Download Balochistan (Pakistan)

Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan, or Baluchistan,
(Balochi, Pashto, Brahui,
Sindhi, Urdu: ‫ )بلوچستان‬is a
province in Pakistan, the largest
in the country by geographical
area; it is slightly smaller than
Norway. It contains most of the
historical region of Balochistan
and is named after the Baloch
people. Its neighboring regions
are Iranian Balochistan to the
west, Afghanistan and the
Federally Administered Tribal
Areas to the north and Punjab
and Sindh to the east. To the
south is the Arabian Sea. The
principal languages in the
province are Baluchi, Brahui,
Sindhi, Pashto and Farsi. The
capital and largest city is
islamabad. Balochistan is
believed to be rich in mineral
resources. It is the second
major supplier, after Sindh, of
natural gas to the country.
Balochistan
Capital
• Coordinates
Quetta
• 30°07′N
67°01′E30.12°N 67.01°E
Population (2008)
• Density
10,247,362 (Estimate)
• 20.64/km²
Area
347190 km²
Time zone
PST (UTC+5)
Main language(s)
Balochi (national)
Urdu (official)
Pashto
Hazargi
Brahui
Sindhi
Status
Province
• Districts
• 27
• Towns
•
• Union Councils
•
1st July 1970
Established
• Governor/Commissioner • Nawab Zulfikar Ali Magsi
• Chief Minister
• Nawab Aslam Raisani
• Legislature (seats)
• Provincial Assembly (65)
Website
Government of Balochistan
Contents
[hide]






1 Geography
2 Climate
3 Demographics
4 Gold and Copper Deposits
5 Flora and fauna
o 5.1 Provincial symbols of Balochistan (Pakistan)
6 Society












7 History
o 7.1 Islamic arrival in Baluchistan
o 7.2 History of Baluch people
8 Provincial government
9 Administrative division
10 Major cities
11 Economy
12 Education
13 Sonmiani test range
14 Famous people
15 See also
16 References
17 External links
18 Further reading
Geography
Baluchistan is located at the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau and in the border region
between Southwest, Central, and South Asia. It is geographically the largest of the four
provinces at 347,190 km² or (134,051 square miles) of Pakistani territory; and composes
48% of the total land area of Pakistan. The population density is very low due to the
mountainous terrain and scarcity of water. The southern region is known as Makran. The
central region is known as Kalat.
The Sulaiman Mountains dominate the northeast corner and the Bolan Pass is a natural
route into Afghanistan towards Kandahar, used as a passageway during the British
campaigns to Afghanistan[1]. Much of the province south of the Quetta region is sparse
desert terrain with pockets of towns mostly near rivers and streams.
The capital city is Quetta, located in the most densely populated district in the northeast
of the province. Quetta is situated in a river valley near the border with Afghanistan, with
a road to Kandahar in the northwest.
At Gwadar on the coast the Pakistani government is currently undertaking a large project
with Chinese help to build a large port. This is being done partially to provide the
Pakistan Navy with another base, and to reduce Pakistan's and in particular Punjab's
reliance on Karachi and Port Qasim, which are currently the only major ports[2]
Climate
