Page 36 - The Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia

Following Partition in August 1947 the administration of
Muscat Post Office under the control of Karachi was taken over from
India by the Government of Pakistan and unoverprinted Indian stamps
were replaced by those with the Nasik PAKISTAN overprint. All
values from 3 pics to 2 rupees were placed on sale on December 29th
and they remained in use until March 31st, 1948. Despite three
months’ use, they arc scarce, especially on cover. The cancellations
used on these stamps were mainly Type 15, but Types 14 and 14A
have been seen. Despite their invalidation from April 1st, 1948, these
stamps have been seen on two covers posted later in the year, first on
May 11th, when they were accepted; and, secondly, on September
5th, when a cover to Bombay bearing two 14 anna and thirteen 3 pies
was taxed as unpaid!

Shortly before supplies of the Pakistan overprints reached Muscat, the
Postmaster received instructions to overprint his stock of postal
stationery with a PAKISTAN hand-stamp. The wording of the
instruction being ambiguous, he mistakenly hand-stamped his current
small stock of Indian stamps up to 2 rupees and placed them on sale on
December 20th. The overprint is in black seriffed capitals, diagonally
upwards or downwards, and normally measures 20 x 3 mm., but
heavy application of the rubber hand-stamp occasionally gives an over­
print measuring up to 22 mm.

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