Balochistan (region)

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Balochistan (region)

Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid regionRegion

Region can be used to mean:# Any considerable and connected part of a space or surface; specifically, a tract of land or se...
located in the Iranian PlateauIranian plateau

The Iranian plateau is a major geologic formation in West Asia that overlaps into both Central Asia and South Asia....
in Southwest AsiaSouthwest Asia

Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia is the southwestern portion of Asia....
and South AsiaSouth Asia

South Asia, also Southern Asia, is a southern geopolitical region of the Asian continent comprising territories on and...
, between IranFacts About Iran

'Throughout history, Iran has been of great geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia....
, PakistanPakistan

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan , is a country located in South Asia that overlaps with the Gre...
and AfghanistanAfghanistan

Afghanistan ; Persian : ?????? ?????? ?????????, Pashto: ? ????????? ?????? ???????) is a landlocked country at ...
. The area is named after the numerous Baloch (or Baluch, Balouch, Balooch, Balush, Balosh, Baloosh, Baloush) tribes, an Iranian people, who moved into the area from the west around A.D. 1000. All natives are considered Balochi even if they do not speak BalochiBalochi language

Balochi is a Northwestern Iranian language....
; PashtoPashto language

Pashto is the language spoken by the Pashtun people who inhabit Afghanistan, western Pakistan, and northern India....
, PersianPersian language

Persian is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran , Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armeni...
, and BrahuiBrahui language

The Brahui language is mainly spoken in Balochistan, Pakistan, although also in Afghanistan and Iran by the Brahui....
languages are also spoken in the region. The southern part of Balochistan is known as MakranMakran

Makran is the southern region of Balochistan, in Iran and Pakistan along the coast of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman....
.
Landscape Balochistan's landscape is composed of barren, rugged mountains and fertile land. During the summer, some regions of Balochistan are the hottest in PakistanPakistan

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan , is a country located in South Asia that overlaps with the Gre...
. Most of the land is barren, and it is generally sparsely populated.

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Timeline

700 Mohammad ibn Alashath revolution against Abdul Malik ibn Marwan in the Sistan and Balochistan regions.

1887 British Empire takes over Balochistan

Encyclopedia

Landscape

Balochistan's landscape is composed of barren, rugged mountains and fertile land. During the summer, some regions of Balochistan are the hottest in PakistanPakistan

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan , is a country located in South Asia that overlaps with the Gre...
. Most of the land is barren, and it is generally sparsely populated. In the south – the MakranMakran

Makran is the southern region of Balochistan, in Iran and Pakistan along the coast of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman....
– lies the desert through which Alexander the GreatAlexander the Great

Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon , was one of the most successful military commander...
passed with great difficulty.

History

The original inhabitants of ancient Baluchistan, were the aborigine tribes speaking languages related to Munda languagesMunda languages

The Munda Languages are a language family spoken by about nine million people in eastern India and Bangladesh....
. The Dravidians are thought to have migrated from the Iranian plateauIranian plateau

The Iranian plateau is a major geologic formation in West Asia that overlaps into both Central Asia and South Asia....
and settled in Baluchistan and the Indus valley around 4000 BC. The BrahuiBrahui

The name Brahui may refer to:*The Brahui language...
living in Baluchistan still speak a Dravidian language, thought to be a remnant from this earlier susbtrate. The Indo-European Indo-AryanFacts About Indo-Aryans

and .. Nearly all of Baluchistan, and what is today the country of Pakistan, was part by the Persian Achaemenid dynasty that ruled the area for over two hundred years beginning in 540 BC. In 326 BC, Alexander the GreatFacts About Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon , was one of the most successful military commander...
defeated the HinduHindu

A Hindu , as per modern definition, is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, the religious, phi...
king PuruPorus

Porus, the Greek version of the Indian names Puru, Pururava or Purushotthama, was the ruler of a Kingdom t...
(Porus, Paurava) at the HydaspesBattle of the Hydaspes River

The Battle of the Hydaspes River was a battle fought by Alexander the Great in 326 BC against the Indian king Porus on the H...
near Jhelum and annexed the area to his Hellenistic empire. After Alexander's death and brief Seleucid control, Baluchistan remained part of the Persian empireFacts About Persian Empire

The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau and beyond....
.

