IOR/R/15/6/199

This file concerns a request from the Sultan of Muscat and Oman [Sa‘īd bin Taymūr Āl Bū Sa‘īd] for the services of a Government of India customs officer. The correspondence covers requirements for the role, terms of service, the sourcing of potential candidates, and the deputation of Mohammed (also spelled as Mohammad and Mahomed in the correspondence) Ismail Rajabdin, an appraiser at Customs House, Karachi, as Director of Customs for the Government of Muscat and Oman, in April 1939, for a period of three years.

Also discussed are the following: the question of whether Mohammed Ismail's contract should be extended after the initial period of three years; Mohammed Ismail's resignation in January 1942; the Sultan's decision to hand responsibilities for customs to the Government of Muscat and Oman's Finance Officer.

The file's principal correspondents are the following: the Political Agent and Consul, Muscat; the Political Resident in the Persian Gulf; the Sultan of Muscat and Oman; the Government of Muscat and Oman's Director of Customs; officials of the Government of India's External Affairs Department.

The Arabic language material consists of correspondence between the Political Agent and Consul at Muscat, and representatives of the Government of Muscat and Oman, including the Sultan of Muscat and Oman (English translations are included in almost all cases). The file's contents date from 1939 to 1942, apart from three brief notes at the rear of the file, which are dated January 1948.