Page 18 - The Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia
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The discovery of oil in Persia early in the 20th century and
the effects of the 1914-18 war brought great changes to the political
importance of the area; and improved communications permitted a
great increase in trade — that of the Arab Gulf States still being
mainly with India. The establishment of a central authority in Persia
in the 1920s and the discovery of oil in Eastern Arabia in the 1930s
resulted in the Political Resident finding his attention diverted more
and more away from Persia to the affairs of the Western shores of
the Gulf.
The British Naval Base was transferred to Bahrain in 1935
and, before the 1939—45 war, it had been decided that the Political
Residency should also move from Bushire to Bahrain: in fact, this
move was delayed, on account of the war, until 1946.
Throughout the 19th century - and until 1946 - the
Political Resident and the Political Agents in the various States were
all appointed from the Indian Political Service; and it was logical that,
as postal services became necessary, it should be the Indian Postal
Department that opened Agency Offices in Muscat (1864); in Guadur,
as a dependency of Muscat (1868); in Bahrain (1884); in Dubai (1909);
and in Kuwait (1915). As was the custom elsewhere in the area, these
Post Offices were all established either in, or in close proximity to,
the Political Agent's premises.
Many other Indian Postal Agency Offices had been opened
from the mid- 19th century onwards on the Persian Coast and in Iraq;
but these had all been closed by 1923, and do not form part of the
present story.
In view of the impending transfer of power in India and as
it was considered inappropriate for India or Pakistan to assume
political responsibility for the Arab Gulf States, the control of the
Political Resident’s and the Political Agents’ Offices was taken over
by the Foreign Office in London on April 1st. 1947. Following the
creation of the Dominion of Pakistan in August 1947 the five Post
Offices remained in the control of Karachi but under Pakistani,
instead of Indian, administration. This was, however, only a very
temporary expedient until the British G.P.O. was able to assume
responsibility for the Postal Agencies in the Gulf.
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