Wadh

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Wadh is a town in the Khuzdar District of Balochistan, Pakistan. It is hometown of the chief of the Mengal tribe, Sardar Attaullah Mengal. Most of the inhabitants of the sub-district belong to the powerful Mengal tribe. The majority of the people in the area are Muslims whereas a small population are Hindus. A vast majority of the population here speak Brahui.The climate in the region remains Semi-arid with warm summers and mild winters. Agriculture is a majot economic activity here followed by livestock farming. The area of Wadh, like the rest of Balochistan is rich in mineral resources. The region possesses large deposits of Barite, Chromite, Copper, Limestone, Magnesite, Manganite. The region where the town lies is also said to be rich in Oil and Gas which the Government of Pakistan has not been able to exploit due to its conflict with the Baloch people, as it is believed that exploitation of such mineral resources is not in the latter's ethnic interest.

The area of Khuzdar and particularly Wadh has a history of rapid turbulence, from the days of the British rule till today. The Pakistani government and the Baloch tribe of Mengals have been at a clash since the past four decades. Large-scale military operations were carried out in the area of Khuzdar in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1973, the Pakistani government headed by the former Prime Minister Late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, with support of the Shah of Iran carried out one of the bloodiest military operations in the history of Balochistan against the Mengal and Marri tribes which lasted for 5 years, during which around 3500 Baloch fighters and 6000 army soldiers were killed.

The Mengal tribe cover an area of around 8000 sq.miles reaching the border of the province of Sindh and neighboring districts.The area stretches from Wadh, Drakalow and Semar in the North to Saruna and Shah Noorani in the South near Lasbela district, with the area consisting of a total Mengal population of 250,000 people.The population of Wad town accordin to the 1998 census was 48,950. Wadh is a major part of the Jhalawan state, which was more commonly recognized until 1 March 1974 when it was notified as a tehsil (Sub-district) along with the Khuzdar district. The RCD Highway which connects Balochistan with all the provinces and their cities and especially Pakistan-Iran-Turkey, passes through the town of Wadh and continues through the Mengal dominated area. The Highway is 813km long and stretches from Karachi-Lasbela-Khuzdar-Wadh-Kalat-Mastung-Quetta-Chaman and further onto Iran and Afghanistan.The highway also runs down to recent connection to Gwadar.The highway further connects to many towns in Balochistan and the highway to Multan, Islamabad in Punjab and Peshawar in the NWFP. Over 150 commercial vans and coaches move between the port city of Karachi and Quetta.It is a key route to and through Balochistan.The RCD Highway was constructed under a treaty between Pakistan, Iran and Turkey and was first constructed during the regime of Sardar Attaullah Mengal as Chief Minister of Balochistan. The town of Wadh is some 380km south of Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan.