"تقرير الإدارة عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج الفارسي للأعوام ١٩١٥-١٩١٩" [و‎‎٥‎١] (٣٩٦/١٠٨)

FOR THE TEAR 1916
23
In Khabis they plundered the villagers and arrested the Goyernor In
the town they maintained a following of cut-throats and criminals for whose
misdeeds they are responsible, even if they did not instigate them.
Zugmeyer appears to have behaved with some decency and moderation
but Seller has left behind him a reparation for violence which may well have
been deserved, if the story that he shot with his own hand an Austrian sub
ordinate who brought in dinner late is true.
Murder, robbery and violence were however the special prerogatives of
t ^ e . :D f m0Crats .' an ^ mai ?y brother Persians claim to have been the victims of
their despoliation and vindictiveness. In the sacred name of the cause money
weapons and property were confiscated or destroyed. The title " Democrats
given them by themselves has unfortunately been universally accepted, but it
is a misnomer. They are in fact anarchists who have no scheme of Government
which they want to introduce, but only desire to remove the slight remaining
safeguaids of life and property which the existing Government provides and
practice, without troubling to preach the doctrine, that ' might is right'.
The Kermanis desciibe each other as " sheep" and the mass of them
certainly have no will of their own and have just enough natural vice to be
always ready in large numbers to follow any evil shepherd.
There could be no more promising field of operations for a handful of
active unscrupulous " Democrats ".
A few days after the affair of Saadatabad a telegram was received from
Tehran announcing the dismissal of the Sardar Zafar. He hesitated, but
eventually decided to obey, and, in accordance with a further telegram from
Tehran, Sardar Nusrat took over the Governorship and he himself left for
Bafsinjan.
Mirza Asadullah Khan, Kurdistani, who had arrived, in spite of Democrat
opposition, early in the disturbances, was now installed as Financial Agent
in place of the Democrat tool, Mirza Ismail Khan, but his day was short for
his appointment was soon cancelled from Tehran and the Banan-ud-Daulah
despatched to take his place. The Banan arrived about the middle of July.
A similar fate also overtook the Sardar Nusrat, who had to give way to the
Nusrat-us-Sultaneh, the youthful uncle of the Shah, who himself had had to
surrender the greater glories of Ears and Shiraz to the Earman Farma.
Appeals were made by the people both to Tehran and General Sykes that the
Sardar Nusrat should be maintained as Governor-General, but they only
resulted in his being appointed Assistant Governor. The Nusrat-us Sultaneh
arrived and was duly installed in the middle of June, a few days after General
Sykes, who entered the city on the 12th of that month.
General Sykes' arrival had been looked forward to with some apprehension
by the townspeople, who not unnaturally feared that they might become the
victims, deserving or undeserving, of punitive measures. They were however
soon reassured by the mildness of his methods and the care that was taken to
distinguish the innocent from the guilty.
The above summary of events in which no British subjects took part has
been prepared from Persian narratives, in dealing with which every endeavour
has been made to eliminate what might have been inspired by private interest
or prejudice. In what follows the ordinary sources of official reports have
been available.
In the first place we may briefly trace the steps by which the right to exist
in this quarter of Persia was restored to the British, and the measures which
have been, and are being taken to maintain order in Southern Persia and to
insure that British influence shall be predominant in the " British Sphere of
Influence
General Sykes' force consisting of :—
1 Section, 23rd Mountain Battery.
1 Squadron, ]5th Lancers.
1 Troop Central India Horse.
12-iith Baluchistan Infantry less 4! Companies,