"تقرير الإدارة عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج الفارسي للأعوام ١٩١٥-١٩١٩" [و‎‎٥‎٥] (٣٩٦/١١٦)

TOR THE TEAR l 0 ! 6 '
31
In such a case any bargaining would in happier circumstances be out of
the question, but it is better to have the Muham-ul-Mulk in jail than to have
the Muin-us-Shareiva in Sirch. No news has been received of the recovery of
the fine from Saiyid Mustafa. There is a little doubt but that the Aluin and his
brother Agha Mahinud and Agha Muhammad are incessantly at work in the town
secretly promoting the Democratic Cause. At present the fashion is to talk
in favour of law and order, and though the Ehtisham-ud-Daulah is believed
to have established relations with them which would enable him to use their
services if at any time he 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 interests and the
occupant of His Majesty's Consulate. This attitude may go on being forced
on them indefinitely, but their presence in the town has undoubtedly a disturb
ing effect on people's minds.
There is certainly a strong, if small, body of whole-hearted Democrats, and
the Turkish successes in August and later
Local Democrats. egca p e 0 f the prisoners in Sirjan gave
them hope and material to work on. " Shabnamabs " against constituted
authority and in favour of the Turks were posted in public places in the town
on more than one occasion.
One Mirza Kazim, 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 Eafsinjan. 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 what 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 be trusted. Ihe
Governor-General's entourage and officials are constantly accused of Democrat
sympathies, and the Sardar Nusrat is all the time pursuing his own obscure
policy designed to provide against all contingencies. His main hope is no
doubt in the British, but many of the enemies of the British and of his own
enemies are worth placating.
The public have no doubt who the persons were who attempted to murder
Mashhadi Hussainoff, Agent of Messrs.
Haji IsmailBarunu. 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 reported to have
returned to the town and to be in hiding, and on 21st November he was arrest
ed. 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 cjami
to protection as representing a firm which enjoys British^ protection)—-w nicn
were lengthy. The opinion " arrived at by the Commission was t la e
man had probably actually fired at Hussainoff and had certainly heen one or
th3 band who attempted his life. The usual difficulties were encountered trom
Tehran but it proved unnecessary to invoke the aid of His Majesty s .Legation,
and His Majesty's Consul was able to despatch Barunu to the Coast on ins
way to imprisonment lor life. He reached Basrah safely early in 1^ ebruary
191 7.
Two other deportations were effected after full enquiry. Saiyid Hussain,
alias Sona Shah, a man of doubtful British Indian or Afghan nationality, who
appears to have knocked about Sistan and Baluchistan for many years m tne
character of a derwesh, turned up in September in Bam, \\ r ere his P 0 ssi e
objects gave rise to conjecture. His Majesty's Consul had him broug t o