Page 156 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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Political Resident in a formal ceremony held at Sharjah on May 1, 1951, after Saqr
had undertaken in writing to be bound by all the agreements entered into by his
i father, to spend the income received in respect of his oil agreement in the interests
of his people and to accept the advice of the Political Agent in matters concerning
the government of his ShaikhdomO). He was born in 1924 and owing to his close
association with the Royal Air Force at Sharjah during and after the last war has
acquired a more modern outlook than the other Trucial Coast Rulers and a
smattering of English. Although he has an exaggerated idea of his own importance,
he appears to take a genuine interest in the welfare of his State and people and
should prove a good ruler. Like other rulers he has had much trouble with other
members of his family over the question of their allowances. By 1953 he appeared
to have pacified his brothers but had reached no final settlement with his uncle
Muhammad, the previous acting Ruler. The latter had refused to accept what was
oflered him and paid one or two visits to Ibn Saud to publicise his dissatisfaction
! and obtain largesse.
23. As already related (paragraph 2 above) after the death in 1866 of the
famous Sultan bin Saqr his domains were divided amongst his four sons and separate
branches of the family were established at Sharjah, Ras al Khaimah, Dibah and
Kalbaf). Ras al Khaimah has at times been united to Sharjah but has been
recognised as an independent State since 1921. Dibah and Kalba were for long
virtually independent of Sharjah but were not recognised as such because there was
no necessity for doing so. There was talk of establishing an airfield at Dibah in
the early thirties of this century but it came to nothing, and when a separate
Shaikhdom of Kalba was recognised it was regarded as being part of it. It is now
regarded as being part of Sharjah though its Shaikh refused to admit this when
the Political Resident visited the place in 1953. His Majesty’s Government were
compelled to recognise Shaikh Sa'id bin Hamad as independent Ruler of Kalba
in 1936 in order to obtain the right to establish an emergency landing-ground
there. Sa’id died in the following year leaving a minor son Hamad and the people
of Kalba elected Khalid bin Ahmad, who had previously been Ruler of Sharjah,
as Regent and he was formally recognised as such. Owing to increasing age and
infirmity he in due course left the affairs of Kalba in the hands of a dissolute
nephew called Humaid bin Abdullah. In 1948 the people of Kalba revolted
against Humaid and agreed to the appointment of another member of the Qasimi
family as Regent. Before he could be officially recognised Humaid succeeded in
re-establishing his power. In 1950 he died and as Hamad bin Sa’id had come of
age the Regency was abolished and he was recognised as Ruler, one of the
conditions of recognition being the payment of a pension to the ex-Regent Khalid.
In 1951 Hamad was assassinated by Saqr, son of Sultan bin Salim the ex-Ruler
of Ras al Khaimah. The rest of the Qasimi family failed to take any action
against him and he succeeded in establishing himself as de facro Ruler. His
Majesty’s Government refused to recognise him as such and in 1952, as the Kalba
branch of the Qasimi family had become extinct in the male line, it was decided,
with the unanimous concurrence of the Council of Trucial States Rulers, to
incorporate Kalba again with Sharjah. Her Majesty’s Government sanctioned the
use of force if necessary to expel the usurper but with the assistance of the Sultan
of Muscat pressure was brought to bear upon him and in 1952 he peacefully
withdrew from Kalba and Saqr bin Sultan of Sharjah took over the place and
appointed one of his uncles as Wali there. Saqr of Sharjah had previously
undertaken in writing to accept as binding in respect of Kalba territory all the
conditions he had accepted on his recognition as Ruler of Sharjah in 1951, to
continue the pension to Khalid during his life-time, not to claim more territory
for Kalba than the ex-Regent had claimed when he was recognised in 1937 and
to recognise the right of Her Majesty’s Government to determine the land and
sea-bed boundaries of the former Shaikhdom.(*) The ex-Regent Khalid died
in 1953 and the payment of the pension ceased. The Ruler of Kalba made no
declaration of rights over the sea-bed while a separate Shaikhdom existed, and
the point whether the declaration made by the Ruler of Sharjah in 1949 now
applies to the Kalba sea-bed has not yet been raised.
24. The boundaries of the Shaikhdom of Sharjah are as yet undefined,
though negotiations have been started for the fixing of its boundary with
(•) No. 15 IV. T.C.
(’) P.R. toF.O. 10112/48 of December 6, 1951 (EA 10111/4 of 1951).
(•) No. 17 IV. T.C.
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