=Quetta-Pishin=

A highland District of Baluchistan, lying be-

tween 29 52' and 31 18' N. and 66 15' and 67 48' E , with an area

of 5,127 square miles. It is bounded on the noith and west by

Afghanistan , on the east by Zhob and Sibi Districts , and on the

south by the Bolan Pass and the Mastung nidbat of the Kalat State.

==Physical aspects==

The District consists of a series of valleys of con-

i=iderable length but medium width, forming the

catchment area of the Pishm Lora, and enclosed

on all sides by the mountains of the TOBA-KAKAR and CENTRAL

BRAHUI ranges The valleys vaiy in elevation from 4,500 to 5,500

feet, and the mountains from about 8,000 to 11,500 feet On the

north he the Toba hills, containing the fine plateau of Loe Toba and

Tablna. This range sends out the Khwaja Amran offshoot south-

ward to form the western boundary of the District under the name

of the Sarlath. On the east a barrier is formed by the mass of

Zarghun (11,738 feet), with the ranges of Takatu (n,375 feet) and

Murdar (10,398 feet). Directly to the south lie the Chiltan and

Mashelakh hills. Besides the PISHIN LORA, \\hich, with its tributaries,

drains the greater part of the District, the only river of impoitance

is the Kadanai on the north, which drains the Toba plateau and

eventually joins the Helmand in Afghanistan. The District is subject

to earthquakes. Severe shocks occurred in Decembei, 1892, and in

March, 1902

 

Two different systems of hill ranges meet in the neighbourhood

of Quelta, giving rise to a complicated geological structure. The

principal rock formations belong to the Permo-Carbomferous , Upper

Trias; Lia^ Middle Jurassic (masbive limestone), neocomian (belemmte

beds); Upper Cretaceous (Dunghan) , Deccan trap; middle eocene

(Khojak shales, Ghazij, and Splntangi) 3 oligocene (Upper Nan) ,

middle and upper miocene (Lower, Middle, and Upper Siwaliks) , and

a vast accumulation of sub-recent and recent formations.

 

Except parts of the Toba, Zarghun, and Mashelakh langes, the hills

are almost entirely bare of trees. In the valleys are orchards of

apricot, almond, peach, pear, pomegranate, and apple trees, protected

by belts of poplar, willow, and slnjid (Elaeagnus angustifoha). The

plane (chinar) gives grateful shade in Quetta In spring the hill-sides

become covered for a little while with irises, red and yellow tulips, and

many Astragali. In the undergrsound water-channels maiden-hair

fern is found. The valley basins are covered with a scrub jungle

of Artemisia and Halo\ylon GriffithiL In parts Tamarix gallic a

covers the ground, and salsolaceous plants are frequent. The grasses

are chiefly species of Bromus, Poa, and Hordenm. On the Khwaja

 

 

 

 

 

Amran range wild rhubarb (Rheum Euiodi} is found in years of good

rainfall.

 

The 'reserved' forests in Zarghun foim a welcome breeding ground

for mountain sheep and mdrkhor^ but elsewhere they are decreasing

in numbers The leopard is found occasionally A few hares are

met with in the valleys. Wolves sometimes cause damage to the

flocks in winter, and foxes are fairly abundant. Ducks are plentiful

in the irrigation tanks in Pishm Chikor and MSI abound in years

of good lamfall.

 

The climate is dry ; dust-storms are common in the spring and

summer months, especially in that part of the Chaman subdivision

which borders on the Registan or sandy desert. The seasons are

well marked, the spring commencing towards the end of March, the

summer in June, the autumn in September, and the winter in December

Only in July and August is the day temperature high ] the nights are

always cool. The mean temperature in summer is 78 and in winter

40. The higher elevations are covered with snow in winter, when

piercing winds blowing off the hills reduce the temperature below

freezing-point. The total annual rain and snowfall vanes from less

than 7 inches in Chaman to io| in Quetta. Most of it is received

between December and March.

