sarhad is so extremely slight that they are unable to control
them, or whether they are competent to deal with the tribes and to check
them, but negligently permit this disgraceful state of affairs.
As a matter of fact neither is the case. The Persian Government are
neither incompetent to deal with the tribes, nor are they allowing this dis
graceful state of affairs to continue unchecked. The truth is that the Persian
Government are unaware of the exact state of affairs.
(n) The Persian officials at Bampur, Khash, and Nasratabad, in order
PersiHn officials magnify the strength and the ^ increase tlieil’ OW n importance and tO
unruly character of the tribes in Sarhad for personal gain their personal ends, magnify the
motIves ' strength and the unruly character of the
tribes in Sarhad in the eyes of the Governor-General of Kirman and the Persian
Government.
(o) Should the Persian officers at Bampur, Khash, and Nasratabad choose
The Persian officials at Bampur, Khash, and S ®’ ^ e y Can e fl ec t u &ny prevent all
Nasrutabad can put a stop to raids and slave-trade, raids and put a Stop to the slave-trade,
n they hue. Jg n0 ^ £() do SO.
The smallest Persian official from these places can go through the length
and breadth of Sarhad with a few sowars and levy taxes or blackmail from all
Chiefs and headmen who readily give what is demanded of them for fear lest
they should be taken prisoners, fined, punished, or deprived of their remissions
of taxes or allowances.
The case of the theft of 75 Afghan camels in which a Persian Sarhang
Khwaja Allahi recently went to Sarhad with a small number of sowars
See concluding portion of paragraph 55 and from Nasratabad by Ol’der of the Governor-
paragraph 83(d). General of Kirman, recovered some of the
stolen animals, seized others in return, took the families of the robbers and
Jihl, the Chief of the Isma’ilzai tribe, prisoners with the greatest ease, and
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