Very cold winters and hot summers characterise the climate of the upper highlands.
Winters of the lower highlands vary from extremely cold in the northern districts to mild
conditions closer to the Makran coast. Summers are hot and dry, especially the arid zones
of Chaghai and Kharan districts. The plain areas are also very hot in summer with
temperatures rising as high as 120 °F (50 °C). Winters are mild on the plains with the
temperature never falling below the freezing point. The desert climate is characterised by
hot and very arid conditions. Occasionally strong windstorms make these areas very
inhospitable.
Demographics
Balochistan has a population of around 10 million
Historical populations
inhabitants. Overall, the Baloch and Brohi tribes
Census Population Urban
comprise 62% of the province's population[citation needed].
The rest are mainly Pashtuns, Hazaras and Sindhis.
Baloch are concentrated in the sparsely populated north1951
1,167,167 12.38%
west, west, east and south; Brohis in the centre of the
province, while the Pashtuns are the majority in the
1961
1,353,484 16.87%
north. Quetta, the capital of the province, has a Pashtun
1972
2,428,678 16.45%
majority with Baloch, Hazaras and Punjabi minorities.
Near the Kalat region and other parts of the province
1981
4,332,376 15.62%
there are significant numbers of Brahui speakers. Along
1998
6,565,885 23.89%
the coast various Makrani Balochis predominate. In
addition, 769,000 Afghan refugees can be found in the
2005
9,839,417 23.89%
province including Pashtuns, Tajiks, and Hazaras. Many
Sindhi farmers have also moved to the more arable lands
in the east. There are also a growing number of other(s) ethnic groups consisting of
Kurdish, Panjabi, Mohajir and Iranians who have made Balochistan their home in recent
decades.[citation needed]
Gold and Copper Deposits
The worlds largest Gold and Copper deposits have been found at Reko_Diq, Chagai
District, Balochistan. Reko Diq is a giant copper and gold project in Chaghi. The main
license (EL5) is held jointly by the Government of Balochistan (25%), Antofagasta
Minerals (37.5%) and Barrick Gold (37.5%).The copper-gold deposits at Reko Diq are
believed to be even bigger than those of Sarcheshmeh in Iran and Escondida in Chile.
BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining company, started this project with the Australian
firm Tethyan, entering into a joint venture with the Balochistan government and
estimating an annual production of 200 to 500 million pounds of copper. A large number
of porphyry rocks are also known to exist.[citation needed]
The interests of the Australian company in Reko Diq and its neighbourhood were taken
over by the Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corporation and the Chilean Antofagasta
Minerals. These companies were handed a very lucrative deal. The terms agreed upon
show that there is more to the issue than meets the eye. Royalties were reduced from the
initial four to two per cent. Terms for the provision of cost-free land for an airport and a
400 km Reko Diq-Gwadar road were accepted. An unjust clause is that a 25 per cent
share will be paid to the Balochistan government, but only after it invests 25 per cent in
the project.
Flora and fauna