 

==History==

 

In former times Pishm was known as Fushanj and Pashang. The

ancient name of Quetta was Shal, a term by \\hich it is still known

among the people of the country, and which Rawhn-

son traces back to the tenth century. The District

was held in turns by the Ghazmvids, Ghonds, and Mongols, and

towards the end of the fifteenth century was conferred by the ruler

of Herat on Shah Beg Arghun, who, ho\\ever, had shortly to give

way before the using power of the Mughals. The Aiti-i-Akbarl

mentions both Shal and Pishm as supplying military service and

revenue to Akbar. From the Mughals they passed with Kandahar

to the Safavids. On the rise of the Ghilzai power in Kandahar

at the beginning of the eighteenth century, simultaneously with that

of the Brahms in Kalat, Quetta and Pishm became the battle-ground

between Afghan and Brahui, until Nadir Shah handed Quetta over

to the Biahuis about 1740. The Durranis and their successois

continued to hold possession of Pishm and Shorarud till the final

transfer of these places to the British in 1879 On the advance of

the Army of the Indus m 1839, Captain Bean was appointed the first

Political Agent in Shal, and the country was managed by him on

behalf of Shah Shuja-ul-mulk. In March, 1842, General England

was advancing on Kandahar with treasure for General Nott when he was

worsted in an encounter at Haikalzai m Pishin, but the disgrace was

wiped out at the same place a month later. The country was evacuated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in 1842 and handed over to Kalat. After Sir Robert Sandeman's

mission to Kalat in 1876, the fort at Quetta was occupied by his

escort and the country was managed on behalf of the Khan up to

1883, when it was leased to the British Government for an annual

rent of Rs 25,000 It was formed, with Pishln and Shorarud, into

a single administrative charge in 1883 Up to 1888 Old Chaman was

the most advanced post on the frontier , but, on the extension of the

railroad across the Khwaja Amran, the terminus was fixed at its present

site, 7 miles from that place. The boundary with Afghanistan was

finally demarcated in 1895-6

 

Many mounds containing pottery are to be found throughout the

District. In the Quetta tahsil the most ancient karez are known to

the people of the country as Gabri^ i. e. Zoroastrian, While the present

arsenal at Quetta was being excavated in 1886, a bronze or copper

statuette of Hercules was unearthed, which was 2\ feet high and held

in its left hand the skin of the Nemcan lion,

 

The number of towns is three, the largest being QULITA, and of

villages 329 The population was 78,662 in 1891

and 114,087 in 1901, an increase of 45 per cent.

The following table gives statistics of area, &c , by tafalls in 1901 .

 

 

 

 

Tahsil	Area India square miles	Numbers Towns,	Villages	Population	Population Per separe mile
Chaman Pishin	2,236 2717	1 1 1	4 271 47 7	16,437 31,753 1,062	13 19 83 2
Quetta Shorarud	340 634	3	329	114,087	22

 

 

 

More than 84 per cent of the people are Muhammadans of the

Sunm sect; Hindus number 10 per cent ; and Christians, who are

chiefly Europeans, about 3 per cent. The language most widely spoken

is Pashtu ; Brahui is the tongue of about 6 per cent of the people,

and a little Persian is also used Of the indigenous population 67,600,

or 78 per cent., are Afghans, rather more than half of them being

Kakars and a third Tarins. Of the latter, the most numerous are the

Abdals, repiesented by the Achakzais occupying the Chaman sub-

division and part of Pishln. The Brahuis, who live in the south of

the District, form 8 per cent., and Saiyids, who are numerous in the

Pishln tahsil, about 9 per cent The indigenous population is almost

entirely engaged in cultivation and flock-owning. The Afghans of

Pishln, especially the Huramzai Saiyids, carry on a large trade in

horses. Many of them have made their way as far as Australia, or

are engaged in trade in parts of India.

 

 

 

 

 

The missions working in Quetta consist of branches of the Church

Missionaiy Society and of the Church of England Zanana Missionaiy

Society. They maintain two hospitals and four schools, one of which

is aided from Local funds A mission church was opened in 1903.

The efforts of the workers are principally devoted to medical aid and

education, and few converts have so far been made among the people

of the country.

 

==Agriculture==

 

The soil in the centre of the valleys consists of fine clay and sandy

beds. Along the skirts of the hills loess is found, and higher up

a fringe of coarse-grained gravel The soil of Shora- .

