- 13 - year they were much more certain of their ties withBakha and I am convinced that between my two trips theShaikh of Bakha had exerted his influence with theHabus, and strengthened his relations with them, butlike most people in these hills their foremost claim isfor independence, and any expression of allegiance toBakha amounts to very little in comparison. "It is very difficult to discuss anything with theHabus, or to reach agreement with them regarding anymatter. They are divided into approximately twentygroups of families each independent of the other, andwithout a permanent shaikh. "My own personal view of this matter is that tosupport the Ruler of Ras al Khaimah, and to make knownthis support of him, would be of considerable help tothe Ruler in keeping control of this difficult area,whereas to acknowledge Muscat's claim to the territorywould be to create new problems, for it can hardly bedisputed that the Sir plain, which is used so much bythe Habus, belongs to Muscat." In support of Ras al Khaimah's claims Saif binRashid al Habusi, one of Saqr bin Mohammed's retainerswho comes originally from the Jebel Sal area, told me,in the presence of Obaid bin Salim of the Shahairah,and Shaikh Humaid bin Mohammed, that the Habus lands andmen belong to Shaikh Saqr bin Mohammed, Ruler of Ras alKhaimah, and that they pay zakat to him. The Shaikhof Ras al Khaimah confirmed this. Minute of 17/12Sharjah file0223/51 byAli Bustani. Further support to Shaikh Saqr's claim to ownershipof the Habus is provided by the fact that he makesannual payments to the Habus (and other tribes)totalling Rs 9,000 per annum. Conclusion While the decision as to whether the Habusterritory is within the area of Ras al Khaimah or ofBakha sovereignty is beyond my competence, it wouldappear from the above evidence that the former has aclaim to the Habus lands though it is a weak one, andthat great inconvenience might be caused were theHabus lands awarded in toto to Bakha. It should bestressed that the full basis for Bakha's claim is notknown and that without it no decision can be made. The Ruler of Ras al Khaimah should not beinformed of any of our findings in the area as they aretoo nebulous.
