The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-02 00:00:00

AYOOI3 KHAN, THE AFGHAN REFUGEE.

Writing from Teheran under date Dec. 30, the
correspondent of the Daily News says:
Ayoob Khan, who has since his discomfiture in
Afghanistan been a refugee in Persia had at first
chosen Meshhed for his residence, 'The Persian_
Governmen!, however, at the instance of the British
Minister, wen urged upon them the necessity of re- ,
moving the Alvhan refugee from the vicinity of the
frontier, invited him to come and live at Teheran. In • •%.
compliance wts this invitation Aynob Khan, after:.
sending his two Pons with his family to Tarbat.l-. •
Haidary, a eared town about eighty miles south
of Meshhed, proceeded with a numerous retinue" .•
to the Persian capital. On his arrival here.
he was presented to the Shah, who showed him •
much kindness, and granted him a pension of 100 D,
tomans (about 350) per month. Since that, time
he has been living a very quiet life, visiting few
people, and being visited by still fewer. Suddenly
some weeks ago, while the Shah was in Jaijarood; a
favourite resort for hunting, Ayoob Khan sent him a '
petition, in which, after expressing his deep gratitude
toaterds Persia, and thanking his Majesty for his
bonntiee, he begged permission to leave Teheran and
raids in Bollhara. The reason alleged for this re.
quest was that, owing the dearness of living in the
Persian capital, he had found it difficult to live
without privation ; but as everything was far
cheaper in Bokhara, he hoped to do better there. .
The British Minister on hearing of Ayoob
Khan's intended journey to Bokhara through
Khoiassan and Merv, represented to the Persian
Government, and to his Majesty in particular,
all the inconvenience of allowing the pretender
to Shere Al's succession to travel with such a num-
rous suite by a route lying on the frontier of Afghan.
istan. In consideration of this it was intimated to
Ayoob Khan that he must real Bokhara by way of
Russia. But then the Russian Legation declared
that their Goveenment would on no account permit
the Afghan refugees to pass through that country.
The Shah, considering that those refugees were 4
guests in Persia and that he could not in justice
and honour either detain them or force them to 4
leave the country by a specified route, then gave them
permission to travel by any road they chose. On the
day after his Majesty returned to the capital Ayoob
Khan had a farewell audience. The Persian Monarch
made him a present of a round sum of money for his'
travelling expenses and the Afghan refugee left s$
Teheran on the 16th instant, making his first stage at 1r....,
Shah Abdul Azim, a small town about four miles
from Teheran. In that place he will stay till all his
preparations and those of his suite, composed of 250
persons, are completed, and then set out for his
destination. Ayoob Khan's apparent intention is, as
It is given out, to go to Bokhara by way of Meshhed..
He will stay in the latter place for a fortnight when '
his sons and family and other partisans will join him.
Then, continuing his journey, he will stop for a week ••
at Sarakhe, and about a month at Merv, and reach
his destination by the beginning of the spring. The
pretence alleged by Ayoob Khan for leaving Teheran
cannot reasonably be accepted. If he, whilst
receiving • a monthly subsidy of a thousand
tomans, lived with difficulty and privation, how
can he expect to live better in Bokhara without
that subsidy? Moreover, he could without muell
Inconvenience have waited the approach of the favour-
able season in the spring. There was no necessity to
undertake a journey of over ninety days' continual"
march at a time when the cold is the severest in the
plains of Khorassan and Merv. His sudden and
hasty departure is differently interpreted. But it is
generally thought that, excited by the late discontent
which has been shown in some parts of Afghanistan
against the rule of the Ameer, Abdur Rahman Khan, -
and encouraged by the disturbances which have broken
out in the north of that country, he is going to try
once more his fortunes against his lucky rival.