 

rud is impregnated with salt. At Barshor, in the gnc

Pishin tahsilt cultivation is carried on in terraced fields, Crops are

assured only on lands which can be permanently irrigated. The ' dry-

crop' area consists chiefly of embanked land to which flood-water is

led Irrigated land is allowed to lie fallow for one to three years,

unless it can be manured ; c dry-crop ' land can be cultivated every

year, but more than one good crop in five years is seldom obtained.

The harvest reaped in spring is sown with the help of the winter rains ;

the autumn harvest, which is small compared with the former, is sown

in June and July.

 

The cultivable area in the two tahsils of Quetta and Pishin, which

have been cadastially surveyed, is 706 square miles, of which 324 are

cultivated by rotation. Of this latter total, 221 square miles (68 per

cent ) are permanently irrigated (dbi) , and the remainder are either

' flood-crop ' (saildba) or ' dry-crop ' (k/wshkdba). The area under crop

in 1902-3 was 72 square miles, of which 79 per cent, was under wheat,

the staple grain of the District ; 4 per cent, under barley; 10 per cent,

under maize and millets 3 3 per cent, under green vegetables ; and 4 per

cent, under lucerne Owing to the peace and protection which have

followed the British occupation, cultivation has increased very largely

during the past twenty-five years. Potatoes, vegetables, and lucerne are

profitably cultivated ; fruit orchards and vineyards are extending ; and

great attention is bestowed on melon growing. The cultivators eagerly

avail themselves of Government loans, the amount advanced between

1897 and 1904 being 1-3 lakhs.

 

The short-legged breed of Kachhi cattle is imported for the plough.

Transport is by camel, and these animals are used in the plough in

Chaman and Pishin. The local breed of horses is excellent, and has

been much improved by the introduction of imported stallions, of

which 1 8 are generally stationed in the District in summer. The

branded mares number 256. A horse-fair and cattle-show is held at

Quetta in the autumn, which is largely patronized by local breeders

Sheep impoited from Siahband in Afghanistan are much prized,

 

Of the total irugated area in the tahslls of Quetta and Pishin, 14 per

cent is supplied from Government irrigation works and 66 per cent,

from 254 karez or underground channels. Water is also obtained

from 1 8 streams and 854 springs Artesian wells number 24. The

Government irrigation works aie the Khushdil Khan reservoir and

the Shebo canal, both situated in Pishin The former, which is fed

by flood-water from two feeder-cuts, is capable of holding about 750

million cubic feet of water It commands about 17,000 acies, but the

average area cultivated by its aid has hitherto been only 3,300 acres

This area will probably be increased by impiovements effected in 1902.

Up to 1903 the capital cost incurred was about 10 lakhs The Shebo

canal takes off from the Quetta Lora and is supplemented by a system

of tanks. It commands 5,340 acres, but less than half of this is nn-

gated annually. The capital cost up to 1903 was about 6| lakhs,

Revenue and water rate aie levied together, on both systems, in the

shape of one-third of the gross produce, the -\\hole amount being

credited to the Irrigation department

 

In 1903 the District contained four juniper Reserves on the Zarghun

range, with an area of 52 square miles ; two pistachio forests of 13

square miles ; and one mixed forest covering 2 square miles. In the

latter tamansk is the chief tree Experimental plantations, covering

63 acres, are maintained close to Quetta

 

Coal is found in the Soi lange to the east of Quetta The seam

is narrow, but has been traced foi neaily 20 miles. It is worked in

different places by fi\e contractors The output, which is entirely

consumed in Quetta, was 7,148 tons in 1903. Chiomite has been

discovered in scattered pockets in the serpentines and basic igneous

intrusions near Khanozai, for woikmg some of which a lease has been

given to the Baluchistan Mining Syndicate During 1903 about 284

tons were extracted.

 

==Trade and communication==

 

The manufactuie of felts and of rugs formed by the dart stitch is

an indigenous industry. Excellent silk embroidery is prepared, espe-

cially by Brahui women. In Quetta, Kandahans make

 

Trade and coppei vessels, which are equal m quality to those

communications.  

 

sold in Peshawar. The Murree Brewery Company

 

has a bianch at Kiram, about 5 miles fiom Quetta, the output of which

was 347,220 gallons of beer in 1903. In 1904 some successful experi-

ments weie made in sericulture.

