Page 455 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

TOR THE YEAB 31
In such a case any bargaining would in happior circumstances bo out of
tho question, but it is bettor to have the Muhnm-ul-Mulk in jail than to have
tlio IVluin-us-Sharciya in Sirch. No nows has been received of the recovery of
tho fine frora Saiyid Mustafa. There is a little doubt but that the Muin and his
brother Agha Mahmud and Agha Muhammad are incessantly at work in the town
secretly promoting tho Democratic Cause. At present tho fashion is to talk
in favour of law and order, and though tho Ehtisham-ud-Daulah is believed
to have established relations with them which would enable him to use their
services if at any time ho judged that local disturbances would favour his game
against the Sardar Nusrat, the Muin brotherhood are afraid to act except in
secrecy, and feel it politic, to profess great devotion to British iutcresls and the
occupant of His Majesty’s Consulate. This attitude may go on being forced
on them indefinitely, hut their presence in tho town lias undoubtedly a disturb­
ing effect on people’s minds.
There is certainly a strong, if small, body of whole-liearted Democrats, and
the Turkish successes in August and later
Local Dwnoc'ato.
the escape of the prisoners in Sirjan gave
them hope and material to work on. u Shabnamal.s ” against constituted
authority and in favour of the Turks were posted iu public places in the town
on more than one occasion.
One Mirza Kazitn, a school, teacher, was brought to book, and His Majesty’s
Consul was able to arrange for his deportation to Basrah, where he arrived early
in November.
His Majesty’s Consul is the constant recipient of all sorts of secret and
alarmist reports regarding the plots and doings of Democrats in the town and
also in Itafsinjan. If he acted on them the population of Kerman would by
now have been seriously diminished. He has preferred to take the line of not
allowing wluit is sometimes nervousness, sometimes personal malice, to acquire
spurious importance by gaining the active notice of His Majesty’s Consulate,
while at the same time letting it be understood that his knowledge of what
is going on is considerably more extensive and exact than it is. The results up
to the present of this policy appear to justify it. The difficulty is that there
is not a single individual from prince to pauper who can he trusted. The
Governor-General’s entourage and officials are constantly accused of Democrat
sympathies, and the Sardar Nusrat is all tho time pursuing his own obscure
policy designed to provide against all contingencies. His main hone is no
doubt in the British, but many of the enemies of the British and of nis own
ouemies are worth placating.
The public have no doubt who the persons were who attempted to murder
Mashhadi Hussainoff, Agent of Messrs.
Haji Ismail Barcno.
Castelli and Kazan, in December 1915.
It is ** common knowledge ” that they were Muhammad Ismail “ Barunu ”
Muhammad Zaghu, Muhammad Nasrullah, and Muhammad Ghulam
Hussain.
In November 1916 Muhammad Ismail <c Barunu *’ was repo
was reported to have
returned to the town and to be in hiding, and on 21st November nt
returned to the town and to be m hiding, and on 21st November he was arrest*
J-d- His Majesty’s Consul arranged with the Governor-General for his trial.
The case was made over to a strong Commission and His Majesty’s Consul
attended the proceedings—(if any reason is required Hussainoff has some claim
h) protection as representing a firm which enjoys British protection)—which
were lengthy. The “ opinion ” arrived at by the Commission was that the
jnan had probably actually fired at Hussainoff and had certainly been one of
tho band who attempted his life. The usual difficulties were encountered from
lehran but it proved unnecessary to invoke the aid of His Majesty’s Legation,
and His Majesty’s Consul was able to despatoli Barunu to the Coast on his
imprisonment for life. He reached Basrah safely early in February

Two other deportations were effected after full enquiry. 8aiyid Hussain,
Sona Shah, a man of doubtful British Indian or Afghan nationality, who
appears to have knocked about Sistan and Baluchistan for many yoars in the
naractcr of a derwosh, turned up in Soptomber in Bam, wero nis possible
^ects gave rise to conjecture. His Majesty’s Consul had him brought to