"تقارير إدارية ١٩٠٥-١٩١٠" [و‎‎٢‎٨] (٦١٦/٦٠)

RESIDENCY FOR THE YEAR 1905-1906.
39
Haidar of the A1 Kathir at first eluded his grasp, but during his stay at
Dizful the. Salar manoeuvred for a position from which he could effectively
treat him as a recalcitrant revenue defaulter. Failing to secure his person,
he proclaimed him a rebel and was able to follow up this declaration by
depriving him of his sheikhship, and dividing it between two of his relations,
Khuraibat and Mizaban. The latter has since incurred his displeasure, and is
now in confinement.
The aged Karim K.han, Paili Lur, has also been marked out for severe
treatment.
Attempts to overawe or entrap Khanjan Khan, Sagwand, were less
successful. A long epistolary contest was maintained. In its outcome the
honours rested with the native wit and diplomacy of Luristan, and the Salar
has outwardly relented.
When in the spring of 1906 the affairs of the Bakhtiaris fell into confusion
the Salar aspired to play the part of arbitrator, but his overtures met with
a chilling reception, and he failed to establish his indispensability as an
intermediary.
Both on this occasion, and at other times of disturbance, the Salar did
really accomplish something towards securing the safety of the route between
Shushter and Dizful.
12. Beyond the general maintenance of order, the establishment of a school
at Shushter appears to be the only work of public utility which can be ascribed
to the Salar.
His relations throughout with Sheikh Khaz'al have been cordial, unless it
be true that just recently the conditions laid down by the Sardar Arf'a for
granting a loan of 4,000 tomans, have irritated the latter into dropping his
usual guise of suavity.
13. Towards British interests the Salar has not shown himself at all
partial, but they have benefited on the whole by the general security. During
his term of office some pretence has been maintained of protecting the
SJiushdn plying on the Gerger, and it is a negative tribute to his adminis
tration that no repetition of the attacks of April 190di and previous years has
taken place.
An embargo which he placed on the export of wheat, on his own
authority and in his own interests, hampered Messrs. Lynch Brothers, and
again at the time of the Bani Turuf expedition he showed himself very
unaccommodating in the matter of releasing transport for the same firm.
Such practical acts of unfriendliness he has of course always tried to obscure
by clouds of hypocritical verbiage.
14. The Bakhtiaris. —The year which just terminated has not been a
happy one for the Bakhtiaris. At its commencement the llkhani and Iib5gi-
ship had just been confirmed on the Samsam-us-Saltana and the Shahab-us-
Saltana. The former was not popular, and he has little that is conciliatory
in his character. Differences soon arose with the party headed by the Sardar
As'ad and the Salar Arf'a. The result was that the security of the Road
was, during the hot-weather, impaired by raids and robberies. These, whether
committed by Bakhtiari subjects, or by Kuhgalu with or without Bakhtiari
instigation, were equally the fruit of the dissensions among the Khans. This
state of affairs afforded some grounds for the charge that the Samsam was
not fit for the paramount leadership of the tribe. There is reason also to
believe that Sheikh Khaz'al seeing an opportunity of avenging old grudges
and securing his object in the affair of Raghaiwa {vide paragraph 5) employed
his influence to assist in the downfall of the Samsam.
This event finally took place in December, and the Sardar As ad and the
Salar Arf'a succeeded to the vacant posts. Tlie Samsam and the Shaiab
hurried off to press their case at Tehran. Hostilities supervened between
the representatives of the two factions at ^qili Ab Bid, Ramuz, Jaizum and
the hills.
In February the Salar and the M'uin Humayun (the Shahab s brother)
were found confronting each other at Ramuz. A spark was only required to
produce a general conflagration. Negotiations however were entered into.