 

The great increase in trade is lefeired to in the article on QUETTA

TOWN. The only other marts of importance are Kila Abdullah and

Chaman, from both of which places trade is carried on with Afghanistan.

The total value of this trade in 1903 amounted to about 13^ lakhs,

imports being valued at 6-| and expoits at 7 lakhs. Live animals, ghi,

asafoetida, fresh and dried fruits, and pile carpets are the principal

imports from Afghanistan, and food-giams, piece-goods, and metals

 

 

 

 

 

from India Expoits to India aie chiefly wool, gift, and fruits, and

to Afghanistan piece-goods, metals, and dyes.

 

The Mushkaf-Bolan branch of the North-Westem Railway, on the

standard gauge, enters the District from the south and runs to Quetta,

where it meets a branch of the Smd-Pishin section from Bostan. The

latter line enteis the District near Fullei's Camp and runs across the

Pishm plain to Chaman The District is well provided with roads, the

total length of metalled and partially metalled roads being 405, and

of unmetalled paths 228 miles They are maintained partly from

Provincial revenues and partly from military funds

 

==Famine==

 

Owing to its large irngated aiea and excellent communications, the

District is well piotected and actual famine has not been known Some

distress occurred between 1897 and 1902, owing to

deficient rainfall and to damage done by locusts. amme.

 

Relief was affoided by the suspension and remission of land revenue,

the grant of advances foi the purchase of seed-grain and bullocks, and

the opening of relief works, costing about Rs. 14,000. In years of

deficient pasturage the railway is used by graziers to transport their

flocks to more favoured tracts.

 

==Administration==

 

The District is divided into thiee subdivisions and tahsih' CHAMA.N,

PISHIN, and QUETTA. Of these, Chaman, Pibhln, and Shorarud in

 

Quetta form part of British Baluchistan, and the rest . .

of the Quetta tahsilAgency Terntoiy. The execu-

tive head of the District combines the functions of Deputy-Commis-

sioner for areas included m British Baluchistan, and of Political Agent

for Agency Territories A Native Assistant is in charge of Chaman,

an Extra-Assistant Commissioner of Pishln, and the Assistant Political

Agent of the Quetta subdivision The tahslis of Quetta and Pishin

each have a tahsildar and a naib-taJmldar foi revenue work The

superior staff at head-quarters includes a Superintendent of police,

two Extra-Assistant Commissioners, a Cantonment Magistrate, and

an Assistant Cantonment Magistrate.

 

Civil work at Quetta is disposed of by a Munsif, and four Honorary

Magistrates assist the ordinary staff m deciding criminal cases. Both

civil and criminal powers are exercised by all the officers mentioned

in the preceding paragraph The Political Agent is the District and

Sessions Judge. In 1903 the total number of cognizable cases reported

was 1,402, conviction being obtained in 1,232. Most of the cases were

of a petty nature. The total number of criminal cases disposed of

by the courts m 1903-4 was 3,102, and of civil cases 4,807. Disputes

were referred to &jirga for award under the Frontier Crimes Regulation

m 203 cases.

 

The District furnished the emperor Akbar with a force of 2,550

horse and 2,600 foot^ Rs 750 m cash ; 4,340 sheep , 1,280 kharwars

 

 

 

 

 

