'Adminisistration [Administration] Reports 1931-1935' [‎57v] (114/416)

CHAPTER HI.
Summary of events and conditions in
Ears in 1932.
1(| , 9 in ,i ie main not markedly different from the preceding year Seal.
■itv Somewhat less good than in 1931 particularly in the latter half of the year
,-i y was somerinai s , ilitarv nature being taken in the region of
ivluch closed with 01 ® t, roth er of Sowlat-ud-Dowleh. Rainfall had
1 iruzaria.l aganist ’ ,032 t h e opium monopoly had ruined the mainstav
SScS^KfeSn of the lower classes was desperate
throughout the year. . ^ n
9 Fara iullah Khan Bahraini who had been the first civil Governor General
in Fars s ice 1929 was transferred to Tehran on March 22nd where he was
anpotnted Minister of Posts and Telegraphs Shortly afterwards Mohammad
U Khan Shaihani. the Director of Finance for Fars and brother of the impn-
soncd Amir Lashkar previously in Shiraz was appointed Acting Governor
General and he continued to discharge the double function till July 14,li when
Han, Shams-nd-Din Jalali arrived from Isfahan where he had been Governor tor
v i J al . The administration of the provmce passed more and more into the hands
of the eh il authorities and the military nature of the regime m Fars gradually
disappeared rave amongst the tribes and one or two outhmg distnct* such as
-r . „ 1
3 The Fars troops continued to be under the command of Sarhang Ibrahim
Khan Zandieh. The normal strength of the troops kept in Shiraz appeared to
be about two thousand. Xo troubles occurred which called for extensive opera
tions • in July a contingent of about 500 troops under the command of Sarhang
Hussein Khan Pur Rastigar which had left for Dasht in the. previous November
to co-operate with other forces in disarming that region returned to Shiraz. In
the province of Shiraz very severe restrictions were placed upon the possession
of fire-arms of any description and later in the year it was made a capital offence
to be found in possession of any breech-loading weapon. Ali Khan remained un
subdued but inactive till about October. His followers then began to terronse
the Firuzabad region and on November 16th about 1,000 troops proceeded to
Firuzabad under the command of Sarhang Saadi. They drove Ali Khan and his
followers—who were reported to number only about 100 fighting men—further
into the hills and slight engagements took place in which a few casualties were
sustained. By the close of the year the operations had not been terminated and
Ali Khan was still at large. He was offered terms in the course of December
hut declined them.
4 . Security was good in the earlv months of the year but as the effects of
the poor rains made themselves felt brigandage began to increase. In all some
six armed robberies occurred on the Shiraz-Bushire road and two on the Shiraz-
Tsfahan road. In outlying parts of Fars robberies on minor roads were much
more numerous. Niriz, Fasa. Firuzabad and Lar were the regions most affected.
The Sorklii family was responsible for much of the trouble. Jan Molmmed
Sorkhi was captured and hanged in July. Another famous brigand, Hadi, was
shot. His relatives however took upon themselves to avenge him and were
responsible for much trouble round Lar in the last month of the year. The
Amuieh was active and on the whole not ineffective. Large numbers of robbers
were executed publicly by firing parties in Shiraz. An increase in severity was
noted in November and December and protests were made that many men had
been shot without proof of brigandage simply for carrying guns.
5. The poliev of disarming the tribes and keeping them entirely divorced
from their hereditary leaders was pursued vigorously. By a law passed on the
7th June 1932 the whole of the properties belonging to the Qawam-ul-Mulk in Fars
were transferred to the Government, the Qawam receiving other land in compee-
satiou in northern provinces. The blow struck at Sowlat-nd-Dowleh was much
more severe. He and his son. deputies to the Majliss and not allowed to leave
Tehran, were accused of conspiracy with the tribes and in August were arrested
and put in prison where they still were at the end of the vear. ' The nature of the
evidence against them does not appear to ho entirely convincing. What their
eventual fate will be remains a matter for conjecture. ' The tribes themselves had
a ei\ had ^cai. Lack ol water led to creat losses aunmnsrst their live-stock aud
considerable suffering to themselves. D was impossible in the circumstances
to enfoice the policy of forcing the nomads to settle permanently. Some few were
persuaded to do so and a new village was built at Tol-i-Khosro in the vicinity of
Arackan for this purpose.