"تقارير إدارية ١٩٠٥-١٩١٠" [ظ‎‎٢‎٨] (٦١٦/٦١)

40
ADMIN ISTEATION REPOET ON THE PERSIAN GULP POLITICAL
Whether they were accelerated or not by the intervention of Haji Ra, is must
remain uncertaio, hut at any rate an armistice was arranged on Qr about the
23rd Pebruary, and the greater part of the levies raised by the Salar were
disbanded. A fortnight later a more secure compact was arrived at which
nothing has as yet occurred to disturb. It is stated that it was agreed that
the leadership of the tribe was to revert to the Samsam and Shahab, but time
alone will show whether this is true. It is on the whole to be hoped that it is
as in that case the really stronger party will be in the position of recognised
authority, and a stronger administration is to be hoped for.
The whole sequence of events has only gone to prove the weakness of the
Bakhtiari confederacy, now that they have no chief of commanding character
and influence remaining among them. The jealous ambitions of the Khans
has cost them dear both in property destroyed and in cash payments made to
secure the favour of the Persian Government.
15. The perennial friction between the Khans and Messrs. Lynch Bros,
shows no signs of dying a natural death, although no serious crisis occurred
during the year under review. It may be regarded as chronic so long as
relations of any sort exist between the two parties. A new series of commercial
relations has been introduced by the agreement signed in October by the Oil
Syndicate and the Khans. This concern has been very unhappy in the year of
its inception, owing to the Bakhtiari parties to the agreement being divided
between,the two hostile factions.
LTJRISTAN".
16. The Parman Parma, after exhausting every artifice of procrastination,
had at length to yield to the pressure of the British Legation, exerted through
the Persian Government. He left Kermanshah in January 1905 with a
handful of troops to undertake the disciplinary measures against the Dirakwand
made necessary by the attack committed by them on Colonel Douglas and
Lieutenant Lorimer. He did not however reach Khuremabad till May. He
was accompanied by Captain Williams, I.M.S. Arrived there he declared
himself unable to organise punitive measures, and asked that he should be
given until the following autumn to set things in train.
Meanwhile the Salar Muazzam, deputed to bring the Bani Turuf Arabs
to book, passed down to Dizful with a force reported to amount to over 2,000
men. He traversed the country of the Dirakwand with the consent of their
chiefs, who were duly rewarded.
In July by the instrumentality of the Sagwand chiefs, Pazil Khan and
Hassan Gidaw, the Parman Parma effected the capture of 12 of the Mira
chiefs. It was the fruit of the arts of Persian diplomacy, or what elsewhere
would be known as breach of faith.
The Governor claimed that at least five of these men were present when
the outrage was committed, but, from a photograph supplied, the officers
concerned were only able to identify one man.
One of the prisoners was released, and one died ; the remainder are still
in confinement at Kermanshah.
17. Early in 1906 the Parman Parma resigned his governorship, and
made over that of Luristan to the Salar-ud-Daulah, who had been relieved of
the same in May 1904. The Salar is married to a daughter of the Wali of
Pusht-i-Kuh, who has shown himself attached to his interests on more than
one occasion. Were^ his expenses guaranteed there is little doubt that the
Wali would be glad, if desired, to exterminate or crush the Dirakwand.
18. The not very harmonious planetary system of Luristan was abnormally
perturbed this year by the passage of a meteoric "body, in the person of the
Shahab-ul-Lashkar, Chaharlang Bakhtiari. Moving from his own country to
the East of Burujird, he struck across Luristan, coming in contact on his way
with the Dilfan and the Dirakwand. He was accompanied on the latter part
of his progress by the Sagwands Pazil Khan and Hassan Gidaw.
About the end of 1905 a successful action was fought against a force of
the Dilfan near Gulgul, and again at Tang-i-Chiil. A few days later an
encounter took place with the Dirakwand at the Ab-i-Zal, of which the issue