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 Western Iranic ethnic group 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.
Sistan and Baluchestan Province is the second largest province of the 31 provinces of Iran, after Kerman province, with an area of 180,726 km2. It is in the southeast of the country, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, and its capital is the city of Zahedan.
The Kakar is a Gharghashti Pashtun tribe, based in Afghanistan, parts of Iran, northern Balochistan in Pakistan.
The history of Balochistan began in 650 BCE with vague allusions to the region in Greek historical records. Balochistan is divided between the Pakistani province of Balochistan, the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan and the Afghan region of Balochistan. Prehistoric Balochistan dates to the Paleolithic.
The Khanate of Kalat was a khanate that existed from 1512 to 1955 in the centre of the modern-day province of Balochistan, Pakistan. Prior to that they were subjects of Mughal King Akbar. Mehrab Khan II Ahmedzai ruled the state independently until 1839, when he was killed by the British and Kalat became a self-governing state in a subsidiary alliance with British India. After the signature of the Treaty of Kalat by the Khan of Kalat and the Baloch Sardars in 1875, the supervision of Kalat was the task of the Baluchistan Agency. Kalat was briefly independent again from 12 August 1947 until 27 March 1948, when its ruler Ahmad Yar Khan acceded to Pakistan, making it one of the Princely states of Pakistan.
The Insurgency in Balochistan is an insurgency or revolt by Baloch nationalists and Islamist militants against the governments of Pakistan and Iran in the Balochistan region, which covers the Balochistan Province in southwestern Pakistan, Sistan and Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran, and the Balochistan region of southern Afghanistan. Rich in natural resources like natural gas, oil, coal, copper, sulphur, fluoride and gold, this is the largest, least populated and least developed province in Pakistan. 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.
Balochistan 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.
Balochistan or Afghani 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.
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. Mostly the Baluch are tribal and have often fought amongst themselves throughout history.
The Baloch diaspora(Balochi: دَرمُلکی بلۏچ or دَرانڈݔھی بلۏچ, romanized: Darmolki Balòc) refers to Baloch people, and their descendants, who have emigrated 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.
Parom 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.
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. The Baloch are predominantly Muslim, with the vast majority belonging to the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam, but there is also tiny proportion of Shia in Balochistan. Approximately 20-25% of the Baloch population live in Iran. Estimates of the Iranian Baloch population range from 1.5-2 million to as many as 2 million. The majority of the Baloch population reside in Pakistan, and a significant number i.e. 600,000 reside in southern Afghanistan. They are also spread in other countries of the world, such as the Persian Gulf states and Europe. In Iran, the Baloch are divided into two groups: the Makrani and the Sarhadi. The cities such as Iranshahr, Chabahar, Nikshahr, Sarbaz, and Saravan are known as the Makran region, while Zahedan and Khash are known as the Sarhad region.
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.
Baloch people in the United Arab Emirates comprise residents of the United Arab Emirates whose ancestral roots lie in Balochistan. The Baloch are one of the oldest migrant groups in the country.
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 Jadgal are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group who speak the Jadgali language. They are found in the Balochistan region of Iran and Pakistan, also in Oman.
The Jats of Balochistan are the tribes of a native people found in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. They are estimated to be around 10% of the total population of Balochistan, being the fourth largest peoples of Balochistan. A large proportion are in the profession of camel herding. They were known notoriously all over Makran for purported "evil-living" nature.
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.
