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Balochistan, ( in Pakistan , the largest in the country by geographical area. It contains most of the historical Region Of 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. GEOGRAPHY Balochistan 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 Km&2 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 . 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. 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 AND SOCIETY Balochistan has a population of around 10 million inhabitants. Overall, province wise, the Baloch Tribes are the largest ethnic group in the province. Baloch are living in north-west, west, east, and south , Brohi living in centre of provence and while the Pashtuns are the majority in the north. Quetta , the capital of the province, has a Pashtun majority with Baloch, Hazara, and Punjabi minorities. 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 Dehwar s 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. There are also a growing number of ''other(s)'' ethnic groups consisting of Hazara , Kurdish , Panjabi , Mohajir and Iranians who have made Balochistan their home in recent decades. HISTORY See Also: 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 BC E. 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 David McAlpin, ''Proto-Elamo-Dravidian'', Philadelphia 1981 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 where Brohi s and Pashtun s came influnces of Balochis . Islamic conquest of Baluchistan What is now Baluchistan Province of Pakistan , in 7th Century A.D was divided into two main regions, its South West ern parts were part of Kerman province of the Persian Empire and North East ern region was part of the Persian province Sistan . The South ern region was included in Makran . In early the same year. During to 656 A.D , until Uthman was murdered. During the s reign. It also remianed part of Abbasid Caliphate 's empire. History of Baloch people Balochis 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,M. Longworth Dames, Balochi Folklore, ''Folklore'', Vol. 13, No. 3 (Sep. 29, 1902), pp. 252-274 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 is are Arab blood, it could be they left the Arab World during Iraq broke from Persia in 652 AD and there are historical evidence that they lived in Iranian Arabistan ( 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. , from a 1900 photo]] During the period of the , 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 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.1 On August 26, Balochistan tribal leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti was killed in airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani military.2 In 1998 Pakistan conducted Nuclear Tests in Ras Koh and in the Kharan Desert , both in the Kharan District in north-western Balochistan.After the Musharaff's coup against the Nawaz Shariff Government, the separatist insurgency resurfaced. 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 Balochistan is divided into 27 Pakistani districts. 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.3 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.4 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 .5 Further west is the Mirani Dam 6 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 km&2 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.
This is a chart of the education market of Balochistan (Pakistan) estimated by the government in 1998. Also see [http://www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/pco/statistics/pop_by_province/pop_by_province.html] 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. 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 Sardar s and subordinate Wadera s, 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. While many sardars encourage development and progress of their respective regions, many others are undermining federal initiates fearing that development of their regions will result in them losing their traditional and unquestionable authority over the local population. The Government of Pakistan has tried multiple approaches to appease both the local population and the tribal sardars who exert considerable influence. Recent government initiatives and development programs have resulted in considerable change taking place in Balochistan quite in contrast to the adjacent Balochistan provinces of Iran and Afghanistan which are often neglected. Pakistan has in recent years seen an influx of a large number of Baloch refugees from these neighbooring areas who have intermarried and integrated themselves into the local Baloch population. Many of these refugees have brought their rebellious tendencies (Iran) along with them much to the disdain of Pakistani government officials who are trying to integrate their own native Baloch population into the federal structure on a more equal basis. Pakistan's acceptance of Iranian and Afghan Baloch populations has strained its relations with its two neighbooring countries. 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
Pre-Independence (pre-1947) Post-Independence (post-1947)
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