Coll 30/9 'Persian Gulf: Administration Reports 1926-1938' [‎264v] (533/1028)

CHAPTER III.
. Summary of events and conditions in Ears in 1932.
1932 was in Hie main not markedly different from the preceding year. Seen-
rity was somewhat less good than in 1931 particularly in the latter half of the year
which closed with operations of a military nature being taken in the region of
Firuzabad against Ali Khan, a step brother of Sowlat-ud-Dowleh. Rainfall had
been poor in the winter of 1931-1932, the opium monopoly had ruined the mainstay
of present cultivators so that the condition of the lower classes was desperate
throughout the year.
2. Fara jullah Khan Bahrami who had been the first civil Governor General
in Fars since 3929 was transferred to Tehran on March 22nd where he was
appointed Minister of Posts and Telegraphs. Shortly afterwards Mohammad
Ali Khan Shaibani, the Director of Finance for Fars and brother of the impri
soned Amir Lashkar previously in Shiraz, was appointed Acting Governor
General and he continued to discharge the double function till July 14th when
Hajji Shams-ud-Din Jalali arrived from Isfahan where he had been Governor for
a year. The administration of the province passed more and more into the hands
of the civil authorities and the military nature of the regime in Fars gradually
disappeared save amongst the tribes and one or two outlying districts such as
Lar and Firuzabad.
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. No 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 vmapon. Ali Khan remained un
subdued but inactive till about October. His followers then began to terrorise
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 w T ere 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 wms still at large. He was offered terms in the course of December
but declined them. •
4. Security w as good in the early 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-
Isfahan road. In outlying parts of Fars robberies on minor roads were much
more numerous. Niriz, Fasa, FiruzaRad and Lar w'ere the regions most affected.
The Sorkhi family w 7 as responsible for much of the trouble. Jan Mohamed
Sorkhi w T as captured and hanged in July. Another famous brigand, Hadi, was
shot. His relatives however took noon themselves to avenge .him and were
responsible for much trouble round Lar in the last month of the year. The
Amnieh w r as 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 policy 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 wdiole of the properties belonging to the Qawam-ul-Mulk m Fars
were transferred to the Government, the Qawam receiving other land in compen
sation in northern provinces. The blow 7 struck at Sowlat-ud-Dowleh was much
more severe. He and his son, deputies to the Majliss and not allowed to leave
Tehran, were accused of conspiracy wdth the tribes and in August were arrested
and put in prison where they still w 7 ere at the end of the year. The nature of the
evidence against them does not appear to be entirely convincing. What then
eventual fate will be remains a matter for conjecture. The tribes themselves had
a very bad year. Lack of wmter led to great losses amongst their live-stock and
considerable suffering to themselves. It w 7 as impossible in the circumstances
to enforce the policy of forcing the nomads to settle permanently. Some few ^ere
persuaded to do so and a new village was built at Tol-i-Khosro in the vicinity o
Ardokan for this purpose.