Fauna of Balochistan (Pakistan)
Flora of Balochistan (Pakistan)
[edit] Provincial symbols of Balochistan (Pakistan)
Provincial animal Of Provincial tree Of
Provincial bird Of
Balochistan
Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
(Pakistan)
(Pakistan)
Provincial flower Of
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Society
Balochistan has a deeply patriarchal and conservative culture, in which ' honour killings'
are commonplace. [3]
In one recent incident in August 2008, the Asian Human Rights Commission reported
that five women (including three teenagers) in a remote village had been beaten, shot and
buried alive in a ditch for the 'crime' of having wished to choose their own husbands. One
of the tribesmen involved was the younger brother of a provincial minister from the
ruling Pakistan People's Party, and local police therefore refused to take any action. [4]
After human rights activists brought the case to national and international attention, Israr
Ullah Zehri, who represents Balochistan in the Pakistani Parliament, defended the
killings and asked his fellow legislators not to make a fuss about the incident. He told
Parliament, "These are centuries-old traditions, and I will continue to defend them. Only
those who indulge in immoral acts should be afraid." But many Baloch literate are against
the horific crime which took place in Balochistan. According to majority of Baloch, the
person or tribe head should be brought to the court and must be punished. Many Baloch
or Balochis have denied the fact that Karo Kari is a balochi cultural. they claim it was a
nomad cultural thing which has been stopped for many years but because of the poor
administration of Pakistani government and to dimilise the Baloch awareness such act are
taken place. [5]
Other traditional tribal punishments which contradict Pakistani as well as international
law, such as making criminals walk over coal fires, have also come to light recently.[citation
needed]
The Pakistani government has increased the budget for the province in recent years with
greater emphasis on education, roads and increased job opportunities.[citation needed]
History
Main article: History of Baluchistan
Baluchistan was the site of the earliest known farming settlements upon the Iranian
plateau bordering South Asia, the earliest of which was Mehrgarh dated at 6500 BCE.
Pakistani Balochistan corresponds to the ancient Achaemenid province of Gedrosia.
Balochistan was sparsely populated by various tribes, possibly of Dravidian and IndoIranian origin, for centuries following the decline of the nearby Harappa-Mohenjo-daro
civilisation to the east. Over time, Balochistan was invaded by various Eurasian groups
including the Aryans, Persians, Greeks, Kushans, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, Mughals,
Afghans, and the British. Aryan invasions appear to have led to the eventual demise of
the Elamo-Dravidian[6] with the exception of the Brahui who may have arrived much
later as did the Balochis themselves. The Balochis began to arrive from their homeland in
northern Iran and appear to be an offshoot of the Kurdish tribes that would mainly
populate the western end of the Iranian plateau. The Balochi tribes eventually became a
sizeable group rivalled only by another Iranian group where Brohis and Pashtuns came
under influences of Balochis.
Islamic arrival in Baluchistan
What is now Baluchistan province of Pakistan, in the 7th century was divided into two
main regions, its south western parts were part of Kermān Province of the Persian Empire
and north eastern region was part of the Persian province Sistan. The southern region was
included in Makran. In early 644, Caliph Umar sent Suhail ibn Adi from Busra to
conquer the Kerman region of Iran; he was made governor of Kerman. From Kerman he
entered the western Baluchistan and conquered the region near to Persian frontiers.[7]
South Western Baluchistan was conquered during the campaign in Sistan the same year.
During Caliph Uthman’s reign in 652, Baluchistan was re-conquered during the
campaign against the revolt in Kerman, under the command of Majasha ibn Masood, it
was first time when western Baluchistan came directly under the Laws of Caliphate and
gave tribute on agriculture.[8]In those days western Baluchistan was included in the
dominion of Kerman. In 654 Abdulrehman ibn Samrah was made governor of Sistan, an
Islamic army was sent under him to crush the revolt in Zarang, which is now in southern
Afghanistan. Conquering Zarang a column moved north ward to conquer areas up to
Kabul and Ghazni in Hindu Kush Mountains, while another column moved towards
