Quetta District
Encyclopedia
Quetta is a district
in the north-west of Balochistan province
of Pakistan
.It was part of Quetta Division
until the year 2000 when divisions were abolished. The district is famous for its agriculture produce, most notably fruit orchards but also including apples and grapes. The Hanna Valley
is an area where almonds are grown. The population in 2008 was estimated to be 1.14 million
, Ghurids
, and Mongols
, and towards the end of the fifteenth century was conferred by the ruler of Herat on Shah Beg Arghun, who, however, had shortly to give way before the rising power of the Mughals. The Ain-e-Akbari mentions both Shal and Pishin as supplying military service and revenue to Akbar, however these areas passed with Kandahar
to the Safavids
. On the rise of the Ghilzai
power in Kandahar at the beginning of the eighteenth century, simultaneously with that of the Brahuis in Kalat, Quetta and Pishin became the battle-ground between Afghan and Brahui, until Nadir Shah handed Quetta over to the Brahuis about 1740. The Durranis
and their successors continued to hold possession of Pishin and Shorarud till the final transfer of these places to the British in 1879.
On the advance of the British Army of the Indus in 1839, Captain Bean was appointed the first Political Agent in ShalKot, and the country was managed by him on behalf of Shah Shuja-ul-mulk. After Sir Robert Sandeman's mission to Kalat in 1876, the Quetta Fort was occupied by his escort and the country was managed on behalf of the Khan of Kalat up to 1883, when it was leased to the British Government for an annual rent of Rs. 25,000 through a treaty between Khan Kalat & Brithis Empire. It was formed, with Pishin and Shorarud, into a single administrative charge in 1883. Up to 1888 Old Chaman was the most advanced post on the frontier; but, on the extension of the railroad across the Khwaja Amran, the terminus was fixed at its present site, 7 miles (11.3 km) from that place. The boundary with Afghanistan was finally demarcated in 1895-6.
The city area of Shalkot was inhabited by the Kasi Tribe. Being on the outskirts of Kandhar , it was not mush developed. With the arrival of British troops, doors of development were opened. Very soon people saw roads, trains and Schools in the area. The British made the largely Pashtun area part of British Balochistan - which was resented by many of the Pashtun tribes. In April 1883 it was combined with Pishin
into a single administrative unit.
Quetta district today consists of two Towns: Zarghoon and Chiltan. The district also comprises one Sub-Tehsil - Punjpai.
s:
s. The population of Quetta district was estimated to be over 1300,000 in 2005. The Pashtun
make up about 48%,and Balochs are 43% and 9%percent Hazara and urdu speaking + Punjabi settlers People from Pakistan, especially from the North West Frontier Province including Punjabis, Hazarawals, and Urdu speaking Sindhis, make up about another the Hazaras make up the remaining 10% of the population. The Muhajir Urdu (settlers and their descendants from India
) also dwell in Quetta. The Pashtun population consists of actual origin based Pashtun tribes including Kakar
(including Bazai
), Kasi and Baloch Tribes Shahwani, Qambrani, Sadat of Kirani, Sumalani,Langove and Raisani while various Afghan Tribes like Nasar,Kharoti, Andar,Khilji,Tarakai, Tokhi, Barech, Sulemankhail and Mullakhel are actually migrants from Afghanistan in search of jobs and labour( see Pawanda Regulations 1952 )however in local language even local pashtoon calls them as Khorasani. The second surge in population occurred in the 1980s when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan
and a large number of Hazaras and Afghan Refugees about 3 Million people entered in various Towns of Balochistan and mostly settled in Quetta due to which so many serious problems arised like as in balance between Baloch & Pathan population , because mostly of refugees were jobless which put effects to law & order of through out province, involved in crimes, drug trafficking,arms smuggling and kidnapping etc.
Districts of Pakistan
The Districts of Pakistan are the second order administrative divisions of Pakistan. Districts were the third order of administrative divisions, below provinces and "divisions", until the reforms of August 2000, when "divisions" were abolished...
in the north-west of Balochistan province
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...
of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.It was part of Quetta Division
Quetta Division
Quetta Division was an administrative division of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan, until the reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government.-See also:* Quetta District...
until the year 2000 when divisions were abolished. The district is famous for its agriculture produce, most notably fruit orchards but also including apples and grapes. The Hanna Valley
Hanna Valley
Hanna Valley is a valley in Quetta District, Pakistan. The people living here mostly are Kakars....
is an area where almonds are grown. The population in 2008 was estimated to be 1.14 million
History
The ancient name of Quetta was Shalkot, a term by which it is still known among the people of the country, the District was held in turns by the GhaznavidsGhaznavid Empire
The Ghaznavids were a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic slave origin which existed from 975 to 1187 and ruled much of Persia, Transoxania, and the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. The Ghaznavid state was centered in Ghazni, a city in modern-day Afghanistan...
, Ghurids
Ghurids
The Ghurids or Ghorids were a medieval Muslim dynasty of Iranian origin that ruled during the 12th and 13th centuries in Khorasan. At its zenith, their empire, centred at Ghōr , stretched over an area that included the whole of modern Afghanistan, the eastern parts of Iran and the northern section...
