Page 528 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

32 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF
On October 7th Sarim-ul-Mulk, having been informed that his father had
been dismissed from the post of Governor-General and that he himself had
no longer any official status in Kerman, left for Yezd, plundering the villages
Oil his way thither. Sardar-i-Nusrat, commander of the local forces, was
placed temporarily in charge of the government, and held charge until the
end of the year. He has a sense of responsibility and has not spared himself
in executing the duties of his office, but owing to lack of resources has been
able to effect but little.
The province has thus been without a Governor-General for nearly the
whole of the year, and its conditions may best be described as one of anarchy.
Baluchistan, which has paid no revenue for over three years, is virtually in­
dependent, and no Persian official will accept the Governorship of the pro­
vince. Not only is the province disturbed, but the Khans from time to time
raid the eastern districts of the Kerman province, plundering villages, slay­
ing men, carrying off women and children into slavery, and causing much
miser)', and there is no force capable of resisting, much less of punishing
them.
Recently the districts of Rudbar and Jiruft have shewn some symptoms
of an inclination to follow the example of Baluchistan. Payment of the
revenue has been withheld and, in October, Mehdi Kuli Khan, the Deputy
Governor of Jiruft, was murdered by a gang of men headed by one Pahlvan
Muhammad Khan of Jamalbariz. The murderers are still at large.
On April 7th two Mujtahids of Kerman, Mirza Ismail and Mirza Mah­
mud, brothers, were arrested by the police for preaching in inflammatory terms
against the British. A telegram was received from Tehran ordering their
deportation, but, owing to the protests of the Mujtahids of Najif and the
townspeople of Kerman, the sentence was reversed on conditions that the two
Mujtahids refrained in future from preaching openly against Europeans.
The action of the police has had a very salutary effect on the Mullas of
Kerman.
During the month of April one Abbas Kuli Daragai raided the Afshar
country in the Kerman province. After remaining there for about a month
and plundering the country he was driven out by Gunj Ali Khan, the Afshar
Chief, but he took his booty with him.
Muhammad Khan, ex-Gcvernor of Jiruft, who was on bail in Kerman,
awaiting his trial for acts of oppression committed by him in Jiruft, was
seized by Nusrat-us-Sultan and flogged and tortured without trial. On
August 6th he took refuge in the British Consulate where be remained for
more than a month. The necessity for extending protection to a man who
had undoubtedly behaved, as Governor of a district, in a brutal and oppres­
sive manner, was unfortunate, but as he had been punished without trial and
without reference to the judicial authorities he could not be refused admis­
sion. He left on receiving assurances from the local authorities.
No traveller passed through the Ker-
Vuit-ora.
man province auring the year.
The Postal Department in the province is well managed on the British
Port4 system by the Provincial Postmaster,
_ who has many difficulties to contend
with. The contractor for carrying mails between Kerman and .Yezd was
unable to meet the requirements of ihe postal authorities, and the Postmaster
now arranges departmentallv for the carriage of the posts on that line. Posts
have been most irregular for a long time past, but this is due to the insecurity
of the roads and not to any mismanagement on the part of the Postmaster.
fany posts, both outgoing and incoming, have been intercepted and destroyed
jy robbers, and many more have been delayed owing to robbers.
The Telegraph Department has worked well under great difficulties. The
Persian authorities are unable to pro-
Telegraphs.
_ _ __ _ , „ vide for the safety of the line between
Bam and Kuh-i-Malik-ShiaH and mnch wilful damage is done both by Balu­
chis and by gangs of Afghans returning from the coast, who, having been dis­
appointed of the loads of arms which they expected to bring back with them,