Khetran
Encyclopedia
Baloch people
The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
tribe in [Balochistan], Pakistan, of Rind (tribe)
Rind (tribe)
Rind are a Baloch tribe settled in the Balochistan province of Iran, and the Balochistan Province of Pakistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan....
origin. Their first language is the Khetrani language
Khetrani language
Khetrani or Khetranki is an Indo Indo-European language. It is spoken in north east Balochistan province in Pakistan. The population is speaking this language is 4,000....
, and balochi language
Balochi language
Balochi is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan, Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. It is also spoken as a second language by some Brahui. It is designated as one of nine official languages of Pakistan.-Vowels:The Balochi vowel...
which is spoken only by their tribe.
They are concentrated in Barkhan District
Barkhan District
Barkhan a district in the north-west of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was given the status of a district on 31 December 1991.-Population:...
of Balochistan around Barkhan
Barkhan
Barkhan is the capital city of the Barkhan District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is located at 29°54'0N 69°31'0E at an altitude of 1,100 metres ....
city and Kohlu District
Kohlu District
Kohlu is a district of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is bounded in the north by Loralai District, Dera Bugti in the south, in the east Rojhan-Mazari and Sibi District in the west...
, around Barkhan
Barkhan
Barkhan is the capital city of the Barkhan District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is located at 29°54'0N 69°31'0E at an altitude of 1,100 metres ....
city.
History
According to oral tradition among Khetrans they took a guest in from the east during the reign of MughalMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
emperor Akbar, later it transpired that their guest was a convicted man in the Mughal Court. The Mughals asked for the man (known as Ram Sunara, Sunara means goldsmith
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
) to be returned but the Khetrans refused as he was their guest and they had to provide him with protection. As a result Akbar sent an army to Vehowa to deal with the Khetrans. Khetrans lost thousands of lives in the conflict. Some of them fled to present day Barkhan District
Barkhan District
Barkhan a district in the north-west of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was given the status of a district on 31 December 1991.-Population:...
where they still live. The remains of some castles and a place known as "Ram Sunara Da Thala" still exists 10 km from Vehowa in another village known as Litra. This is the place where Ram Sunara was provided sanctuary.
Girazo Khan Khetran was succeeded by his son Bakhtiar Khan Khetran who was further succeeded by his son Sardar Haji Khan Khetran. Sardar Haji Khan Khetran was a strong ruler and the Khetrans prospered under him. His rule is memorable among Khetrans for a defeat he inflicted upon the Zhob
Zhob
-Roads:Zhob is 333 kilometers from Quetta, 225 kilometers from Dera Ismail Khan. However, the road linking with Dera Ismail Khan is for most part fair nowadays track passing through water streams and almost complete road is metalloid....
Kakars. He also took revenge from the Marri
Marri
Marri ) is one of the largest ethnic Baloch tribes in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. Marri was considered to be a clan of the Rind tribe in the early history of Baloch and Balochistan...
s by destroying the fort at Mawand of Karam Khan Bijrani Marri.
In 1879, the Musa Khel
Musa Khel
The Musa Khel or Moosa Khel are a Pashtun clan of Kakar origin.Musa Khel - Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition] They originate from the Dera Ghazi Khan border of the Punjab province of Pakistan and reside in the tribal range of Batagram District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of...
and other Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
tribes of other Kakar
Kakar
The Kakar are a Pashtun tribe, with members living in Afghanistan and Pakistan.-Kakar :Kakar Afghan was one of the grandsons of Qais Abdur Rashid. Kakar's father's name was Dani, son of Gharghasht, who was the son of Qais in the Afghan appendix of tribes. According to Afghan and Muslim historians,...
or Tareen
Tareen
The Tareen are a prominent Sarbanri Pashtun tribe residing in Afghanistan and in Pakistan. They are one of the largest Pashtun tribes.-History:...
origin to the number 5,000 made demonstration against Vehowa .The town was reinforced and they dispersed.
