"ملف رقم ١٥٨٤ لسنة ١٩١٣: خط السكة الحديدية المحمرة-خرم آباد" [ظ‎‎٢‎٧] (٣٥٤/٥٩)

3. Pusht’i'Kuh. —Pusht-i-Kuh is a district apart: it is well ruled by a strong
hereditary Wali with a turbulent son : it is traversed by no trade routes and can
for the present be left out of account. The VVali pays no revenue, but his tribes
do not indulge in brigandage outside Pusht-i-Kuh, and the condition of the dis
trict is on the whole satisfactory.
4. Pish-i-Ruh. —Pish-i-Kuh includes all the West and North-West portions
of the province and is the habitat of the Silsileh and Dilfan clans, which are
subdivided into a great number of minor and independent tribes. For the past
ten years the district has been controlled to some extent by Nazar Ali Khan
Sardar Akram, a brigand who has risen to his present position by his own force
of character and ability, but remains potentially a brigand still. Like the Wali of
Pusht-i-Kuh he is on friendly terms with British officers, and has given every
facility to me this year as in 19n, to travel in his country, besides affording
other proofs of good-will. If a strong Governor General were to give some prac
tical support to the Sardar Akram, the latter would probably be glad to co
operate with him, and by this means some sort of order could be maintained in
Pish-i Kuh. But occasionally official punitive expeditions would still be neces
sary to deal with the tribes who live in Khaweh and Alishtar and raid Nihawand
territory. When the Sardar Akram punishes such tribes he does so willingly
enough, but with an eye to his future relations with them, and to the feelings of
his own tribesmen, and is unable to mete out that ruthless punishment which
alone has any permanent effect: he suppresses them for the time beincr that
is all.
5. This district, which takes its name from the congeries
of tribes that inhabit it, lies athwart the only practicable caravan tracks, cart-roads
or railway alignments from South to North, and any Governor General who (like
the ’Ain-ud-Dauleh) has attempted to open up the Luristan road has occupied
himself mainly with this district, and with the Bairanwand (who are strictly speak
ing part of the Bala Gariweh). y K
Ihe inhabitants, Dirakwand and Judeki have no facilities for plunderine an\
one but their fellow's, and the townspeople of Khurramabad : their depredations
in Arabistan are unimportant and do not affect the general question of Luristan
they pay no revenue.
. ^ an( ^ ^ben the Luristan road is to be opened, or a railway built this dis^
tnct must be seriously taken in hand : if not it is not worthwhile to do so.
It is with this group of tribes that I have concluded agreements for the safe
conduct of the Survey Party to Khurramabad.
at 10 . 5a c <, " K ’ a ”/ir Tlli l t ^ be ’. with whom ’ for some purposes, are allied the
All ivham bagwand, have their winter quarters in Pusht-i-Kuh, and spend the
summer near Burujird. ^
fa f r >i the gre fZ *? art . ° 1 f the brigandage that has devasted the settled
stncts of Iraq and Malayir during the past few' years has been due to them.
It was with them that Amir Mufakhan had to fight in 1911 before he could
reach Khurramabad and though he had more than 3,000 men with him it was
more by good luck than good management that he did not suffer a severe defeat.
1 strong Governor General at Burujird with a force of 1,000 men or even
less, if under European leaders, whilst unable to enter the hills of the Pairanwand
n punish them as they deserve could nevertheless keep them in check and put
a stop to all raiding northwards or in the neighbourhood of Burujird. P
It is only because there has been no sort of force at Burujird that the
Bairanwand have been able to extend the area of their raids so far northwards.^
• ^ onl y r ^ mains t0 consider the town of Khurramabad, this is governed
n the absence of any one else, jointly bv the heads nf tko t 1 ,• ^ r ... ’
known as the Diwanbegi and he BebeiCi The! °1 V lead ! ng fam,I,e l-
British officers and are at present in recSf , ° n V£ry g °? d terms w,th
Survev Partv n . present in receipt ot salaries in connection with the
y y. 1 he town is unimportant commercially and manages to maintain