Marri
Encyclopedia
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
. Since the times of the British Raj
, they have been noted for their fierce struggle for independence and clashes with authorities, although some leading members of the tribe do participate in the local, provincial and national elections of Pakistan
.
a group of Rind
tribesmen in the command of Mir Bijar Khan preferred to stay in mountains instead to go with Mir Chakar Khan Rind
in a migration towards Punjab
. In a ferocious mood Mir Chakar
called Mir Bijar Khan "Marri" and left that group of Rinds there which later on become known as Marri. Mir Bijar Khan was killed by Buledi
s in 1520 CE
. His people are now called Bijarani, a sub-tribe of Marri.
The Marri tribe has a tradition of incorporating people of Baloch and Pashtun
origin while expanding into their territory. Of the three main Marri divisions, the Gazini contains sections of various origins, 25% of the Loharani
trace their origin to the Pashtun Shirani
tribe, and most of the Bijarani
are Rind in origin. All these people now speak Balochi
. The process of incorporation followed a pattern of assisting the Marri in a feud, admission to use of the tribal land, and finally marriage into the tribe.
The total population of the Marri tribe in Balochistan today is reportedly around 98,000.
In Balochistan the Marri tribes are settled in the Kohlu
, Sibi
, Jaffarabad
and Nasirabad districts. These districts are on the floor or the neighboring hills of a broad, dry valley that slopes gradually upward from the Sindh plains to the Bolan Pass
, a route through the mountains to Quetta
and Afghanistan. Sibi is the gateway to the Bolan Pass. The Marri are also settled in the Sanghar
, Mirpurkhas and Shikarpur
districts of Sindh.
The Marri-Bugti country
is classed as a tribal area in Balochistan, politically controlled from Sibi
, but enjoying a large measure of autonomy under its own chieftains, with a total area of 7129 square miles (18,464 km²). It consists of the Sibi, Kohlu and Dera Bugti districts. The total population in 1901 was 38,919, almost equally divided between the two tribes of Marris and Bugtis. In the census of 1901 the Marri in the adjacent Dera Ghazi Khan District
, now in Punjab
, numbered 19,161 with a fighting strength of about 3,000.
. An attempt was made to punish the tribe, which ended in disastrous failure. Major Clibborn was repulsed in an attempt to storm the Naffusak Pass, with 179 killed and 92 wounded out of 650. Many of his force died of heat and thirst. The fort of Kahan
, which he was trying to relieve at the time, was forced to capitulate with the honours of war. The Marris, however, joined the British against the Bugti
s in 1845. After the annexation of Sind
by the East India Company
in 1843, the Marris gave much trouble, but were pacified by the policies of General John Jacob and Sir Robert Sandeman
.
In 1880, during the Second Afghan War, the Marris made frequent raids on the British lines of communication, ending with the plunder of a treasure convoy. A force of 3070 British troops under Brigadier-General Macgregor marched through the country, and the tribe submitted and eventually paid 1/4 lakh rupees
(£2,500) out of a fine of 2 lakhs rupees (£20,000); they also gave hostages for their future good behaviour.
dismissed the Balochistan government and put the province under the central government's rule. The result was that large numbers of Marri tribesmen took to the hills in 1974 in an armed insurgency, and Khair Bakhsh Marri, chief of the Marri tribe, formed an organization called the Baluch People's Liberation Front
. It took four years for the Pakistani army to bring the situation under control.
(BLA) is one of the current insurgent groups in Balochistan, tracing its origins to the Baloch People's Liberation Front. It appears to have divided leadership between members of the Bugti
and Marri tribes, and to operate across the border between Afghanistan and Balochistan. The guerillas are said to have been trained in Afghanistan, and were led by Nawabzada Balach Marri
, son of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, an electronics engineer trained in Moscow who was killed in November 2007. Sporadic fighting continues.
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....
tribes 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...
and Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
provinces 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...
. Marri was considered to be a clan of the Rind
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....
tribe in the early history of Baloch
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....
and 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...
. Since the times of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, they have been noted for their fierce struggle for independence and clashes with authorities, although some leading members of the tribe do participate in the local, provincial and national elections 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...
