'Military Report on Persian Seistan' [‎10v] (25/188)

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Pasni. From Pasni northwards there is a choice of two routes, which for
convenience maybe styled the Western and Eastern lines.
Nos. 5, The Western line/ From Pasni to Seistan vid Turbat Kej valley; from
5A, 6B, the Kej valley northwards to the Dizak Panjgur valley there is a choice
6C, 6D. three routes, (<i) the Garok and Hindwan passes to Isfandak; this route
is described in No. 4. (i), the Purchinan route, which is the most direct and
certainly not more difficult than the others. This route runs along the river to
Kalatak, thence into the Bolida valley vid Niwano, and across the Purchinan
Daf to Dizak. (c) The Shahri Kaur route from Tump vid Ispikan, Nihing
river and the Shahri-Kaur to Dizak. The northward march can be contimred ,
by three fairly easy roads practicable for field artillery and -wheeled transport.^ 4 >
{a) vid the Brinjnan bass, Jalk, Ladgasht and the open Mrm “daman” A /
on the west side of the Tahlab river to Ladis.
{b) vid Gusht, Khwash, and Sango to Ladis ; the latter part of this route
skirts the broken country round the eastern base of the Kuh-i-Taftan.
(c) vid' Gusht, Kamalabad and Gazo to Ladis; this is the easiest and most
direct route.
From Ladis to Seistan either by route No. 4, vid Duzdap and Hurmak, or
to Robat (Kuh-i-Malik Siah) the western end of the trade route: this is the
end of No. B.
Distances
Pasni—Turbat . • •
Turbat—Dizak (Purcliinau) route)
Tump—Dizak (Shahri Kaur route)
Kalatak—Isfandak (Garok pass)
Dizak—Ladis vi6 Ladgasht
„ „ vid Khwash .
„ „ vid Kamalabad
Ladis to Robat . . •
Ladis to Sehkuha .
. 79 miles.
. 125
. 1H3 „
177 „
. 200 „
. 163 „
154
76*
157
Total distance Pasni to Robat (Kuh-i-Malik Siah) 452* miles.
These routes, given briefly above, seem the best available from the Mekran
littoral, and they are certainly the most direct and fairly easy; the informa
tion regarding them is the most recent, they having been all used by Colonel
Shower's escort during his operations on the Perso-Baluch frontier in 1901-
1902.
No 0 From Ladis there is a route to Sain dak System of postal communication used in Moghul India and later by the East India Company. on the trade route, whence the
onward march can be continued to Seistan, distance 35 miles; supplies and
water plentiful, only fit for camels.
No 5E route s ^ etc ^ e( ^ above from Pasni to Seistan is largely in Persian
‘ territory; if an all-British route is required, a combination of routes will lead
to Kondi on the trade route and thence on vid Kuh-i-Malik Siah to Seistan.
This line would be vid Dashtak (Pangur) Grawag defile Meshi to Kondi, but
it is in some places absolutely waterless, and there are very few supplies
throughout, and it is certainly not fit for wheeled artillery.
Distances
Pasni—Dashtak 1931 miles.
Dashtak—Meski 168* „
Meski—Kondi ........ 36 „
Total distance Paeni to Kondi, 397f miles.
But from Kondi to Kuh-i-Malik Siah is 1,49^ miles, so the total distance
by this route to the Seistan border is 547 miles, as opposed to 452* by the
direct line through Persian territory.