Sardar Haji Khan died leaving three sons, Umar Khan, Nawab Khan and Balu Khan. Yet he was succeeded by his brother Sardar Sayed Khan who was elected by the Khetrans. Sardar Sayed Khan died also leaving three sons Dost Muhammad, Sorni Khan and Kadir Baksh. He also was succeeded by his brother Babul Khan. Babul Khan however was opposed by Nawab Khan and Kadir Baksh. Kadir Baksh went to the Marris and gave his stepmother in marriage to the Marri
Marri
Marri ) is one of the largest ethnic Baloch tribes in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. Marri was considered to be a clan of the Rind tribe in the early history of Baloch and Balochistan...
chief Gazan Khan Marri. Gazan Khan Marri then led an army against Babul Khan. The Khetrans lost a lot of lives during this conflict.
In 1880, the Khetrans submitted a petition to the British authorities at Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan is a city located in Dera Ghazi Khan District, Punjab, Pakistan. Dera Ghazi Khan is one of the most populous cities in Southern Punjab, and it is the largest district in Punjab in terms of area, being approximately in extent....
, offering to pay revenue and to be taken under British protection. The Khetrans country remained under the political control of the British authorities of Dera Ghazi Khan from 1878 to 1883. In 1883, Sardar Baluch Khan met Mr. Bruce, the Political Agent of Thaal Chotiali, with a Jirga
Jirga
A jirga is a tribal assembly of elders which takes decisions by consensus, particularly among the Pashtun people but also in other ethnic groups near them; they are most common in Afghanistan and among the Pashtuns in Pakistan near its border with Afghanistan...
of his tribesmen and the dispute between the Khetrans, Luni
Luni
Luni can refer to:* Luni, Italy, a town in Liguria* Luni, Pakistan, village in Pakistan* Luni, Rajasthan, village in Rajasthan, India* Luni River, in Rajasthan, India* Luni Coleone, a rapper from California...
(tribe) and Marri
Marri
Marri ) is one of the largest ethnic Baloch tribes in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. Marri was considered to be a clan of the Rind tribe in the early history of Baloch and Balochistan...
s was settled.
In 1884, the Khetrans came under the authority of the Agent to the Governor General in Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
. The Leghari
Leghari
The Leghari , or Laghari) are a Baloch tribe living in Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. The Leghari Baloch primarily speak the Seraiki, Sindhi, and Balochi language, and are largely Sunni Muslims....
Barkhan circle, comprising two valleys Barkhan
Barkhan
Barkhan is the capital city of the Barkhan District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is located at 29°54'0N 69°31'0E at an altitude of 1,100 metres ....
and Vitakari, was transferred from Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
to Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
in 1884. This district was brought under the direct administration of Balochistan in 1887, when work on the construction of D.G Khan – Pishin Road was started and a Tehsildar
Tehsildar
A tehsildar is a revenue administrative officer in Pakistan and India in charge of obtaining taxation from a tehsil. The term is of imperial Mughal origin made of "tahsil", an Islamic administrative derived from Arabic, meaning "revenue generating; collection" and "dar", Persian for "holder of a...
was posted at Barkhan. In 1889, Barkhan tehsil was transferred to the Zhob Agency with headquarters at Loralai
Loralai
Loralai is the principal city of Loralai District in the northeast of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. It was formerly known as Bori. It is four thousand seven hundred feet above the sea level....
. This tehsil however was transferred again to Thal Chotaili Agency in 1892. In October, 1903, the Thal Chotaili and Zhob
Zhob
-Roads:Zhob is 333 kilometers from Quetta, 225 kilometers from Dera Ismail Khan. However, the road linking with Dera Ismail Khan is for most part fair nowadays track passing through water streams and almost complete road is metalloid....
Agencies were remodelled and three new agencies; Sibi
Sibi
Sibi is a city of Balochistan province of Pakistan. The city is located at 29°33'0N 67°52'60E at an altitude of 130 metres and is headquarters of the district and tehsil of the same name.. According to the 2001 census of Pakistan the population of Sibi is 52,100...