.
Origins
After the end of the Baloch civil warsBaloch civil wars
The Baloch civil wars are a series of conflicts that have taken place between the Baloch people. The Baloch are an ethnic group in Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Arab countries...
a group of Rind
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....
tribesmen in the command of Mir Bijar Khan preferred to stay in mountains instead to go with Mir Chakar Khan Rind
Mir Chakar Khan Rind
Mir Chakar Khan Rind or Meer Chaakar Khan Rind or Chakar-i-Azam was a Baloch chieftain in the 15th century...
in a migration towards Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
. In a ferocious mood Mir Chakar
Mir Chakar Khan Rind
Mir Chakar Khan Rind or Meer Chaakar Khan Rind or Chakar-i-Azam was a Baloch chieftain in the 15th century...
called Mir Bijar Khan "Marri" and left that group of Rinds there which later on become known as Marri. Mir Bijar Khan was killed by Buledi
Buledi
Buledi is a Baloch tribe in Balochistan, Pakistan.The Buledis are thought to be named after town of Buleda in Makran, Balochistan. They follow Baloch culture. Most people of Buledi are in politics, journalism, government and education....
s in 1520 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
. His people are now called Bijarani, a sub-tribe of Marri.
The Marri tribe has a tradition of incorporating people of Baloch and 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...
origin while expanding into their territory. Of the three main Marri divisions, the Gazini contains sections of various origins, 25% of the Loharani
Loharani
Loharani is a Baloch tribe in Sibi District of Balochistan, Pakistan....
trace their origin to the Pashtun Shirani
Shirani
The Shirani are a Sarbanri Pashtun tribe, living in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They should not be confused with the Baloch Shirani, who live in Iran.-History:...
tribe, and most of the Bijarani
Bijarani
Bijarani is a name of Baloch tribes in the Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan.- Prominent Bijarani personalities* Sardar SHER MUHAMMAD KHAN BIJARANI* MIR HAZAR Khan Bijarani* SARDAR MEHBOOB ALI KHAN BIJARANI* MIR SHABBIR ALI KHAN BIJARANI...
are Rind in origin. All these people now speak Balochi
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...
. The process of incorporation followed a pattern of assisting the Marri in a feud, admission to use of the tribal land, and finally marriage into the tribe.
The total population of the Marri tribe in Balochistan today is reportedly around 98,000.
Locations
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...
, Sibi
Sibi District
Sibi is a district in theBalochistan province of Pakistan. The main mountains range are Zen, Bambore and Dungan. The climatic and topography of Sibi District is quite varied compared to other districts of Balochistan. It is also known as the "Hot spot" of Pakistan where the temperatures in the...
, Jaffarabad
Jafarabad District
Jafarabad or Jaffarabad district lies in the South-East of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. Jafarabad’s headquarters are at Dera Allah Yar. Formerly known as the Jhatpat subdivision, the region was part of the Jacobabad District until 1970 and part of the Sibi District until 1975...
and Nasirabad districts. These districts are on the floor or the neighboring hills of a broad, dry valley that slopes gradually upward from the Sindh plains to the Bolan Pass
Bolan Pass
The Bolan Pass is a mountain pass through the Toba Kakar Range of Balochistan province in western Pakistan, 120 kilometres from the Afghanistan border....
, a route through the mountains to Quetta
Quetta
is 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...
and Afghanistan. Sibi is the gateway to the Bolan Pass. The Marri are also settled in the Sanghar
Sanghar District
Sanghar District is one of the largest districts of Sindh province, Pakistan. It is located in the centre of Sindh and is bounded to the east by India. The district capital, Sanghar, is itself a small city roughly east-south-east of the city of Nawabshah and the same distance north of Mirpur...
, Mirpurkhas and Shikarpur
Shikarpur District
Shikarpur district is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The city of Shikarpur is the capital. It is spread over an area of 2,512 km2, according to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 880,438 of which 23.51% were urban....
districts of Sindh.
The Marri-Bugti country
Marri-Bugti Country
Marri-Bugti Country was a tribal region during the British occupation of Baluchistan. Marris and Bugtis are the strongest Baloch tribes in the Balochistan. The Marris occupied in the north, while the Bugtis occupied in the south...
is classed as a tribal area in Balochistan, politically controlled from 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...