From the 1st century1st century

The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 100 according the Gregorian calendar....
to the 3rd century3rd century

The 3rd century is the period from 201 - 300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era....
AD, the region was ruled by the ParatarajasParatarajas

The Paratarajas are a dynasty of Indo-Scythian kings who ruled in the Baluchistan region of today's Pakistan and Iran, from...
(lit. "Parata Kings"), a dynasty of Indo-Scythian or Indo-Parthian kings. The dynasty of the Paratas is thought to be identical with the ParadasParadas

The Paradas are a people mentioned in ancient Indian texts such as the Manu Smriti, various Puranas, the Ramayana and the Ma...
of the MahabharataMahabharata

The , is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the ....
, the PuranasPuranas

Purana is the name of a genre of Indian written literature....
and other Indian sources.

They are essentially known through their coins, which typically exhibit the bust of the ruler on the obverse, with long hair within a headband), and a swastikaSwastika

he swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles in either left-facing or right-facing direction....
within a BrahmiBrahmi

' refers to the pre-modern members of the Brahmic family of scripts....
legend on the reverse (usually silver coins) or Kharoshthi (usually copper coins). The coins can mainly be found in the LoralaiLoralai

Loralai is a district in Balochistan Province of Pakistan....
area of modern Pakistan.

HerodotusHerodotus

Herodotus of Halicarnassus was a Dorian Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "father o...
in 650 BC describes the Paraitakenoi as a tribe ruled by Deiokes, a Persian king, in northwestern Persia (History I.101). ArrianArrian

Lucius Flavius Arrianus 'Xenophon', known in English as Arrian, and Arrian of Nicomedia, was a Greek historian and phi...
describes how Alexander the GreatAlexander the Great

Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon , was one of the most successful military commander...
encountered the Pareitakai in BactriaBactria

Bactria was the ancient Greek name of the country between the range of the Hindu Kush and the Amu Darya ; its capital, Bact...
and SogdianaSogdiana

Sogdiana was an ancient civilization of Persian peoples, then was a province of the Achaemenian Empire, the eighteenth in th...
, and had them conquered by CraterusCraterus

Craterus was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi....
(Anabasis Alexandrou IV). The Periplus of the Erythraean SeaPeriplus of the Erythraean Sea

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is a Greek periplus, describing navigation and trading opportunities from Roman Egypt...
(1st century AD) describes the territory of the Paradon beyond the Ommanitic region, on the coast of modern Baluchistan.

During the ArabArab Overview

The Arabs are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, rather than a pure ethnic group, mainly found throughout the ...
conquest of the Persian empire in the 8th century, Muslim technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and sufis flocked from the rest of the Muslim world and many settled in Baluchistan and its tributory state until the rise of the MughalMughal

Mughal may refer to:* Mughal Empire of South Asian empire from the early 16th to the mid-19th centuries...
s. Numerous Baloch tribes, an Iranian people, moved into the area from the west in the 11th century to escape the Seljuk Turks. Western Baluchistan was conquered by Iran in the 19th century, and its boundary was fixed in 1872. Omani influence waned in the east and OmanOman Overview

The Sultanate of Oman is a country in Southwest Asia, on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula....
's last possession, GwadarGwadar

Gwadar is Pakistan's National port city and currently a developing coastal town in Balochistan, Pakistan, 650 km by road fro...
, was bought by Pakistan in 1958. In 1998 Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in the Pakistani province of Baluchistan.

Famous people of Baluchistan

There are many famous people from Balochistan including the following:

Historical Personalities
* Noori Naseer Khan
* Khan Mehrab Khan
* Mir Chakar Khan RindMir Chakar Khan Rind

Mir Chakar Khan Rind or Meer Chaakar Khan Rind or Chakar-i-Azam...

* Shah Mureed
* Mir Shahdad Jo QuboMir Shahdad Jo Qubo

Mir Shahdad Jo Qubo is the tomb of Mir Shahdad Talpur, who is regarded as one of the finest military commanders of Sindh....

* Mir Sher Muhammad TalpurMir Sher Muhammad Talpur

Mir Sher Muhammad Talpur, popularly known as The Lion of Sindh belonged to the Mirpurkhas House of Royal Talpurs....