, Loralai
Loralai
Loralai is the principal city of Loralai District in the northeast of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. It was formerly known as Bori. It is four thousand seven hundred feet above the sea level....
and Zhob
Zhob
-Roads:Zhob is 333 kilometers from Quetta, 225 kilometers from Dera Ismail Khan. However, the road linking with Dera Ismail Khan is for most part fair nowadays track passing through water streams and almost complete road is metalloid....
were created and the Barkhan Tehsil was transferred to the Loralai Agency.
Area and population statistics
Barkhan District
Barkhan a district in the north-west of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was given the status of a district on 31 December 1991.-Population:...
and 70,000 individuals are situated in Dera Ghazi Khan District
Dera Ghazi Khan District
Dera Ghazi Khan is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 5,306 m² and it is a long narrow strip of country, 198 m...
. Many of them have migrated towards cities. The last confirmed statistics available of Khetran population are of 1998 census which records its population as 110,000 individuals. According to census of 1981–82 population of Khetrans in Dera Ghazi Khan District was 31897 individuals.
Detailed population and area statistics of major Khetran towns in Dera Ghazi Khan District
Dera Ghazi Khan District
Dera Ghazi Khan is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 5,306 m² and it is a long narrow strip of country, 198 m...
around Vehowa are as follows according to 1981–82 census.
| Serial Number | Town/Village | Area (acres) | Poulation (individuals) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Vehowa | 45359 | 12501 |
| 2. | Qaisrani Wala | 1201 | Not Determined |
| 3. | Mathay Wali | 9794 | 3280 |
| 4. | Litra | 20696 | 4662 |
| 5. | Kuhar | 8742 | 3868 |
| 6. | Jallu Wali | 7343 | 2133 |
| 7. | Kutani | 12844 | 3942 |
| 8. | Chatri | 10980 | 1511 |
| 9. | Kot Khetran(Jhok Khetran) | 1020 | 5000 |
The population and area of Barkhan
Barkhan
Barkhan is the capital city of the Barkhan District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is located at 29°54'0N 69°31'0E at an altitude of 1,100 metres ....
city and Barkhan District
Barkhan District
Barkhan a district in the north-west of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was given the status of a district on 31 December 1991.-Population:...
is not included here.
Clans
Khetrans are usually divided into two types of clans. First is the cast due to their geographical region and second clans is based on ancestral lineage.The Khetrans situated in Dera Ghazi Khan District
Dera Ghazi Khan District
Dera Ghazi Khan is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 5,306 m² and it is a long narrow strip of country, 198 m...
of Punjab are known as Dhara while the Khetrans situated in Barkhan District
Barkhan District
Barkhan a district in the north-west of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was given the status of a district on 31 December 1991.-Population:...
of Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
are distributed into three main clans which are as follows, (1) Ispani, (2) Phaliat, and (3) mirwaal. These three clans are further divided into many tribes many of the clans are attached to Phaliat.
Following are some major clan based on ancestral lineage and are usually a part of name of the Khetrans.
- mutakhal is sub barach of jamani
- Syed ( Umarani / Mehmodani )
- Zakriani
- Mazrani
- Mamani
- Mubarak Walay
- Rotar
- Wagga
- Mahma
- Chacha
- Atlani
- Akwani or Akyani
- Gigarani or Gigyani
- Jamani or Jamalani
- Chambarani or Macharani
- Bigrani or Bigra
- Jankiani
- Dehmani
- Nahar
- Lohme
- Qasmani
- Salarani(Bandyani,Chooriari.Neendhari,Hajani,etc.)
- sueman
- waga
- Hakimani
In case of two first is the Derajati or the pronunciation in Dera Ghazi Khan District while second in the pronunciation of Barkhan or the Balochi pronunciation.
