File 537/1921 Part 2 'Persia: Oil - A.P.O. Co's development of new oil-fields; Oil Boring at Dasht-i-Qil; A.P.O. Co's agreement with Kashkuli Khans' [‎192v] (56/254)

4
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to al
On the 20th May
Prince Ihtihaj-ns-Sultai
Mr. S. Clegg.
Hadi Khan, Kashkuh.
Gholam Husain Khan, Kashkuh.
con 16 ' froi
^ou 1 '
fLoisi<
The last two named representing the signatories to the Kashkuli Agreement.
ft'
1 After somewhat lengthy, preliminaries lasting from 11 to 1 and after the party
had partaken of lunch, the draft Kashgai Agreement, prepared by fe,r A. I. Wilson,
was read out as also the Kashkuli Agreement. Saidar As lan then opened the
dkcussion by obiecting fundamentally to the Kashkuli Agreement on grounds which
may be briefly summarised as follows
(1 ) The Kasbkuli are an integral part of the Kashgai, and as such are under the
authority of the Ilkham, to whom the management of the Kashgai has
been delegated by the Persian Government; as such they have no right to
make such an agreement.
(2.) The lands in respect of which they have undertaken to sell their proprietary
or crazing rights are not theirs to dispose of, but belong to the Persian
Government; the Kashkuli are subject to removal elsewhere at the option
of the Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. , who has more than once exercised this option ; and they
pay taxes to Government, not direct, but through the Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. , calculated
on the number of their flocks and tents. In consequence, any payments in
respect of lost grazing rights should be made to the Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. .
(3.) The recognition of the rights of the Kashkuli to make such an agreement
would "create a dangerous precedent and was inconsistent with the main
tenance of the position of Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. ; other tribes, such as the Dareshuri,
whose winter quarters adjoin Bikars and Mishun, would follow their
example, and, if the company wished, for example, to work at Haft Dasht,
north of Bikarz (in which area it is understood that Mr. Wyllie considers
oil prospects favourable), they would have to make a fresh agreement on
similar lines with the Kashkuli, and so on indefinitely.
(4.) The effect of the agreement had already been to weaken the authority of the
llkhani over the Kashkuli ; they had looted 2,500 sheep from the Sheikh
of Mohammerah’s subjects in Zairian, and Jahangir Khan and Isfendiar Khan
Kashkuli had robbed a Government postal courier near Shiraz at Sinehsafid ;
any action on his part to punish those responsible and to recover the looted
property would he inevitably regarded as inspired by resentment against the
tribe for having made an agreement with the company.
(5.) The Kashkuli tribe had in point of fact no responsible leader or leaders ; the
younger chiefs were guided by the advice of their mothers or by irrespon
sible and interested advisers ; there was no one amongst them whom the
Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. or the company could make responsible ; the post of Kalantar was
for practical purposes m abeyance.
( 6 .) The title of: the Kashkuli tribe to the lands in question being shown to be
invalid, and the ability of the Khans to give effect to the agreement being
demonstrai defective, the Ilkhani The paramount chief of certain tribes in south west Iran. claimed that it should be cancelled and
replaced by a fresh agreement with him only.
2 . I he ieply of the Resident-Director to the above argument may be briefly
summarised as follows:— o J
:*s to the
( 1 .) Dining 1 J 1 J and 1920 the company had sent geologists and surveyors to
lands m question; the Kashkuli Khans had been requested, with the
Knowledge and annroval of /^i n
i .ii i , —cto.irvun ivuctiiK nau oeen requested, —
now er go any approval of the Iarman Farma (then Governor- General of
any to P 10 vk e guards, and have done so without any question being
raised by the Ilkham. J 1
[2 ^ lh LfT lal , TT of the Kashkuli had been recognised in 1920 by an
thp ...tk. 1 i-yy 1 d ar Vshair, Kawam-ul-Mulk and others, whereby
nr f( 'f ot f the J f tt y (^presenting the other half of the tribes of Ears) to
/o x T ,P rotect the interests of the Kashkuli was recognised.
autumn^ofh 091 reaS °, ns of " lts . own > desired to start work at once in the
and was advised that in order to do so it was necessary to
tbe i a t
rikhan* al
id'iyiic
. ivcompy
‘1 1 entered m 1
for the sm
fullest ext
that they >
wake the
eontinueo
I The Sardar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. A
| not be less ad
Lwbo, he said,
«and tnbes si
T He question
0 do such oiiic
Ud not apply;
j, I finally inti:
U to give the
i of oil in Ki
g to draw
y of this conet
J
For peri
After oi
titles,
perioc
ie Kashkuli
to be rep
t 11 ® 0 f the corf
j ‘dditional 0
byptoration
Cl?'"*'
ywi i
Ashai
h ifyement
Vr.af
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