Page 72 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920

C2 PERSIAN GULP ADMINISTRATION REPORT

On March lGfli after Nasrullsh, the Persian in charge of the Jask p H
had unsuccessfully tried to collect some taxes from the Looran villagers, $
latter were hauling a boat belonging to Messrs. Duarte Brothers on to the be. i”
when the Persian Sarbaz from the Port approached. The Baluchis bccou^
frightened walked away but were chased by the Persians. On getting to
quarters the latter again asked the Baluchis if they intended paying tho ta^
demanded ; the reply from the Looranics was that they had paid their taxes t
Mustafa Khan, the Chief, and did not intend paying them again, whercuiJ
the Persian soldiere opened fire on them killing Esau Dilwash and wounuiDp
Dudulla, Abdullah Muhammad, Ibrahim Muhammad, Haji Kassim and
Zangie. On the 17th, 70 or 80 Baluchis under Murad came in in a very exciu
state with the intention of besieging the Fort and revenging themselves on the
Persians. They were however dissuaded and the Sarbazcs were sent tael
to Bushire by the next mail. At the end of March Mir Barkat wrote that he
would like to come in to see me if I was willing to receive him and would
gurantee him safe conduct. This was done and we met five and a half mil<$
outside the Jask station on 5lh April. He was most profuse in his professions
of friendship and expressed himself willing to do anything we required, but \
was unable to induce him to promise to come into the station to meet the
Director on his arrival as he had a great fear of the Military force stationed
there. A meeting was eventually arranged on the banks of the Jask creek and
took place on the 13th April, Barkat being accompanied by about a hundred
armed followers. During the interview the Director explained to Mir Barkat
that, as a condition of our recognition of him, we should require him to agree
to the following :—
(а) that he should reside in Jask permanently and not leave it without
our knowledge;
(б) that he should abstain absolutely from either direct or indirect con­
nection with the slave trade, arras trade and Afghans ;
(c) that he should deposit say Its. 10,000 as security for his adherence ta
the above conaitions.
He agreed to the second condition hut, with regard to (a), he said he could
not agree to live permanently in Jask as his means of livelihood were in
Eaehkard. This condition was then gradually reduced till he was asked to live
one month in three in Jask but, as he still refused to do this, the discussion of
this clause was dropped. T.Tith regard to (c) he said that he had been deprived
of his territory for two years and was unable to find the required security, but
that he would be able to find the amount three months after he was reinstated.
He was asked if he could find half the amount at once hut said he could not
do so. Finding that he was unwilling to agree to the terms offered the inter­
view was brought to a close. He promised to return and live quietly in Bash-
kard until such time as he could accept the terms offered to hum by Govern­
ment, but instead of doing so he instigated most of the raids described in that
part of this report dealing with Biyaban and Jask. I have since heard that
the real reason that Barkat refused the terms offered him was that when he was
pressed to live in Old Jask he became convinced that wo asked this so that we
should be able to capture him.
Mullah Dadshah, the venerable and well disposed father of the Jask village,
was murdered by Barkat’s slaves on the night of the 27th April. The motive
for this cowardly crime was apparently that Mullah Dadshah was friendly to
the British Government and Barkat wished to shew that he would cause an/
Baluch,.friendly to us, to suffer whatever his standing. He no doubt consi*
dered that if he could make himself sufficiently troublesome to us we should
be willing to recognise him on his own terms.
On May the 8th Barkat’s faction under Abdulla Dervish and Mir Kamber*
younger-son looted the following villages to the north of Jask Bay:—Sheran,
Zerrakki, Garuk, Zerkuh, Gangan and Babg. All live stock was carried off-
On June 16th fortv of Barkat’s followers under Dad Khuda bin fb*
Kamber and All bin Gholam Husein came down the Quaik nullah and raided
Old Jask. They burnt down about forty houses and carried off between
and five hundred sheep and goats and about sixty cows. At the date of write#
file village remains half deserted as the people are afraid to return.