Page 60 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

50 PERSIAN GULP ADMINISTRATION REPORT
4th August, while the old escort left Kerman on 13th September 1912 and
only reached Bandar Abbas on 23rd October 1912.
The medical wants of the Consulate were atttencd to by the Assistant
Surgeon whose services arc lent to the Indo-European Telegraph Department
by the Government of India. This appointment was held by Mr. J. 8.
until August when he was relieved by Mr. P. G. Steinhoff.
The Amir Azam was Governor-General until July 16th when ho was dismia.
8ed His place was taken by the Amir.j,
Political utobU.
Mufakham, Bakhtiari, who left Yczd to
take up his charge, on 27th August. He arrived at Anar on 1st September and
at Kerman on 30th September. He brought with him as Deputy Governor
Muwaffaq-ud-Doweh. During the interregnum, charge was held by
Husrat-ul-Mamalik, but the governing spirit was really the Adl-us-Sultan,
Mirza Husein Khan, Bahadur-us-Sultaneh, was appointed Governor of Bam,
in January, but the appointment was cancelled and the Rifat-ud-Dowleh,
brother of the Sardar-i-Nusrat, was given the post. Subsequently, in October,
he was replaced by the Salar-i-Muayyad, son of the Amir-i-Mufakham.
Charge of the Katguzari was held by the ’Wakil-ul-Mamalik, a dishonest
and incapable youth, until 21st August when he resigned under orders from
Tehran. During the remainder of the year acting charge was held by the
astute and capable and equally dishonest Mirza Habibullah Khan.
During March the Karguzari was temporarily closed owing to a disagree­
ment between the Karguzar and the Governor-General.
The principal event of the year in the Political sphere was the revolt of
the district initiated by certain under­
Major event* of the Yexr.
strappers of the Governor General, and
carried on with the help of most of the tribal chiefs. The following is a brief
account of its origin, progress, and suppression:—
In the month of March the Amir-i-Azam put Mirza Husein Khan, the
Bahadur-us-Sultaneh, a former head of Police, in charge of a force of 2,000
men and 2 guns with instructions to visit the districts or Narmashir, Rudbar,
Jiruft, Aqta, Afshar, and Sir] an and collect the revenue. He started out for
Narmashir accompanied by the Rifat-i-Nazim. Both these were known to be
bad characters, and the Amir was warned against employing them, but turned
a deaf ear to his advisers.
After practising great extortion in Bam and Narmashir, and plundering
Salar Alam Khan of Pusht-i-Gudar, the two colleagues proceeded to Rudbar.
On receiving orders from the Amir-i-Azam to make restoration to Alam Khan
they returned insolent answers and raised the standard of revolt. They were
speedily joined by the Bahadur-ul-Mulk, ex-Governor of Jiruft, the Muin*i*
Diwan of Jabal Bariz, and by the chiefs of Afshar and Buchaqchi who all swore
an oath of mutual fidelity. The Zargham-i- Nizam of Rudbar sent a contingent
to join them, but avoided committing himself personally.
The rebels advanced plundering and putting to (light Muhammad Khan
the new Governor of Jiruft, and seizing the Governor-GeneraPs Parrashbashi
and 30 of his men, and they took up their quarters at Baft with a following of
about 1,000 men. They provisioned themselves from Rayin and seized and
imprisoned the governor of Pariz. They then proposed to march on Kerman
which was entirely defenceless. They entered into correspondence with tire
disloyal party of “ Democrats ” in Kerman city and began their advance paying
no heed to letters addressed to them by the British and Russian Consuls-
They finally encamped at Pathabad 8 or 9 miles from the town. I give tire
following account of subsequent events in Colonel Haig’s words with only *
few verbal alterations:—
“In the meantime the fears of the Governor-General increased from day
to day. The force at his disposal was inadequate, the Minister of the Interior
in direct communication with the rebels and had a.loca! agent in Kerman an®
the extent of the “ democratic M movement in the town and among the
was unknown, so that he did not know to whom to turn for help and advice,
was most difficult to restrain him from taking to flight, and at length he lo®