Coll 28/8 ‘Persia; Diaries; Sistan & Kain, April 1927 – 1933’ [‎160v] (331/434)

telegraphist and abused the Acting
Governor and Chief of Police who came to
remonstrate with them. Things looke
n cr lv for a while, but the troops wei(
called in and the recalcitrants arrested.
Mohammad Hassan v,as deported and t re
opposition to Assadi’s election collapsed.
The polling was declared on 20th Septem
ber as follows :—
Asgadi
Agha Say id Ahmad
Other candidates
. 6,297
294
36
It will be remembered that at both^ the
pollings in May when neither Assadi nor
his father were in Sistan, practically the
entire constituency voted for Agha Sayrd
Ahmad and Misbah-us—Saltana did not
poll a single vote.
05. According to Assadi, who visited
His Majesty’s Consul on bis way to
Tehran on 6th October, the following is
the inner history of the Sistan elections .
The enemies of Assadi s father Misbah
us-Saltimr, v, ho has combined the func
tions of Mutawalli-Bashi of the Meshed
Shrine with those of Majlis Deputy for
Sistan for the past three years, reported to
the S' ah that Misbah-us-Saltana was
misappropriating the shrine funds. An
enquiry was accordingly held at the Shah’s
order by the Amir-i-Lashkar, who report ■
ed that*so far from maladministering the
shrine Mishah had increased its resources,
with the result that no less tcan 180,000
tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. h. r d been saved in two years. The
righteously indignant Mutwalli-Bashi
for hwitli resigned, nor would he with
draw his resignation until the Shah had
pr( raised him a signal mark of favour in
the shape of a Deputyship for his son as
w^ell as for himself. It w r as accordingly
arranged that Assadi should be elected for
Tun and 1 abbas, his father standing for
Sistan as he had done for the past t ; ree
parliaments.
These arrangements were temporarily
upset when the ambitious ex-schoolmaster
of Sistan, Agha tray id Ahmad contested
the Mishah’s constituency and with the
help of the latter’s enemies and of the
Soviet Consulate got himself elected
unanimously in May. The Governor of
Sistan, Amir Samsam-ud-Daula (a mem
ber of the 'old ruling family of the Qainat),
actuated by jealousy of the Mishah not
only “ rigged ” the election in the usual
w r ay, hut afterwards, when Assadi came
posting down to Sistan w-ith orders from
Tehran in his pocket cancelling Agha
Say id Ahmad’s election, despatched a
most injudicious telegram to the Minister
of the Interior as follows
“The whole population of Sis'an is^
hostile to Mishah’s candidature
and in favour of the Mudir
(Sayid Ahmad) ; Misbah’s son
has come here and is intriguing
against the Mudir, but I am
taking steps to ensure that noth
ing is done contrary to the law."
The result was that a few T days later a
telegram came from Tehran ordering the
Governor to go on 3 months’ leave, and
the May polling was deth itely declared
null and void. Mishah, however, thought
it would he judicio is to stand down, so it
u as arranged with the Minister of Court
that Assadi should be “ elected ” for Sistan
instead of him. This wms accordingly
done, as described above.
96. The extent to which Amir Samsam-
ud-Daula and the Soviet Consulate respec
tively financed Agha Sayid Ahmad s elec
tion campaign is uncertain. Altogether
he is known to have spent at least Tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
700 (circ. Rs. 2,000), as follows
Ts.
Telegrams from Sistan
Paid to the editors of three Meshed
Newspapers for publishing elec
tion telegrams
To the editor of the “ Habl-ul-
Matin Calcutta, for publishing
an article . • • •
Tips, biibes and miscellaneous
300
100
35
265
700
In addition to the above, as already re-
orted (paragraph 80 above), te o ere
arhang Mohammad Khan, _0freer Corn-
landing Sistan Brigade, a bribe of Ts. m
ir his assistance. The ex-schco nmste
as no money at all of his own and though
s stated above, he was strongly sup) oite
y the Governor, it is extremely unlike y
bat the notoriously parsimonious Samsam-
d-I)aula put up so large a sum as is f
n his behalf. The only money kno™
efinitelv to have changed handsbefii
he Soviet Consulate and the M^d.r, OTded
ver, is a sum of Is. 100 winen w
iver by the former in the spring
istablishment of a public of
ittached to the school. But * i ‘ .
he Soviet Consulate Staff and pa.K»
n the town was pro-Mudir thiou j
md the general opinion is that sub.