* Mir Sohrab Khan Talpur
* Mir Ali Murad Khan Talpur
* Mir Ali Murad Khan Talpur II
* Mir Ali Nawaz Khan Talpur
* Darya Khan RindDarya Khan Rind

Darya Khan Rind is a Sindhi poet from Shahpur Chakar, Pakistan....

* Shahpur ChakarShahpur Chakar

Shahpur Chakar is a small town near Shahdadpur in Sanghar District, Sindh, Pakistan. ...

* Mir Allahyar TalpurMir Allahyar Talpur

Mir Allahyar Talpur belonged to Mankani branch of the Talpur Dynasty, who ruled Southeastern Sindh....

* PunnunSassi Punnun

Sassi Punnun is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab....

* Hazrat BabajanHazrat Babajan

Hazrat Babajan was considered to be a perfect master or sadguru....

Eastern Balochistan
* Mir Abdul Aziz Kurd
* Mir Ghaus Bakhsh BizenjoMir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo

Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo was the Baloch politician in Balochistan, Pakistan....

* Nawab Nowroz KhanNawab Nowroz Khan

Nawab Nauroz/Nowroz Khan, commonly known by Balochs as Babu Nowroz, was the head of the Zarakzai tribes of Balochistan....

* Sardar Abdul qadir Mengal
* Prince Karim KhanPrince Karim Khan

Prince Abdul Karim Khan was the younger brother of Khan of Kalat , Mir Ahmadyar Khan, the last ruler of Balochistan....

* Mir Shahbaz Khan Nosherwani
* Zafarullah Khan JamaliZafarullah Khan Jamali

Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali is a former Prime Minister of Pakistan....

* Mir Mahmood Aziz Kurd
* Sardar Fateh Mohammed Khan Umrani
* Sardar Ataullah Mengal
* Sardar Mohammed Akbar Khan Umrani
* Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti
* Nawab Khair Bakhsh MarriFacts About Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri

Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri is a politician from Balochistan, Pakistan....

* Jumma Khan MarriJumma Khan Marri

Dr.Jumma Khan Baloch a Baluchi Nationalist leader from Baluchistan, living in Moscow....

* Sardar Sherbaz Khan MazariSardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari

Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari is a well known Pakistani politician hailing from the Balochi tribe of Mazari situated in Rojhan-...

* Farooq LeghariFarooq Leghari

Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari was President of Pakistan from November 14, 1993 until December 2, 1997....

* Mir Gul Khan Naseer
* Mir Balach Marri
* Mir Khalil Ahmed Mengal
* General Rahimuddin Khan
* Asif Ali ZardariAsif Ali Zardari

Asif Ali Zardari is the chief of the Zardari tribe and the husband of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto....

* Sardar Asif Mengal
* Sardar Fateh Mohammad Hasni
* Gen(R) Abdul Qadir Baloch
* Amir ul Mulk Mengal
* Mir Suleman Dawood KhanMir Suleman Dawood Khan

Mir Suleman Dawood Khan is the current Khan of Kalat, and lives in Balochistan....

* Prince Muhammad Musa Khan Baloch
* Prince Muhammad Isa Khan Baloch
* Ghulam Mustafa JatoiGhulam Mustafa Jatoi

Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi is a Pakistani politician, and was Prime Minister of Pakistan....

* Azad Baloch
* Beeberg Baloch
* Iftikhar Muhammad ChaudhryIftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry

Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is a Pakistani judge....

* Mir Faisal Khalil Mengal
* Ramzi YousefRamzi Yousef

Ramzi Ahmed Yousef or Ramzi Mohammed Yousef, birth name possibly Abdul Basit Mahmoud Abdul Karim, and also known...

* Khalid Shaikh MohammedKhalid Shaikh Mohammed

* - an article from CNN* from the National Review...

* Abdul Rashid Ghazi Mazari
* Abdul Raziq BugtiAbdul Raziq Bugti

Abdul Raziq Bugti was born in the Masuri clan of the Bugti tribe in Sibi, Balochistan, Pakistan....