North western Baluchistan and conquered area up to the ancient city of Dawar and
Qandabil (Bolan),[9] by 654 the whole of what is now Baluchistan province of Pakistan
was under the rule of Rashidun Caliphate except for the well defended mountain town of
QaiQan (now Kalat), which was conquered during Caliph Ali’s reign. [10] Abdulrehman
ibn Samrah made Zaranj his provincial capital and remained governor of these conquered
areas from 654 to 656, until Uthman was murdered. During the Caliphate of Ali, the areas
of Baluchistan, Makran again broke into revolt. Due to civil war in the Islamic empire Ali
was unable to deal with these areas until 660 when he sent a large force under the
command of Haris ibn Marah Abdi towards Makran, Baluchistan and Sind. Haris ibn
Marah Abdi arrived in Makran and conquered it by force then moved north ward to north
eastern Baluchistan and re-conquered Qandabil (Bolan), then again moving south finally
conquered Qaiqan (Kalat) after a fierce battle[11]. In 663 during the reign of Umayyad
Caliph Muawiyah I, Muslim lost control of North eastern Baluchistan and Kalat when
Haris ibn Marah and large part of army died in the battle field against a revolt in Kalat.[12]
Muslim forces latter re-gained the control of the area during Umayyads reign. It also
remained part of Abbasid Caliphate's empire.
History of Baluch people
Many Baluchis believe that their origins are Semitic and not Iranian contrary to linguistic
and historical evidence. Balochis claim that they left their Aleppo homeland in Syria at
some point during the 1st millennium CE and moved to Balochistan,[13] on the other hand
it is considered more likely they are an Iranian group who have possibly absorbed some
Arab ancestry and cultural traits instead, it is also believed that Baloch are of Arab blood,
it could be they left the Arab world when Iraq broke from Persia in 652 AD and there is
historical evidence that suggests they lived in (Khuzestan) and (Bushehr) before moving
to Kerman and Hormozgan. In 15th century Mir Chakar Khan Rind became first king of
Baluchistan. Balochistan subsequently was dominated by empires based in Iran and
Afghanistan as well as the Mughal Empire based in India. Ahmed Shah Durrani annexed
the region as part of a "greater" Afghanistan. The area would eventually revert to local
Balochi control, while parts of the northern regions would continue to be dominated by
Pashtun tribes.
A Baloch shepherd, from a 1900 photo
During the period of the British Raj, there were four Princely states in Balochistan:
Makran, Kharan, Las Bela and Kalat. In 1876 Sir Robert Sandeman concluded a treaty
with the Khan of Kalat and brought his territories - including Kharan, Makran, and Las
Bela - under British suzerainty. After the Second Afghan War of 1878-80, the Treaty of
Gandamak concluded in May 1879, the Afghan Emir ceded the districts of Quetta
Pishin,Sibi, Harnai, and Thal Chotiali to the British. In 1883 the British leased the Bolan
Pass, southeast of Quetta, from the Khan of Kalat on a permanent basis. In 1887 some
areas of Balochistan were declared British territory. In 1893, Sir Mortimer Durand
negotiated an agreement with Amir Abdur Rahman Khan of Afghanistan to fix the
Durand Line running from Chitral to Balochistan to as the boundary between the Afghans
and the British.
There were two devastating earthquakes in Balochistan during British colonial rule: The
1935 Balochistan Earthquake devastated Quetta and the 1945 Balochistan Earthquake,
with its epicentre in Makran region, was felt in other regions of South Asia.
On 15 June 2006, an estimated 600 fighters, led by three commanders, agreed to lay
down their weapons after talks with Shoaib Nausherwani, Baluchistan's minister for
internal affairs, in Dera Bugti district.[14] On August 26, Balochistan tribal leader Nawab
Akbar Khan Bugti was killed in airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani military.[15]
In 1998 Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in Ras Koh and in the Kharan desert, both in the
Kharan District in north-western Balochistan. After Musharraf's coup against the Nawaz
Sharif Government, the separatist insurgency resurfaced. Quetta zhob and sibi division
100% pashtuns population areas were cobined with kalat state of union to the province of
Balochistan after the disantigration of one unit formula in pakistan , before it pashtuns
areas South Pashtoonkhwa were never the not the part of balochistan
Provincial government
The unicameral Provincial Assembly of Balochistan comprises 65 seats of which 4% are
reserved for non-Muslims and 16% for women only.
Administrative division









