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Coll 30/159 'Ownership of Hawar Islands.' [‎102r] (204/361)

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The record is made up of 1 file (179 folios). It was created in 29 Apr 1936-15 Oct 1942. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

Transcription

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'.'W
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.
Department.
Confidential,
P. Z. !
4717
EXPRESS LETTER (AIR A>Alb)^o.
[N.B.— Thi« is an ORIGINAL message sent by AIR MAIL which provides a means of communication mot'e
expeditious than the ordinary mail and is cheaper than the telegraph. It is intended to be treated,
on receipt, with the same expedition as if it had been teleraphed. To save time and to obviate
formalities it is drafted in the form of a telegram. It is authenticated by the signature of a
responsible officer of the Department.']
__ Bahrain |
N <C/405-l.a/29 xxjqpc
.UaiL 'v"gw~yyiry« the Sisl# tJUlia oo *
\0\>%
02 )
To
Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. ,
C/O Postmaster,
Karachi*
xrosiqpcaopoc:
Reference correspondence resting with my Express letter
3, d 3 No* T/3-l*a/29 dated the 3rd June 1938 regarding the claim raised
by the Shaikh of Qatar to the Hawar Group of Islands.
2. I enclose herewith an extract from a letter dated the 16th
Rabi al Than! 1357 which I have just received from the Shaikh of
Qatar. (The remainder of the letter deals with other complaints
A.
against the Bahrain Government and no reference to Hawar).
The Shaikh’s statement that he informed me that "what he hod writ en
was limited to the present situation ,, and that he might have further
evidence to produce is a complete contradiction of his previous very
clear statement to me personally, in response to repeated questions,
that he had produced all the evidence on which he relied. I do not
consider that any notice need be taken of the new suggestion that
ihrthar evidence might be available since he was very clearly ins
tructed in my letter No* C/324-1.a/29 dated the 20 th May 1938 to
produce at once all the evidence which he has.
{Signature) sa/_ h. Weightman.
{DesignationjPolitiQBl Agent, Bahrain*
S. 44.
MFP— 825S&P—(M-I070)—14-9 34—10,000.

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Content

The file concerns the disputed claims of the rulers of Bahrain and Qatar to sovereignty over the Hawar Islands. The issue arose afresh in 1936 in response to a request from Petroleum Concessions Limited to settle the issue of ownership, in order that the Company could claim oil concession rights over the island as part of the concession not previously allocated to the Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) (the Bahrain Unallotted Area).

The papers contain statements of evidence on both sides, and correspondence discussing the question from the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. ; the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain; the Foreign Office; Petroleum Concessions Limited; the Government of Bahrain; and the two rulers concerned. The British Government decided in 1939, after examining the evidence, that the islands belonged to Bahrain (folio 44). The papers show that the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior, challenged the validity of this judgement in 1941, stating that the case had been decided 'according to western ideas, and no allowance has been made for local custom and sentiment' (folios 6-8). However, a subsequent letter on the subject from the Government of India to the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. concluded that it was then too late to reverse the decision (folio 4).

The Arabic language content of the papers consists of approximately five folios; these include photographs of judgements (with translation, folios 57-58) submitted by the Government of Bahrain to the British Government, showing that the Bahrain Court had exercised jurisdiction in legal cases concerning residents of Hawar (folios 130-133).

The file also includes photographs of places in Hawar (folios 126-127).

The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 file (179 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 181; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. Two additional foliation sequences are also present in parallel between ff 3-179, and ff 48-88; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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Coll 30/159 'Ownership of Hawar Islands.' [‎102r] (204/361), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3895, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100076666399.0x000007> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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