Balochistan is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. It is the largest province in terms of land area, forming the southwestern region of the country, but is the least populated. Its provincial capital and largest city is Quetta.

Is Balochistan a country?

The Balochistan region is administratively divided among three countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. The largest portion in area and population is in Pakistan, whose largest province (in land area) is Balochistan. ... Various NGOs have reported human rights violations being committed by Pakistani armed forces.

Why is Balochistan population so low?

The population density is very low due to the mountainous terrain and scarcity of water. The southern region is known as Makran. A region in the centre of the province is known as Kalat. The Sulaiman Mountains dominate the northeast corner and the Bolan Pass is a natural route into Afghanistan towards Kandahar .

Is Balochistan a rich country?

Balochistan is rich in exhaustible and renewable resources; it is the second major supplier of natural gas in Pakistan. The province's renewable and human resource potential has not been systematically measured or exploited due to pressures from within and without Pakistan.

What is the length of Balochistan?

The western part of the province, mostly in Kharan and Chaghi districts, consists of vast plains covered with black gravel surface and broad expanses of sand dunes. The coastal-line is about 760 Kilometers long, with a number of peninsulas and promontories.

What is Balochistan Issue? - Burning current topics for UPSC

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What is the old name of Balochistan?

By the time of the rise of Islam in the 600s, Balochistan was loosely controlled by the Sassanid Persian empire, but as that empire faced the onslaught of the Arabs, Balochistan, then known as Makran (after the name of its coastal region), passed to the control of the Rai Dynasty of Sindh.

Is Baloch a Pashtun?

Baloch tribes are markedly less egalitarian, as are the Pashtun tribes.

Is Balochistan poor?

Balochistan - A resource rich area facing poverty, dismal growth rate, bad governance. Balochistan [Pakistan], May 25 (ANI): Balochistan, a resource-rich province, has been experiencing a disappointing growth rate, widespread poverty, and bad governance.

Can Balochistan feed whole Pakistan?

Due to high content of minerals, if Baluchistan is developed it can feed the whole of Pakistan. ... The whole Baluchistan is divided into Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran but the big area comes in Pakistan. Minerals like copper, gold, silver, zinc, lead, etc. are available in high amounts in Baluchistan.

Was Balochistan a part of India?

In British-ruled Colonial India, Baluchistan contained a Chief Commissioner's province and princely states (including Kalat, Makran, Las Bela and Kharan) that became a part of Pakistan.

Is Balochistan safe?

Balochistan Province – Do Not Travel

Do not travel to Balochistan province. Active terrorist groups, an active separatist movement, sectarian conflicts, and deadly terrorist attacks against civilians, government offices, and security forces destabilize the province, including all major cities.

How many Baloch live in Sindh?

Baloch of border districts of Balochistan speak Balochi. Sindhi Balochs are divided into two dialect speakers. Baloch of upper districts of Sindh speak Sulemani(eastern balochi) dialect of Balochi and lower districts like Karachi and other districts of Baloch speak Makrani(southern balochi) dialect of Baloch.

Is Karachi part of Balochistan?

The present city of Karachi was reputedly founded as "Kolachi" by Baloch tribes from Makran, Balochistan, who established a small fishing community in the area. Descendants of the original community still live in the area on the small island of Abdullah Goth, which is located near the Karachi Port.

Is Baloch a Persian?

The Baloch are the majority ethnic inhabitants of the region of Balochistan in Iran. They speak the Rakhshani and Sarawani dialects of Balochi, an Iranian language. They mainly inhabit mountainous terrains, which have allowed them to maintain a distinct cultural identity and resist domination by neighbouring rulers.

Are Baloch Aryans?

Due to the long period of contact with Indo-Aryan languages, Balochi (even the dialects spoken in Iran) shows signs of influence by Indo-Aryan languages in both phonology and vocabulary. ... Various classifications of Balochi dialects have been proposed since the earliest studies in the 19th century.

Who are the real Baloch?

The Baloch are an Iranian people of the Western Iranian group and Northwestern subgroup that mainly lives in three countries: Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.

What is Balochistan plateau famous for?

Kalat Plateau at 7,000-8,000 ft. (2,135-2,440 m), in the centre of Balochistan is the most important plateau. The largest desert is found in western Balochistan. This is an area of inland drainage and dry lakes (hamuns), the largest of which is Hamun-i-Mashkhel, which is 54 miles long and 22 miles wide.

Why is Balochistan important to Pakistan?

Balochistan is a strategically important province to Pakistan because of the high concentration of natural resources – including oil, coal, gold, copper and gas reserves, which generates substantial revenue for the federal government – and the only deep-sea port at Gwadar.

What is the main occupation of Balochistan?

The economy of Balochistan, one of the four provinces of Pakistan, is largely based upon the production of natural gas, coal, and minerals. Agriculture and livestock also dominate the Baloch economy.

What is the poorest region in Pakistan?

According to the same data, the incidence of poverty is uneven across Pakistan's provinces. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the province with the lowest poverty headcount (18 percent) in 2015, while Balochistan accounts for the highest poverty rate (42.2 percent).

Who is poor in Pakistan?

Poverty Data: Pakistan

In Pakistan, 24.3% of the population lives below the national poverty line in 2015. In Pakistan, the proportion of employed population below $1.90 purchasing power parity a day in 2019 is 1.3%. For every 1,000 babies born in Pakistan in 2019, 67 die before their 5th birthday.

How many population of Pakistan is poor?

The World Bank (WB) has estimated that poverty in Pakistan has increased from 4.4 per cent to 5.4 per cent in 2020, as over two million people have fallen below the poverty line.

How old is Balochi language?

Their language is thought to have evolved between 200-700 BC from a lost language spoken on the territory of the Parthian Empire. This may help explain why Balochi's closest relatives today are Kurdish and Persian (Farsi).

Are Pashtun Afghan?

The Pashtun constitute the largest ethnic group of the population of Afghanistan and bore the exclusive name of Afghan before that name came to denote any native of the present land area of Afghanistan. The Pashtun are united primarily by a common language, Pashto.