, but enjoying a large measure of autonomy under its own chieftains, with a total area of 7129 square miles (18,464 km²). It consists of the Sibi, Kohlu and Dera Bugti districts. The total population in 1901 was 38,919, almost equally divided between the two tribes of Marris and Bugtis. In the census of 1901 the Marri in the adjacent 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...
, now in Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, numbered 19,161 with a fighting strength of about 3,000.
British relations
Marri relations with the British commenced in 1840 with attacks made on the communications of Sir John Keane's army, after it had passed through the Bolan PassBolan Pass
The Bolan Pass is a mountain pass through the Toba Kakar Range of Balochistan province in western Pakistan, 120 kilometres from the Afghanistan border....
. An attempt was made to punish the tribe, which ended in disastrous failure. Major Clibborn was repulsed in an attempt to storm the Naffusak Pass, with 179 killed and 92 wounded out of 650. Many of his force died of heat and thirst. The fort of Kahan
Kahan
Kahan is located in Kohlu District of Balochistan, Pakistan. Kahan is famous for being the native village of Nawab Khair Baksh Marri, the Nawab of Kohlu Agency...
, which he was trying to relieve at the time, was forced to capitulate with the honours of war. The Marris, however, joined the British against the 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 in 1845. After the annexation of Sind
History of Sindh
Sindh is one of the provinces of Pakistan. Sindh was home to one of the world's oldest civilizations, the Indus Valley civilization.-Paleolithic and Mesolithic era:...
by the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in 1843, the Marris gave much trouble, but were pacified by the policies of General John Jacob and Sir Robert Sandeman
Robert Groves Sandeman
Sir Robert Groves Sandeman, KCSI , Colonial British Indian officer and administrator, was the son of General Robert Turnbull Sandeman, and was born on the 25th of February 1835. He was educated at Perth and University of St Andrews, and joined the 33rd Bengal Infantry in 1856...
.
In 1880, during the Second Afghan War, the Marris made frequent raids on the British lines of communication, ending with the plunder of a treasure convoy. A force of 3070 British troops under Brigadier-General Macgregor marched through the country, and the tribe submitted and eventually paid 1/4 lakh rupees
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
(£2,500) out of a fine of 2 lakhs rupees (£20,000); they also gave hostages for their future good behaviour.
1974 insurgency
In February 1973, the Pakistani government intercepted an arms shipment from Iraq intended for delivery to Marri tribe militants. President Zulfikar Ali BhuttoZulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
dismissed the Balochistan government and put the province under the central government's rule. The result was that large numbers of Marri tribesmen took to the hills in 1974 in an armed insurgency, and Khair Bakhsh Marri, chief of the Marri tribe, formed an organization called the Baluch People's Liberation Front
Baluch People's Liberation Front
Baluch People's Liberation Front, also known as Baluch Awami Azadi Mahaiz or BPLF, was founded in the 1965. its aim was the independence of...
. It took four years for the Pakistani army to bring the situation under control.
Recent fighting
The Balochistan Liberation ArmyBalochistan Liberation Army
The Balochistan Liberation Army is a terrorist group based in Balochistan, a mountainous region within southern Iran and Pakistan. The organization is a participant in the Balochistan conflict and strives to establish an independent state of Balochistan, free of Pakistani and Iranian rule...
(BLA) is one of the current insurgent groups in Balochistan, tracing its origins to the Baloch People's Liberation Front. It appears to have divided leadership between members of the 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...
and Marri tribes, and to operate across the border between Afghanistan and Balochistan. The guerillas are said to have been trained in Afghanistan, and were led by Nawabzada Balach Marri
Balach Marri
Balach Marri Balaach Marri was born on January 17, 1966. He was the fourth among six sons of Nawab Khair Bux Marri. He was named after the great 15th century Baloch hero Balaach Gorgej of Chaker-e-Azam era. He started his primary education at Quetta Grammar School. He was only six in 1972 when the...
, son of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, an electronics engineer trained in Moscow who was killed in November 2007. Sporadic fighting continues.