Page 552 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

66 ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF
These Chiefs were accompanied by Muhammad Jaw ad Khan, Muntaz-
zira-ud-Dowleh, and Sultan Ah Khan, Shahab-us-Sultaneh, the former of
whom was sent to Dizful, the latter to Behbehan, as is elsewhere stated.
During the time the Amirs Muffakham and Mujahid were associated in
the executive of the tribes, relations between them were exceedingly strained
and eventually ended in an open rupture, in connection with the Shahab-us-
Sultaneh’s conduct of the Kuhgelu expedition, as mentioned on page 61.
Shortly after, in the month of May, the Chiefs returned to their respective
homes in the Chahar Mahal.
Later, in the month of June, a split occurred between Lutf Ali Khan,
Amir-i-Muffakham, and his brother Sultan Muhammad Khan, Sardar Ashraf,
the cause of which was the jealousy of the former, because the post of Gover­
nor-General, Ispahan, had been given to his younger brother. This quarrel
was assiduously fomented by Haji Khusro Khan, Sardar-us-Zaffar, with a
view to weakening the Haji Ilkhani family, by turning its members against
each other, but he was unsuccessful in gaining his ultimate object, for, after a
great deal of active intrigue, the two brothers later became reconciled.
This reconciliation was immediately followed by a quarrel between Sultan
Muhammad Khan, Sardar Asfiraf, and Muhammad Jawad Khan, Muntazzim-
ua-Dowleh, over the question of the division of the ill-gotten gains from the
Ispahan Governorship. By the Entre-Bakhliari Agreement of 1909 both the
Haji Ilkhani and the Ilkhani families were to share the perquisites obtained
from Ispahan; this the Sardar Ashraf attempted to avoid, with the result
that Muhammad Jawad Khan was ostensibly put in as his Assistant Gover­
nor, but in reality to keep an eye on the ill-gotten gains, which the Sardar was
attempting to divert in their entirety to his own pocket. The quarrel between
the Governor-General and his Assistant became so acute, that the former sent
in his resignation, which, however, was not accepted, and the breach healed by
the Ilbegi, Ghulara Hussein Khan, Sardar Muhtesham, sending stringent
orders to his younger brother. Sultan Muhammad Khan, to come to some
modus vircridi with Muhammad Jawad Khan, which he had, perforce, to do.
Early in the summer the Bakhtiad Chiefs commenced to reap among
their own tribesmen the first fruits of the tree of “ Liberte, Egalit6, Frater-
nite,*’ which they had planted and so assiduously tended in 1909. The minor
Chiefs and heads of sub-tribes complained that,'though they and their tribes­
men had been instrumental in obtaining for the ruling Chiefs the highest
and most highly paid posts in the land, they themselves had got “ all the kicks
and none of the halfpence.” and threatened to throw off the yoke of their
allegiance, unless the Chiefs alleviated their lot. The Chiefs, being in no
position to risk serious internal trouble among their tribesmen at this junc­
ture, called a special meeting at Dizak, at which it was decided to accede to
the demands of the tribesmen and lighten the burden of their taxation.
This same malcontent spirit showed itself again in October, in connection
with the Kashan operations; after the capture of Kashan, having possessed
themselves of a large amount of loot, the minor Chiefs were ordered by the
ruling Chiefs to get back the loot from their men and return it to the owners.
Subsequent on this the minor Chiefs returned to Ispahan, threatened to throw
off their allegiance to both the Ilkhani and the Haji Ilkhani families, and
summoned Haji Ibrahim Khan, Zargham-us-Sultaneh, of the Riza Kulli
branch, from Tehran, with a view to making him Ilkhani of the tribes, an ap­
pointment which the malcontent tribes bad been considering ever since their
first outbreak against the ruling Chiefs. The Zargham-us-Sultaneh came
and joined hands with Fathullah Khan, Zaigham-us-Sultaneh, in Ispahan and
for a short space of time matters looked serious for the ruling Chiefs, until
they deputea the Ilbegi, Ghulam Hussein Khan, Sardar Muhtesham, and
Jaffer Kulli Khan, Sardar-i-Bahadur (son of Sardar Assad), from Tehran to
settle the case amicably, which they were successful in doing.
The most notable of the events of the year, with regard to Bakhtiari in­
ternal relations, was the split between the two ruling families, which nearly
led to bloodshed in the early autumn.