of grain, and 7 maunds of butter. Nadii Shah assessed Pishm to

furnish a fixed number of men-at-aims, a system known as gham-i-

naukar, which was continued by Ahmad Shah Durrani, in whose time

895 naukars were taken. In the time of Timur Shah some of the

tribesmen were recalcitrant, and the land of 151 naukars was con-

fiscated The remaining service giants weie subsequently commuted

for cash payment. When the Distnct came into the hands of the

British this cash payment was still in force in some parts of the Pishm

tahsil) while m others the system had broken down, and batai^ or the

taking of an actual share of the produce, had been substituted The

combined system was continued in Pishm up to 1889, the Government

share of the produce being levied at rates varying from one-third to

one-sixth. In 1899 a fixed cash assessment on irrigated estates was

introduced for twenty years. The incidence per irrigated acre ranged

from a maximum of Rs. 5-0-3 to a minimum of Rs 1-5-3, the average

being Rs. 2-13-10 In the Quetta valley, the land revenue undei

native rule was obtained partly from a fixed assessment in cash or

kind, called zar-i-kalang, partly from appraisement, and partly by

division of the crops. The system continued up to 1890, when batai

at a uniform rate of one-sixth of the produce and a grazing tax were

introduced. A fixed cash assessment was imposed on irrigated lands

for ten years from 1897, and is now about to be revised. The maxi-

mum incidence per acre on irrigated area was Rs. 3-9-4, the minimum

Rs. 1-6-2, and the average Rs. 2-0-4. In Shorarud, revenue was first

levied in 1882-3 at one-sixth of the produce, and from April, 1897,

a fixed cash assessment was imposed on irrigated lands. Large revenue-

free grants are held, especially in Pishm. The estimated annual value

of the land revenue thus alienated is Rs. 42,700. The total land reve-

nue of the District in 1903-4 was 1-5 lakhs, and the revenue from all

sources 3-2 lakhs. The land revenue yielded 47 per cent of the total,

stamps 12 per cent,, and excise 35 per cent.

 

The Quetta municipality was formally constituted in October, 1896.

Its affairs are managed by a committee, consisting of thirteen nominated

official and non-official members, with the Political Agent as ex-officio

president. The only Local fund is the Pishm Sadr and District bazar

fund, which is controlled by the Political Agent. Its chief source of

income is octroi, and its expenditure is incurred on objects of public

utility, principally at Pishm and Chaman. The income in 1903-4

amounted to Rs, 39,600 and the expenditure to Rs. 34,000.

 

QUETTA is the head-quarters of the fourth division of the Western

Command and has the usual staff. Besides the garrison of Quetta,

a Native infantry regiment is stationed at Chaman and detachments

are posted at Pishm and, to guard the Khojak tunnel, at Shelabagh

and Spmwana.

 

 

 

 

 

In 1904 the total force of police amounted to 519 men, of whom

362 were constables and 53 horsemen. The officers include a Dis-

trict Superintendent, an Assistant Superintendent, 5 inspectors, and

ii deputy-inspectors. The force was distributed in 17 stations. The

Quetta municipality pays for a force of 86 police, the cantonment

committee for 84, and Local funds for 24 watchmen. The local levies

number 487, including 170 mounted men. There is a District jail

at Quetta, and a subsidiary jail at Pishln, with total accommodation

for 139 male and 10 female prisoners. Convicts whose term exceeds

six months are generally sent to the Shikarpur jail in Smd.

 

In educational, as in other respects, the District is the most advanced

in the Province. In 1904 the number of Government and aided

schools was twelve, with 827 pupils, including 148 Indian girls and

44 European and Eurasian chilaren. The cost amounted to Rs. 23,500,

of which Rs. 7,700 was derived from fees and subscriptions, and

Rs. 7,100 from Provincial revenues, the balance being met by the

North-Western Railway and from Local funds. The three mission

schools had 85 pupils. About 900 pupils were under instruction in

mosque schools

 

The District possesses one Government-aided hospital, in charge of

a Civil Surgeon, and seven dispensaries, including a female dispensary

maintained from the Lady DufTerin fund. They contain accommoda-

tion for 118 in-patients. The total attendance of patients in 1903

was 63,310; the daily average attendance in Government institutions

being 59 in-patients and 211 out-patients. Two of these institutions

are maintained by the North-Western Railway, at Bostan and Shela-

bagh, and two receive grants from Local funds; the expenditure of

the others is met from Provincial revenues. In 1903 the total expen-

diture from Provincial revenues and Local funds amounted to Rs. 18,109.

The Church of England Medical Mission maintains two hospitals, to

which 592 in-patients were admitted in 1902, while the out-patients

numbered 19,190.

 

Vaccination is compulsory in the town and cantonment of Quetta,

and there are indications that the people are beginning to prefer this

method to inoculation. The number of successful vaccinations in 1 903

was 2,660, or about 23 per 1,000 of the population.

 

[Settlement Report of the Pishln Tahsll (1899); J. H. Stocqueler,

Memorials of Afghanistan (Calcutta, 1843), Records, Geological Survey

of India, vol. xxvi, pt. ii of 1893.]