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.
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.
The Kakar is a Gharghashti Pashtun tribe, based in Afghanistan, parts of Iran, and northern Balochistan in Pakistan.
The history of Balochistan refers to the history of the Balochistan region of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Vague allusions to the region were found in Greek historical records of around 650 BCE. Prehistoric Balochistan dates to the Paleolithic.
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.
The Insurgency in Balochistan is an insurgency or revolt by Baloch separatist insurgents and various Islamist militant groups against the governments of Pakistan and Iran in the Balochistan region, which covers the Pakistani province of Balochistan, Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan, and Balochistan of southern Afghanistan. Rich in natural resources, this is the largest, least populated and least developed province in Pakistan and Iran, and armed groups demand greater control of the province's natural resources and political autonomy. Baloch separatists have attacked civilians from other ethnicities throughout the province. In the 2010s, attacks against the Shia community by sectarian groups—though not always directly related to the political struggle—have risen, contributing to tensions in Balochistan. In Pakistan, the ethnic separatist insurgency is low-scale but ongoing mainly in southern Balochistan, as well as sectarian and religiously motivated militancy concentrated mainly in northern and central Balochistan.
The Fourth Balochistan Conflict was a four-year military conflict in Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan, between the Pakistan Army and Baloch separatists and tribesmen that lasted from 1973 to 1977.
Balochistan, also spelled Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region of desert and mountains is primarily populated by ethnic Baloch people.
The Balochistan Liberation Front is a Afghanistan-based Baloch ethnonationalist terrorist group actively engaged in the Balochistan region of Southwestern Asia.
Balochistan or Afghan Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region that includes part of southern and southwestern Afghanistan. It extends into southeastern Iran and western Pakistan and is named after the Baloch people.
Jarwar is a sub-tribe from the Gazini branch of Marri Baloch.
Kalmati or Kalmat is a Baloch clan settled in the Balochistan Before Pakistan.
Baloch nationalism is an ideology that asserts that the Baloch people, an Iranic ethnic group native to Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, form a distinct nation. The origins of modern Baloch nationalism coupled with the insurgency in Balochistan involving various militant organizations, go back to the period of the partition of British India and subsequent independence of Pakistan, when Kalat, the largest Baloch princely state, acceded to the Dominion of Pakistan.
The Baloch diaspora refers to Baloch people, and their descendants, who have immigrated to places outside the Balochistan region of South-West Asia – a region stretching from southwestern Pakistan to southeastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. The Baloch diaspora is found throughout the Middle East, South Asia, Turkmenistan, East Africa, Europe, North America and in other parts of the world.
Paroom is a Tehsil in Panjgur District in Balochistan, Pakistan. The historical area of Parom was divided by the Goldsmith line, thus a small part of it falls in Iranian territory. According to local legend, it was also known as Gulshan, meaning 'rose garden'. The word parom means 'growth' in the Balochi language and is attributed to Parom due to its mild climate and the fertile soil which supports more than one crop per year. Today the region has two union councils, Parom and Koh Bun. The population numbers around 50,000 people.
Balochi cuisine is the food and cuisine of the Baloch people from the Balochistan region, comprising the Pakistani Balochistan province, the Sistan and Baluchestan Province in Iran and Nimruz province in Afghanistan. Balochi food has a regional variance in contrast to the many cuisines of Pakistan and Iran.
The Yarahmadzai (Shahnavazi) is a Baloch tribe from Iranian Balochistan. The main population of the tribe is settled in an area called Sarhad in the city of Khash. The population of the Yarahmadzais is an estimated 30,000 and they are divided into three smaller groups, Sohrabzai, Hossenzai and Rahmetzai.
Balochi needlework is a type of handicraft made by the Baloch people. It is considered a heritage art, has been recognized by UNESCO, and it sells internationally. The Baloch people are native to the Balochistan region of South and Western Asia, encompassing the countries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.
The Jats of Balochistan are tribes of Jat origin found in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. They are estimated to be around 10% of the total population of Balochistan, being the fourth largest ethnic group of Balochistan. A large proportion are in the profession of camel herding. Jadgals are another Jat ethnic group living in Balochistan.
The Sindhis of Balochistan are an indigenous Sindhi population living in Balochistan, Pakistan.
