Balochistan is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the north-east, Punjab to the east and Sindh to the south-east; shares international borders with Iran to the west and Afghanistan to the north; and is bound by the Arabian Sea to the south. Balochistan is an extensive plateau of rough terrain divided into basins by ranges of sufficient heights and ruggedness. It has the world's largest deep sea port, the Port of Gwadar lying in the Arabian Sea.
Brahui is a Dravidian language spoken by the Brahui people who are mainly found in the central Balochistan Province of Pakistan, with smaller communities of speakers scattered in parts of Iranian Baluchestan, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan and by expatriate Brahui communities in Iraq, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. It is isolated from the nearest Dravidian-speaking neighbouring population of South India by a distance of more than 1,500 kilometres (930 mi). The Kalat, Khuzdar, Mastung, Quetta, Bolan, Nasirabad, Nushki, and Kharan districts of Balochistan Province are predominantly Brahui-speaking.
The Baloch or Baluch are a nomadic, pastoral, ethnic group which speaks the Western Iranic Balochi language and is native to the Balochistan region of South and Western Asia, encompassing the countries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. There are also Baloch diaspora communities in neighbouring regions, including in Central Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula.
Pakistan is a multilingual country with over 70 languages spoken as first languages. The majority of Pakistan's languages belong to the Indo-Iranian group of the Indo-European language family.
The Kirthar Mountains are a mountain range that mark the boundary between the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan and Sindh, and which comprise much of the Kirthar National Park. The mountain range forms part of the Kirthar-Sulaiman geological province, which stretches from the Arabian Sea coast north to the Sulaiman Mountains in northwest Pakistan. The highest peak of the mountains is Zardak Peak at 7,430 ft (2,260 m).
Awaran District, is a district in the southern part of the Balochistan province of Pakistan in Kalat division.
Khuzdar is a district in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The city of Khuzdar serves as the district's headquarters.
Khuzdar is a city in the administrative headquarter of Khuzdar District in the central part of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Khuzdar is the 3rd-largest city of the Balochistan province and the 48th-largest city of Pakistan by population, according to the 2017 census. Historically, Khuzdar was the main city and capital of the Jhalawan province of the Khanate of Kalat. From October 1952 to 1955, it became part of the Balochistan States Union. In 1955, Khuzdar became the capital of the newly formed Kalat Division before it became a district of its own in 1974.Gresha is the sub tehsil of khuzdar District and its almost 80Km from khuzdar city. As of 2017, it is the largest Brahui-speaking city.
The Government of Balochistan is the provincial government of the largest province of Balochistan, Pakistan in Quetta. The head of the province is the Governor, who is nominated by the President of Pakistan. The chief executive of the Government of Balochistan is the Chief Minister who is elected by the Balochistan Assembly and the administrative head of the province is the Chief Secretary of Balochistan who is appointed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
The Khanate of Kalat was a Brahui Khanate that originated in the modern-day Kalat region of Pakistan. Formed in 1666 due to the threat of Mughal expansion in the region, it controlled the wider Balochistan at its greatest extent in the mid-18th century, extending from Kerman in the west to Sindh in the east and from Helmand River in the north to the Arabian Sea in the south. The Khanate of Kalat lost considerable area to Qajar Iran and the Emirate of Afghanistan in the early 19th century, and the city of Kalat was itself sacked by the British in 1839.
Mengal is an ethnic Brahui tribe inhabiting Balochistan, Pakistan.
The Northern Dravidian languages are a branch of the Dravidian languages that includes Brahui, Kurukh and Malto.. It is further divided into Kurukh–Malto and Brahui.
The Sasoli is a sub-branch of the Brahui Zehri tribe in Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is one of the eight nuclear Brahui tribes. The tribe has many branches including Allah Dadzi, Lashkarzai, Zarrenzi, Baloli and Alam Khanzi. Many Sasoli are bilingual, speaking the Balochi and Brahui languages. Sasoli people can also be found in the Karachi Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan. The Sasoli also have heredity lands in Iran, Afghanistan, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and India.
Pakistan is an ethnically and linguistically diverse country. The major Pakistani ethnolinguistic groups include Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Saraikis, Muhajirs, Balochs, Hindkowans/Hazarewals, Brahuis, and Kohistanis with significant numbers of Shina, Baltis, Kashmiris, Paharis, Chitralis, Torwalis, Hazaras, Burusho, Wakhis, Kalash, Siddis, Uzbeks, Nuristanis, Pamiris and various other smaller minorities.
Dehwari is a southwestern Persian language spoken by 19,000 Dehwar people in Balochistan, Pakistan as of 2018. Most of the Dehwari speakers are concentrated in Mastung, Khuzdar, Nushk, Kharan, Sarlath District, Dalbandin, and Kalat.
Sohbatpur District is a district in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.
Zehri is an ethnic Brahui tribe mainly found in Balochistan, Pakistan. According to the official list by Mir Ahmad Yar, the last Khan of Kalat, Zehri was originally one of the Jat tribes inhabiting Balochistan.
The culture of Balochistan, or simply Baloch culture, is defined in terms of religious values, Balochi and Brahui language, literature and traditional values of mutual respect. It has its roots in the Balochi, Brahui, Sindhi, and Pashto. Folk music, handicraft, drama and Balochi cinema play a significant role in Baloch culture. Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, has several historical monuments such as Pirak, the Chaukhandi tombs and the Quaid-e-Azam Residency.
Surab District, , is a district located in central Balochistan province, Pakistan. Prior to its creation as a separate district in 2017, Surab was part of Kalat District.
The Rakhshani are a major Brahui-Baloch tribe who live in Pakistan and Iran. They mostly live in Qalat and Lasbela, which is located in the Rakhshan Division.
