The Afshars and Bichaqchis
of Kerman
Aqta’ Afshar
Gunj
Ali Khan, Ilkhani of the Afshar, died on 18th August. The succession
to the Ilkhaniship was disputed for a long time between Hojabr-us-Sultaneh,
younger brother of the deceased Ilkhani, and Salar Ashayir, nephew of Gunj Ali
Khan and son of his predecessor Mirza Khan. As Hojabr-us-Sultaneh and his son
Nasir Nizam had from the outset been actively useful to the South Persia Rifles
in connection with the Baft Levies, recruiting for the Brigade, etc., while
Salar Ashayir’s brother Muhammad Rafi Khan was strongly pro-German in the
disturbances of 1915-16 and raised a force on their behalf, His Majesty’s
consul and the Officer Commanding, South Persia Riles, favoured the former’s
appointment, which was announced on 8th October. Salar Ashayir and
his section of the tribe refuse to acknowledge Hojabr’s title, and the former
partition of the tribe continues, each section keeping to itself and occupying
separate summer and winter grazings. Hojabr and his section have their
headquarters at Hushun, 20 miles west of Baft in the hot weather and at Hasan
Paki, 12 miles East of Chah Chaguk on the Saidabad-Tarun road in the cold;
Salar Ashayir’s section graze round Dasht Ab and Deh Sard in the summer and in
the Daulatabad-Urzu in the winter. There have however been no disturbances
within the tribe during the year.
The
Buchaqchi tribe was quiet throughout under the chiefship of Murad Khan
Shikuh-us-Sultan, brother of the rebel Hussain Khan who is still at Tehran. The
latter began applying to His Majesty’s Legation both directly and through
Sardar Jang, immediately after the Armistice was declared, to be allowed to
return to Kerman province. As he is known to be in close touch with the
Democrats here and would undoubtedly be used by them as a rallying point if he
returned. His Majesty’s Consul deprecated the proposal.
Administration Report of the Persian Gulf Political
Residency for the Year 1918, Delhi: Superintendent Government Printing, 1920, pp.
25―26.
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