'Military Report of the Nushki-Chagai-Western Sinjarani Country' [‎17r] (38/302)

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Nawab An honorific title; an official acting as a provincial deputy ruler in South Asia; or a significant Muslim landowner in nineteenth century India.
ction of
oro and
n Chah,
extends
e. The,
d froni
local information are given below. From each group of two or
three wells tracks take off to the Heloaand —
Haiyat Chah, 3£
8
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miles to Garni Chah, thence
Sarak ,,
Behman „
Abdul Nabi „
Karam Khan „
Janu Khan „
Ruhdaiu „
Chatuk „
Mahrnahasi „
E^akir „
Safar Khan.
10. Husen Nawar to Bagat on the Hehnand, length 124 miles, Route No. 20
3 stages. —This is another desert route, which, owing to the long
distances without water, cannot be regarded as useful for the move
ment of troops.
\\. Shah Ismail to Deshu on the Helmand, length 117{ mites, Routes Nos
4 stages. —Instead of proceeding from Nushki to Galla Chah via 22 and 22 (a).
Shah Ismail and thence to Khwaja Ali, it is possible to proceed direct
across the desert from Shah Ismail via Arbu, striking the Helmand
at Landi Wali Muhammad Khan. This entails a march of 65
miles without water; the desert is good going for camels, but prob
ably too sandy for wheeled traffic of any sort. After striking
the river the road more or less follows the river west to Deshu ;
on this part of the route water is abundant and supplies are procur
able in “ reasonable quantities. ” From Desbu the road may be
followed along the river to Khwaja Ali and so to Seistan ; there is
also a direct road to Chakansur, and another road leads across the
river north to Kash, Khor Malik, and Farah.
There is no doubt that 10,000 men or more could easily be
marched from Seistan along the Helmand to Girishk. But it seems
hitherto to have been considered that the routes across the desert
were impracticable except for small raiding parties.
But in 1901 Captain Webb-Ware pointed out that a force of
10,000 men with necessary camel transport could, with a little care
and arrangement, be marched across the south-west portion of the
llegistan desert, especially if the assistance of the Begistan Baluch
tribes were first obtained.
Shagul Khan, Loharzai Mamasani Baluch, is the head of the
nomads of this district of Western llegistan, and his assistance
would be of the first importance for such a march.
It is evident that, were it possible for such a force to cross the
Registau in a body, the trade route, or a railway aligned on the
trade route, would, in time of war, be a precarious line of com
munication for an army in the field on the western frontier.
In January and February 1903 a large party of the Seistan
Boundary Commission with 900 camels crossed the Registan by