Forum Pakistan

Balochistan (Physical)
A historico-geographical region in Asia in the southeastern part of the Iranian Plateau. Area: more than 0.5 million sq.km. Eastern Balochistan (347,000 sq.km.) forms part of Pakistan (Balochistan province), Western Balochistan forms part of Iran. In antiquity Balochistan' territory was populated by the Maka, the Gedrosians and other peoples. In the Middle Ages Balochistan successively formed part of the Arab Caliphate, the *Ghaznavid state, the states of the Seljuqs, the Mongols and the Timurids. Early in the seventeenth century, several feudal principalities emerged in the territory of Balochistan, whose rulers were vassals of the Safavids and Great *Mughals. Nasir Khan Baluch (1750-95), ruler of Kalat (Eastern Balochistan), the most powerful of the e principalitie , united the whole of Balochistan under his authority, recognising the *Durrani kings as his feudal overlords.

Early in the 19th century Great Britain began to penetrate into Balochistan. According to the treaties of ] 854, 1876, and 1879 imposed on the rulers of Kalat and Kabul, Eastern Balochistan passed under British rule and was divided into the province of British Balochi tan and the Federation of Balochi States (Kalat, Kharan Makran, and *La bela). Western Balochi tan was incorporated into Iran in 1849-57. In August 1947 British Balochistan was included in Pakistan and in March 1948 the Federation of Balochi States joined Pakistan. The border between Eastern and Western Balochistan was defined by the Pakistan-Iranian Treaty of 29 October] 956.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Mir Gul Khan Nasir, 'Tarikn-t-Baiochistan', Vols. I-II, Quetta, 1952; Mir Ahmed Yar Khan Baluch, 'Inside Balochistan', Karachi, 1975; Nasser Brohi, 'Studies in Brahuic History', Karachi, 1977.

Balochistan (Political)
A province in south-western Pakistan, bordering on Afghanistan and Iran. Its area is 347,000 sq.km. Its population is 6,511 ,358 people (1998). The province consists of six divisions: Quetta, Sibi, Kalat, Makran, Nasirabad, Zhob; seventeen districts and two agencies:

Kohlu and Dera Bugti. The capital is Quetta (Population 285,000). The indigenous population includes *Balochi, *Brahui, *Pashtun and in the eastern districts also *Punjabi, *Sindhi, and *Muhajir. It is largely desert and is sparsely populated (population density: 12 people per sq.km).
There are no major economic centres. The main occupation of the indigenous population is dry-farming (wheat, sorghum), fruit-growing in oases, apple, (plum, apricot trees, fig palms), and pasture and nomadic cattle-breeding. There is a well-developed mining industry: coal, brimstone, natural gas, oil. There is a major .gas deposit in *Sui. Balochistan covers 43.7 per cent of Pakistani territory and had 5.1 per cent of its population, while it accounts for only 2 per cent of its agricultural output and 5 per cent of its industrial production.