Khetran-Bugti relationships
In 1845 under the command of Sir Charles James Napier 7,000 men attacked the BugtiBugti
Bugti , is a Baloch tribe located in Balochistan, Pakistan. They are divided into various clans such as Rahija, Mandawani , Kalpar, Nauthani, Masuri, Ferozani, Salamaan Zai, Mundarani, Qasimani, Shambani, Sobazai, Pahi, Maretha and Moharkanzai etc., numbering around 300,000.On a bigger scale the...
s, killing many of them. Khetrans provided sanctuary to hundreds of Bugtis who took refuge in their lands.
In 1847 Sir William attacked the Bugtis with full strength; this time the Bugtis lost 500 fighting men and 120 got arrested. Marri
Marri
Marri ) is one of the largest ethnic Baloch tribes in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. Marri was considered to be a clan of the Rind tribe in the early history of Baloch and Balochistan...
s took the opportunity and also attacked the Bugtis, seizing much of their area. The Bugtis went to the Khetran Sardar and asked for his help; that same year a combined attack of Khetrans and Bugtis drove the Marris off, killing more than 70 of their men and taking possession of their cattle.
Mubarak walay
Struggle against British
Both war parties of Khetrans and the MarriMarri
Marri ) is one of the largest ethnic Baloch tribes in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. Marri was considered to be a clan of the Rind tribe in the early history of Baloch and Balochistan...
s attacked Kohlu
Kohlu
Kohlu is the capital of Kohlu District in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located at 29°54'0N 69°15'0E with an altitude of 1183 metres . The Marri tribe is main ethnic group in the city....
police station. After looting and then burning it down they attacked a post of Gumband Lavy and also raised it do the ground. All entry points towards the city of Kohlu were sealed off by these war parties.
February 1918, Dera Ghazi Khan District
Dera Ghazi Khan District
Dera Ghazi Khan is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 5,306 m² and it is a long narrow strip of country, 198 m...
was facing a threat of Khetran and Marri
Marri
Marri ) is one of the largest ethnic Baloch tribes in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. Marri was considered to be a clan of the Rind tribe in the early history of Baloch and Balochistan...
army. On 1 March Khar was attacked. Post office and a rest house was burned down. They also cleaned their hands on some weapons stored in post office. On 5 March they looted the city of Barkhan
Barkhan
Barkhan is the capital city of the Barkhan District in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is located at 29°54'0N 69°31'0E at an altitude of 1,100 metres ....
where government treasury was kept. Khetran army gathered in Rakni and Bawoata and then attacked Border Military burning down three of their posts. On 15 March Khetrans were seen along with Marris inside Fort Minro. That night government buildings and Bungalows were burnt down.
Khetrans, Marri
Marri
Marri ) is one of the largest ethnic Baloch tribes in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan. Marri was considered to be a clan of the Rind tribe in the early history of Baloch and Balochistan...
s and Bugti
Bugti
Bugti , is a Baloch tribe located in Balochistan, Pakistan. They are divided into various clans such as Rahija, Mandawani , Kalpar, Nauthani, Masuri, Ferozani, Salamaan Zai, Mundarani, Qasimani, Shambani, Sobazai, Pahi, Maretha and Moharkanzai etc., numbering around 300,000.On a bigger scale the...
s yearly did damage of 25,000 Rupees and of 25 lives.
Khetrans did not surrender easily to the Britishers, Sir Denzel Ibbetson acknowledges it in these words:
"Khetran is an independent baloch tribe which is situated behind LeghariLeghariThe Leghari , or Laghari) are a Baloch tribe living in Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. The Leghari Baloch primarily speak the Seraiki, Sindhi, and Balochi language, and are largely Sunni Muslims....
, Lund (tribe)Lund (tribe)Lund is a Baloch tribe of Pakistan. It is a tribe of Balochistan Lund, Setharja, Khairpur mir's, Khairpur_District, Sindh, originated from other tribes . Exact origins are not known but by seeing their generations now residing it is found that they are originated from central Balochistan...
and KhosaKhosaThe Khosa, Khoso, or Khosug are a Baloch tribe of Pakistan and a Gotra found in Yaduvanshi Ahirs. According to Baloch history, Khoso was the grandson of Hooth....
s. Their original homeland is Vehowa"