'Seistan' [‎118v] (236/782)

goes, I believe his intention is to give the Deputy Governorship of half Seistan
to Mir Masum Khan, and the other half to the latter s rival and half-brother,
Sartip Muhammad Reza Khan. I cannot conceive of an arrangement more
likely to lead to anarchy in Seistan.
3 . Some of the unfortunate results of this reckless attitude on the part
of the Amir Hashmat-ul-Mulk may now be noted. About three months ago,
108 camels were stolen from Afghanistan by men of Seistan, who are popularly
believed to have been in the employment, or at all events under the Flec
tion of the Amir. The Akhundzada sent the owners with one ot his Mirzas
to Seistan to negotiate with the Amir for their return. These men have hung
on in Nasratabad, appealing now to the Yamin-i-xsizam, now to the Karguzar
to obtain the restitution of their camels. But, though it is generally believed
that the Amir knows perfectly well where they are, only ten have hitherto
been produced. While these negotiations have been pending, a series of violent
robberies has taken place along the Afghan borders, both of Seistan and Kain,
which are understood in Seistan to be reprisals on the part of the Afghans;
though I believe this is denied by the Akhundzada. First of all about 25
camels were stolen from the Russian caravan near Hauz on the way to
Birjand. As these camels were the property of men of Seistan and the loads
were not stolen, the Russian Vice-Consul does not seem to have made any
complaint. Then a raid was made into the Naizar, and about 60 head of cattle
were driven off into Afghanistan from near Lab-i-Baring. Then came the
attack on Mr. Moore at Anjira by 25 Afghans. The evidence points to these
men having come directly from Lash Jawain, north of the Akhundzada’s
territory; but the opinion of most natives of Seistan is that they were men
from the Akhundzada’s territory; that they had intended to make a grand coup
by ambuscading the great cavalcade of Saiyids who attended the chief priest
of Seistan on his journey up to Meshed, on his way to Kerbela; and that this
attack on Mr. Moore was a mistake. Then came news that a native of
Sarbisha and four men of Duroh had been ambuscaded by 25 Afghans near
Duroh in Kain, and the men of Duroh decapitated, their animals being killed,
w T hile the man of Sarbisha was let go by the robbers, and told by them to give
a message to the men of Seistan that it was the owners of the stolen camels
who had committed the murder. Again, two days ago two men of Varmal
were murdered, it is said by Afghans, at Safidawa, near Mukh-i-Surkh, on the
road to Neh. This is a very formidable list of outrages; and, as I have said,
whether rightly or wrongly, they are believed to be entirely due to the Amir
Hashmat-ul-Mulk’s action in not giving up the Afghan camels stolen. It
is difficult to bring the Amir to see reason on the subject, as he meets all my
remarks with the solemn asseveration that he knows nothing of the missing
camels. 1 intend to try some very plain speaking with him on the subject in
a day or two.
4. A certain Mir Said, brother of one of the Amir’s favourite servants,
recently shot the Katkhuda of Dih Hussain in Miankangi in the course of a
quarrel about wheat. The Amir is unwilling to punish the murderer, and this
has created great excitement among the Saiyids (the aboriginal inhabitants of
Miankangi), who threaten to emigrate to Afghanistan and to carry out
reprisals on Seistan from there.
5. The Amir Hashmat-ul-Mulk has received a more imperious summons
than usual from the Governor-General of Meshed. But while apparently
quite ready to go to Mecca (whither, he says, he should go by Bundar Abbas)
he is much afraid of going north, for fear of never being allowed to come back!
Things will, therefore, take their usual course. The Amir will scrape together a
large present for the Governor-General; and the rising discontent in Seistan
will be increased in the process. Nothing short of a great strengthening of
the Amir’s position can save him and Seistan from this constant squeezing.
If he were definitely assured of support from any source, he could disregard
both the hostile reports against him of the Customs, the Yamin-i-Nizam °&c.
and also the threats of Meshed; and might rule with something of his old
vigour, and recover the popularity which he is fast losing.
6 . Sartip Mir Masum Khan is going up to Birjand in two months* time
to marry his first cousin, the daughter of the Shaukat-ul-Mulk.