Balochistan (Pakistan)

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This article is about the Pakistani province of Balochistan. For other uses, see Balochistan.
Balochistan
Flag of Balochistan Map of Pakistan with Balochistan highlighted.
Capital
 • Coordinates		 Quetta
 • 30.12° N 67.01° E
Population (2003)
 • Density		 7,167,554
 • 20.64/km²
Area
 347,190 km²
Time zone PST (UTC+5)
Main language(s) Balochi
Pashto
Brahui
Persian
Status Province
 • Districts  •  27
 • Towns  •  
 • Union Councils  •  
Established
 • Governor/Commissioner
 • Chief Minister
 • Legislature (seats)		    1st July 1970
 • Owais Ahmed Ghani
 • Jam Muhammad Yousaf
 • Provincial Assembly (65)
Website Government of Balochistan

The province of Balochistan (or Baluchistan) (Urdu: بلوچستان) in Pakistan is the largest in the country by geographical area. It contains most of historical Balochistan and is named after the Baloch. Its neighbouring 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, Pashto, Brahui, and Persian. The capital and largest city is Quetta. Balochistan is believed to be rich in mineral resources. It is also a major supplier of natural gas to the country.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Balochistan is located at the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau and in the difficult to define border region between Southwest, Central, and South Asia. It is geographically the largest of the four provinces at 347,190 km² and composes 42% 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. Much of the province south of the Quetta region is sparse desert terrain with pockets of inhabitable 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 reliance on Karachi and Port Qasim, which are currently the only major ports.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Demographics and society

Historical populations
Census Population Urban
1951 1,167,167 12.38%
1961 1,353,484 16.87%
1972 2,428,678 16.45%
1981 4,332,376 15.62%
1998 6,565,885 23.89%

Balochistan has a population of around 8 million inhabitants. The Baloch form the majority in the south and east of the province, while the Pashtuns are the majority in the north-west. Quetta, the capital of the province, has a mixture of Baloch, Hazara, Pashtun and Punjabi settlers. Near the Kalat region and other parts of the province there are significant numbers of Brahui speakers. Along the coast various Makrani Balochis predominate. Persian-speaking Dehwars also live in the Kalat region and further west towards the border with Iran. In addition, 769,000 Afghan refugees can be found in the province including Pashtuns, Tajiks, and Hazaras. Many Sindhi farmers have also moved to the more arable lands in the east.[citation needed]

[edit] History

Main article: History of Balochistan

Balochistan 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 Indo-Iranian 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[1] 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 sizable group rivalled only by another Iranian group, the Pashtuns, while the Brahuis increasingly came under the cultural influence of the Balochis. Muslim Arab invaders annexed the region during the Abbasid period and conversion to Islam was coupled with the Balochi assimilation of Arab culture as well.

Today, some Balochis (Pakistani Balochis) believe that their origins are Semitic and not Iranian contrary to linguistic and historical evidence. Some Balochis recently claim that they left their Aleppo homeland in Syria at some point during the 1st millennium CE and moved to Balochistan,[2] on the other hand it is considered more likely a myth with some political agenda, and in reality they are an Iranian group who have possibly absorbed some Arab ancestry and cultural traits instead. 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 Baluchi shepherd, from a 1900 photo
Enlarge
A Baluchi 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 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 the British colonial rule. The 1935 Balochistan Earthquake devastated Quetta. The 1945 Balochistan Earthquake occurred in Makran region and was felt in other regions of South Asia.

Since the 1970s there has been some small-scale violence. The area had been badly affected by fighting and instability in Afghanistan, with arms and refugees flooding the province. Small attacks have occurred against coal miners, oil prospectors, and energy infrastructure. 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.[3] On August 26, Balochistan tribal leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed in airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani military.[4]

In 1998 Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in Ras Koh and in the Kharan desert, both in the Kharan District in north-western Balochistan.

[edit] Government

The unicameral Provincial Assembly of Balochistan comprises 65 seats of which 4% are reserved for non-Muslims and 16% for women only.

[edit] Administrative division

The Ziarat Residency was used as a retreat by Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Enlarge
The Ziarat Residency was used as a retreat by Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Balochistan is divided into 27 districts.


[edit] 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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]

Further west is the Mirani Dam[8] 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.

[edit] Education

There are five main public universities in Balochistan, as well as several private institutions.

[edit] Social issues

In recent years the presence of Afghan refugees disrupted the delicate ethnic balance in the province by making the Pashtuns at least numerically equal to the Baloch in recent years. The Baloch tribes have been the most prone to rebellion in Pakistan, in part due to their fiercely independent lifestyle as well as complaints at the lack of development and attention from the central government in Islamabad. These complaints have been partially addressed as the government has set-up schools and improved infrastructure near major settlements. Balochistan remains one of the most conservative provinces in Pakistan and women are expected to wear the hijab unlike in many large cities where there are fewer restrictions. The Baloch adhere to a clan-like structure and code of honour called mayar that bears some resemblance to Pashtunwali, but with significant differences including the Baloch hierarchy and allegiance to Sardars and subordinate Waderas, both tribal chieftains, that the more individualistic and egalitarian Pashtuns lack. The Sardars remain prominent in the province thanks in part to the British who boosted their authority.

Due to the nature of Pakistan's parliamentary-style government, political power is often shared at various levels and the recent election of the Balochistan-born Zafarullah Khan Jamali to the post of Prime Minister is an indication of the growing role of the province in national affairs.

[edit] 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.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ David McAlpin, Proto-Elamo-Dravidian, Philadelphia 1981
  2. ^ M. Longworth Dames, Balochi Folklore, Folklore, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Sep. 29, 1902), pp. 252-274
  3. ^ Baluch fighters surrender in Pakistan (HTML). Al-Jazeera Global News. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  4. ^ Unrest follows death of Baloch 'Tiger' (HTML). International Relations and Security Network, Switzerland. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  5. ^ Gawader (HTML). Pakistan Board of Investment. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  6. ^ Gwadar: China's Naval Outpost on the Indian Ocean (HTML). Association for Asian Research. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  7. ^ China's pearl in Pakistan's waters (HTML). Asia Times Online. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
  8. ^ Mirani Dam Project (HTML). National Engineering Services Pakistan. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.

[edit] Links

Political divisions of Pakistan Flag of Pakistan
Provinces Balochistan | North-West Frontier Province | Punjab | Sindh
Territories Islamabad Capital Territory | Federally Administered Tribal Areas
Pakistan-administered Kashmir Azad Kashmir | Northern Areas
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