Western Balochistan
* Mir Dost Mohammad Baranza
*
*
*
*
*
* Abdulmalak Rigi
* Yaqoub Mehrnehad
* Rostam Mirlashari

Rostam Mirlashari

Rostam Mirlashari was born in Western Balochistan in Zahedan city....

Northern Balochistan
* Abdul Kariam Brahui

Baluchistan Separatist Movements

Regional
* Baluchi Liberation FrontBaluchi Liberation Front

Baluchi Laberation Front or BLF was established in 1960s....

* Balochistan Liberation FrontBalochistan Liberation Front

The Balochistan Liberation Front separatist group was founded by Jumma Khan Marri in 1964 in Damascus, and played an import...

* JundallahJundallah

Jundullah is a militant group reportedly based in Waziristan, NWFP, Pakistan....

Eastern Balochistan
* Balochistan Liberation ArmyBalochistan Liberation Army

The Baloch Liberation Army is a organization...

* Bugti militiaBugti militia Overview

Bugti Militia formed in Dera Bugti in Balochistan by Akbar Khan Bugti in the 1952....

* Balochistan Liberation FrontBalochistan Liberation Front

The Balochistan Liberation Front separatist group was founded by Jumma Khan Marri in 1964 in Damascus, and played an import...

* Baloch Republican Army
* Baloch Students OrganizationBaloch Students Organization Summary

The Baloch Students Organization, or BSO was founded by Khair Jan Baluch in 1967 as a separatist militant group in Pak...

* Baluch People's Liberation FrontBaluch People's Liberation Front

Baluch People's Liberation Front, also known as Baluch Awami Azadi Mahaiz or BPLF, was founded in the 1973 and s...

* Popular Front for Armed ResistancePopular Front for Armed Resistance

Popular Front for Armed Resistance, or PFAR, was founded in 1960's and active until 1973 in Pakistan....

* Baloch Students Organization- AwamiBaloch Students Organization- Awami

The Baloch Students Organization-Awami or BSO- Awami was founded 1972 by spliting from BSO....

* Baluchi Liberation FrontBaluchi Liberation Front Overview

Baluchi Laberation Front or BLF was established in 1960s....

* Baloch National Movement
* ParrariParrari

Parrari or Parari was founded by Sher Mohammad Marri in the 1962....

Western Balochistan
* Dad ShahDad Shah Overview

Mir Dad Shah or Mir Daad Shah was a Balochi farmer who lived in the Nillag village of the Balochistan region of southe...

* Baluchi Autonomist MovementBaluchi Autonomist Movement

Baluchi Autonomist Movement or BAM was Baluchi ethnic guerrilla movement in Iranian Balochistan which led by '...

* Baluchi Liberation FrontBaluchi Liberation Front

Baluchi Laberation Front or BLF was established in 1960s....

* Azam Miro
* JundallahFacts About Jundallah

Jundullah is a militant group reportedly based in Waziristan, NWFP, Pakistan....

Northern Balochistan
* Front of NimruzPartisans of National Liberation of Afghanistan

Partisans of National Liberation of Afghanistan or Front of Nimruz was founded in the 1979 in Nimruz province ...

Mir Abdul Qayyum Qambrani

Baluchistan Political Parties

Balochistan National PartyBalochistan National Party

The Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan....
Jamhoori Wattan PartyJamhoori Wattan Party

Jamhoori Watan Party is a political party in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan....
Balochistan National Movement
Baloch Students OrganizationBaloch Students Organization

The Baloch Students Organization, or BSO was founded by Khair Jan Baluch in 1967 as a separatist militant group in Pak...
Baloch Students Organization- AwamiBaloch Students Organization- Awami

The Baloch Students Organization-Awami or BSO- Awami was founded 1972 by spliting from BSO....
Baluchi Autonomist MovementBaluchi Autonomist Movement Summary

Baluchi Autonomist Movement or BAM was Baluchi ethnic guerrilla movement in Iranian Balochistan which led by '...
Millat PartyMillat Party Summary

The Millat Party is a political party in Pakistan, formed by Sardar Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, former president of Pakistan,...
Awami National PartyAwami National Party

The Awami National Party is a nationalist political party in Pakistan....

Balochistan (region)

Landscape

History

Famous people of Baluchistan

Baluchistan Separatist Movements

Baluchistan Political Parties

See also