1. Awaran
2. Barkhan
3. Bolan
4. Chagai
5. Dera Bugti
6. Gwadar
7. Jafarabad
8. Jhal Magsi
9. Kalat









10. Kech
11. Kharan
12. Kohlu
13. Khuzdar
14. Qilla Abdullah
15. Qilla Saifullah
16. Lasbela
17. Loralai
18. Mastung









19. Musakhel
20. Naseerabad
21. Nushki
22. Panjgur
23. Pishin
24. Quetta
25. Sibi
26. Zhob
27. Ziarat
Major cities









Barkhan
Chaman
Dera Allah Yar
Dera Murad Jamali
Gwadar
Hub
Kalat
Kharan
Khuzdar








Loralai
Mastung
Nushki
Pasni
Quetta
Sibi
Turbat
Zhob
Economy
The economy of the province is largely based upon the production of natural gas, coal
and minerals. Outside Quetta, the infrastructure of the province is gradually developing
but still lags far behind other parts of Pakistan. Tourism remains limited but has increased
due to the exotic appeal of the province. Limited farming in the east as well as fishing
along the Arabian Sea coastline are other forms of income and sustenance for the local
populations. Due to the tribal lifestyle of many Baluch and Brahui, animal husbandry is
important as are trading bazaars found throughout the province.
Though the province remains largely underdeveloped, there are currently several major
development projects in progress in Balochistan, including the construction of a new
deep sea port at the strategically important town of Gwadar.[16] The port is projected to be
the hub of an energy and trade corridor to and from China and the Central Asian
republics. There is considerable Chinese involvement in the project, leading some to
consider Gwadar it as the Chinese outpost on the Arabian Sea.[17] The total cost of the
project is estimated at more than US$2 billion. China has also invested in a coastal
highway to link Gwadar with Pakistan's largest city, Karachi.[18]
Further west is the Mirani Dam[19] multipurpose project, on the River Dasht, 50
kilometres west of Turbat in the Makran Division. It will provide dependable irrigation
supplies for the development of agriculture and add more than 35,000 km² of arable land.
There is also Chinese involvement in the nearby Saindak gold and copper mining project.
Education
There are five main public universities in Balochistan, as well as several private
institutions.





Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology
Balochistan University of Information Technology and Management Sciences
Command and Staff College
Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University
Quetta University
This is a chart of the education market of Balochistan (Pakistan) estimated by the
government in 1998. Also see [1]
Qualification
Urban
Rural
Total
Enrolment Ratio(%)
—
1,568,780 4,997,105 6,565,885 —
Below Primary
237,827
1,149,334 1,387,161 10.00
Primary
361,760
1,427,173 1,788,933 15.87
Middle
325,051
971,437
1,296,488 17.62
Matriculation
318,932
846,509
1,165,441 31.88
Intermediate
132,248
232,865
365,113
14.13
BA, BSc… degrees
9,726
16,490
260,216
8.57
MA, MSc… degrees
99,303
133,422
232,725
8.17
Diploma, Certificate… 56,319
61,464
117,783
4.62
Other qualifications
158,411
186,025
2.83
27,614
Sonmiani test range
Sonmiani in south-eastern Balochistan is the site of a space launch centre for suborbital
rockets operated by Pakistan's national space agency.
Baluchistan Plateau The Baluchistan Plateau is situated in the north-west part of the
province of Baluchistan. It lies mainly about 1000 meters above sea-level.
Famous people
There are many famous people from Balochistan including the following:
Historical Personalities




Mir Chakar Khan Rind
Mir Sher Muhammad Talpur
Mir Ali Murad Talpur
Mir Tharo Khan Talpur
Pre-Independence (pre-1947)




Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo
Jam Mir Ghulam Qadir Khan
Nawab Yousaf Aziz Magsi
Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai


Nawabzada Mir Shahbaz Khan Nosherwani
Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh Raisani
Post-Independence (post-1947)


















Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo
Khan Bahadur Allah Buksh Gabol
Prince Karim Khan
Prince Jam Kamal Khan
Zafarullah Khan Jamali
Nawab Nowroz Khan
Sardar Attaullah Mengal
Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti
Mir Murad Abro
Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri
Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari
Jam Mir Mohammad Yousaf
Nawab Zulfikar Ali Magsi
General Rahimuddin Khan
General Muhammed Musa Khan
Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry Chief Justice of Pakistan
Mahmood Khan Achakzai
Mir Mohammad Aslam Bhutani
Entertainment


Raaj Kumar
Sikander Baloch
See also (from internet only)















Baloch
Balochistan Liberation Front
Baloch Students Organization
Quetta
Gawadar
Marri and Bugti Country
Las Bela
Balochistan (region)
Balochistan (Iran)
Pashtuns
Brahui
List of cities in Balochistan
Chief Minister of Balochistan
Government of Balochistan
Baluchistan honor killings
Composed by:
MUHAMMAD KHAN CORPORATION
Ph:
0345-2141130
E-mail:
[email protected]
website:
www.mkcpk.webs.com