"تقرير حول طريق القوافل البلوشية الفارسية ومقاطعات نوشكي وجاغي وسنجراني الغربية" [و‎‎١‎٠] (٧٢/١٩)

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APPENDIX 1L
Qaetta-Sdstau Trade Route.
1. By no means the least important result that followed the conclusion
of last year’s Boundary Commission was that the opening up of a direct caravan
route between Quetta and Seistan, lying wholly within the British sphere
of influence, and nowhere infringing Afghan territory, fell within the limits
of possibility.
2. Afghan import and export trade has, for many years past, struggled
in vain against the crushing dues which His Highness the Amir has imposed.
The protests of merchants have been met only by the imposition of still
heavier dues, and matters have come to such a pass that many well known
merchants, whose connection with Afghan and Central Asian trade dates
from generations back, of late years have been compelled to withdraw from
commerce. Such Central Asian trade as of old drew its goods from British
sources has slowly drifted into the hands of Russia, which on its part has not
been backward in putting iu motion every engine that ingenuity could devise,
and its paramount position in Central Asia afforded to popularize its Asian and
Persian trade at the expense of ours.
3 With the final demarcation ef the western Baluch-Afghan frontier,
Government has not been slow to realize the possibility of opening up a
direct caravan route between our nordi-west rail head and Persian Seistan,
and, at the close of last year, devoted a sum of Us. 28,200, and later on a further
grant of Rs. 6,500 for the purpose of putting to a practical test the possibility
of the scheme. It is now my purpose to describe, in as brief a compass as
possible, the steps that have already been taken towards the consummation
of a project having for its objective the re-habilitation of trans-frontier
trade.
4, Nushki is but 93 miles south-we- 1 of Quetta, yet to the majority
of residents in Baluchistan it conveys but a name. Somehow, the visits of
officers have been few and far b3tween, and, excepting that it has long enjoy
ed a trade of its own, and owned an unenviable notoriety for its feuds and
quarrels, interested few. In developing the caravan route, Nushki will form
the base whence goods and kajiias will he despatched and received, and
thus, as a preliminary step, it was essential that arrangements should be made
to open up direct communication with Quetta. In view of the very slender
funds at my disposal, this jwotnised to prove an hisurmountable difficulty;
happily, the assistance afforded by the Agent to the Governor-General
solved the problem, and January 1897 saw a Post Office established in Nushki
and a regular bi-weekly dak runni. g.
5. Almost immediately after my arrival in Nushki, an opportunity offered
itself of bringing home to all the fact that Government had inaugurated a new
^departure and was detenmned that in future the person, of traders and the
property of caravans should be regarded as sacred. It came to mv knowledge
that a small Seistani kajila had been seized and plundered by the Jamaldini
.Sardar under the plea—a mere subterfuge—that one of his" cntonrafje had
been subjected in Seistan to a like ouirage several mouths previous!v. I
took the opjiertunity to dispel from the Sardar’s mind the belief which be
and the district had long shared that every weak y guarded caravan was their
lair and legitimate prey. And to ensure the discontinuance of similar out*
iages, I publicly placed the charge of all caravans passing through Nushki in
the bands of Muhammad An Khan, Zagar viengal, —now a paid Govern'-
mem servant •, telling him that any loss they might suffer would be
required at his hands, lhat not a caravan has since been subjected to either
•outrage or loss bears testimony to the fact lhat the Sardar has acted up to
his responsibilities.
/ i i J auuar . v 1397, I received the welcome news that Govern
ment had allotted to Sardar Muhammad Ali Khan Rs. 7,000 yearly in lieu of
ns i re. itniy light to fm y c ’ Suvg.” The Sardar had greeted mv arrival iu
r of-4