File 1341/1921 Pt 1 'Khorassan Intelligence Summaries 1921-1922' [‎642r] (931/1080)

W,, Wo/ * i P * er Cent f find as a reward for l« s zeal. Bokhara has
r f l .o i f ;T ra tn ? le ? ? nd . a11 artl «les of value sent to Tashkent. Rumours
of the intended arrival of Lenin in Turkestan are prevalent.
fuaefTn , d;»nt/ A tr p r t fr T ‘j 16 « a P, ital of Turkestan states there are 100 re-
r I 1 , *, /T 0f "' hom tllr< ' ( ' are in Bolshevik cmplov. Tliev are
S;,!, , g • , alld clotlled by the State. Some LOOO women of aU
fsHe.t l , cre t ds are enmptnonsly housed and attend daily a course of lectures
Ian hS ™ h0U , r . S and ^ are calculated to fit them for the “file of prona
gandist. The religious and other obligations imposed by the cereXnks of
to P’ervh are al,ohshed - Good public speakers have recently been despatched
t0 PerSUade tlle Sarts aad ^ders * 0^1
present 6 coii 0 rse!’° PaSailda SCll ° 0lS are Said to be closin S at th c termination of the
are procWminffha; 7 b th their r p T 1 d!stortion of fa cta to suit their own policy,
^ i ^ th r , e 9 ent Reform movement in Persia is in reality Persio’^
adoption of Bolshevism which is very acceptable to Persians who desire freedom
from Hie tyrannies of their aristocracy and their men of wealth.
th„ ^““'•W.-Troops are quartered in and round the city. The fort between
and tr 1 T the l 1 '' 1 '- cltiaB , has been Strengthened by a deep ditch on one side
aad trenches and wire on the other. There were 50 Indian immigrants present
Sta"te.° m Were Sellt t0 Tashkent and 20 live in barracks at the expense of the
Women are put to forced labour by ballot. This informer repeats the
lumonr about Lenin’s expected arrival in Turldstan.
The Amir of Bokhara’s currency note issue is to he called in and will not
be legal tender after three months.
AFGHANISTAN.
105 Fer^.—25th to 31st March. A Russian and two Uzbegs from the
Consulate stair left tor Ivabul on hired ponies with an escort of 4 sowars.
The Bolshevik consul invited the editor of Ittifaq-i-Islam to his house and
asked him to publish an article he had written in the interests of labourers and
the poor. The request was refused and the consul informed that the unfortunates
ot his own country who were starving were far more in need of his
philanthropy.. This reply is said to have caused offence. The Naib-ul-Hukumeh
on being informed of the interview forbade all intercourse between the consul
and the stall of the paper.
The consul has been buying yakdans and tea for despatch to Russia, perhaps
for trade purposes, perhaps for destitute friends.
The consulate secretary has sold 10 gold 10-rouble pieces in the bazar.
(See Summary 14, page 7). He has announced that in future all purchase
will be paid for in gold or with Persian coins in order to remove the impression
that the Bolshviks possess paper money only. It is popularly believed this
gold is Bokhara loot.
Preparations at Chahil Dukhtaran for the conveyance of some 28 State
guests from Russia to Kabul were in progress and Herat was indented on for |
48 riding and 110 pack ponies as well as two cooks, camp furniture, crockery,/
and carpets.
There appears to have been a raid by Jamshedis in the vicinity of Qala
Nao in which 50 Bolshevik soldiers are said to have assisted. There was some
shooting and 3 of the soldiers were captured and brought to Herat. The Naib-
ul-Hukumeh sent for the consul and protested strongly. An enquiry was pro
mised by the latter.
An arrival from Mazar-i-Sharif reports the ea?-Amir of Bokhara at Kolab.
He is trying to enlist men from among Turkman emigres in Afghanistan.
The Herat Treasury was inspected and Rs. 24,04,000, plus two lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees of
coins of lower denominations, were counted. These sums do not include gold
coins, currency notes, and bullion.
The murderers of Bravin, Gul Alam and Abdul Wahab, have been executed.!
The motive of the crime is said to be religious fanaticism.
The Customs officer at Herat, Abdul Hakim Khan, has found a deficit of
12 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees in the Customs receipts. He has gone to Kabul in connection with the
matter.