, and Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
, and towards the end of the fifteenth century was conferred by the ruler of Herat on Shah Beg Arghun, who, however, had shortly to give way before the rising power of the Mughals. The Ain-e-Akbari mentions both Shal and Pishin as supplying military service and revenue to Akbar, however these areas passed with Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
to the Safavids
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
. On the rise of the Ghilzai
Ghilzai
Ghilzai are the largest Pashtun tribal confederacy found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They are also known historically as Ghilji, Khilji, Ghalji, Ghilzye, and possibly Gharzai...
power in Kandahar at the beginning of the eighteenth century, simultaneously with that of the Brahuis in Kalat, Quetta and Pishin became the battle-ground between Afghan and Brahui, until Nadir Shah handed Quetta over to the Brahuis about 1740. The Durranis
Durrani Empire
The Durrani Empire was a Pashtun dynasty centered in Afghanistan and included northeastern Iran, the Kashmir region, the modern state of Pakistan, and northwestern India. It was established at Kandahar in 1747 by Ahmad Shah Durrani, an Afghan military commander under Nader Shah of Persia and chief...
and their successors continued to hold possession of Pishin and Shorarud till the final transfer of these places to the British in 1879.
British Era
During the 19th century Quetta (Shalkot) was captured by the British troops during the Second anglo Afghan War of 1879.On the advance of the British Army of the Indus in 1839, Captain Bean was appointed the first Political Agent in ShalKot, and the country was managed by him on behalf of Shah Shuja-ul-mulk. After Sir Robert Sandeman's mission to Kalat in 1876, the Quetta Fort was occupied by his escort and the country was managed on behalf of the Khan of Kalat up to 1883, when it was leased to the British Government for an annual rent of Rs. 25,000 through a treaty between Khan Kalat & Brithis Empire. It was formed, with Pishin and Shorarud, into a single administrative charge in 1883. Up to 1888 Old Chaman was the most advanced post on the frontier; but, on the extension of the railroad across the Khwaja Amran, the terminus was fixed at its present site, 7 miles (11.3 km) from that place. The boundary with Afghanistan was finally demarcated in 1895-6.
The city area of Shalkot was inhabited by the Kasi Tribe. Being on the outskirts of Kandhar , it was not mush developed. With the arrival of British troops, doors of development were opened. Very soon people saw roads, trains and Schools in the area. The British made the largely Pashtun area part of British Balochistan - which was resented by many of the Pashtun tribes. In April 1883 it was combined with Pishin
Pishin District
Pishin was a part of Quetta Pishin district. In 1975 it was separated from Quetta for administrative reasons. It derives its name from the locality Pishin. Pishin is a modernised form of ‘Pushang’, which is old Persian for the Arabic Fushang. Myth attributes the origin of the name to a son of the...
into a single administrative unit.
Subdivisions
In 1975, Quetta and Pishin were made separate districts.Quetta district today consists of two Towns: Zarghoon and Chiltan. The district also comprises one Sub-Tehsil - Punjpai.
Tehsils
Quetta district is administratively subdivided into two TehsilTehsil
A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....
s:
- PanjpaiPanjpaiThe Panjpai are a Durrani Pashtun tribal confederation found primarily in southern Afghanistan.The confederation's five tribes are generally given as the Alizai, Ishakzai, Noorzai, Maku, and Khogyani....
Tribe,"Mashwani". - QuettaQuettais the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
Provincial assembly
The district is represented in the provincial assembly by six constituencies.People
Over 99% of the people of the area are MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s. The population of Quetta district was estimated to be over 1300,000 in 2005. The 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...
make up about 48%,and Balochs are 43% and 9%percent Hazara and urdu speaking + Punjabi settlers People from Pakistan, especially from the North West Frontier Province including Punjabis, Hazarawals, and Urdu speaking Sindhis, make up about another the Hazaras make up the remaining 10% of the population. The Muhajir Urdu (settlers and their descendants from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) also dwell in Quetta. The Pashtun population consists of actual origin based Pashtun tribes including 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,...
(including Bazai
Bazai
The Bazai is a Pashtun tribe settled in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Bazai Tribe is the sub-cast of Kakar tribe living in the western and southern region of Quetta District, Pishin, Ziarat and Sibi districts of Balochistan...
), Kasi and Baloch Tribes Shahwani, Qambrani, Sadat of Kirani, Sumalani,Langove and Raisani while various Afghan Tribes like Nasar,Kharoti, Andar,Khilji,Tarakai, Tokhi, Barech, Sulemankhail and Mullakhel are actually migrants from Afghanistan in search of jobs and labour( see Pawanda Regulations 1952 )however in local language even local pashtoon calls them as Khorasani. The second surge in population occurred in the 1980s when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
and a large number of Hazaras and Afghan Refugees about 3 Million people entered in various Towns of Balochistan and mostly settled in Quetta due to which so many serious problems arised like as in balance between Baloch & Pathan population , because mostly of refugees were jobless which put effects to law & order of through out province, involved in crimes, drug trafficking,arms smuggling and kidnapping etc.