District Headquarter: Khuzdar

Date of Notification: 1st March 1974

Area: 43,261 sq.km.

Population: 525,000

Number of Tehsils: 04

Number of Sub Tehsils: 07

Number of Unions: 35

Major Ethnic Groups:

   A vast majority of the population is Brahvi speaking Baloch.

Major Languages:

  Brahvi is spoken in a vast majority (80.6%) of the households followed by Balochi (13.9%).

Tribes:

    Zehri, Mengal, Bajoi, M.Hasni, Kurd, Jattak, Lehri, Sumalani, Qalandrani, Bizenjo, Raes, Rakhshani, Sajidi.

Climate:

   Semi-arid with warm summer and mild Winter.

Major Crops:

     Wheat,Cotton, Rice, Onion, Tomato, Bajra.

Important Minerals:

     Verona ,Barite, chromite, granite, marble, limestone, manganese and building stone

Energy (sources):

       Mainly fuel wood is used for cooking and heating while kerosene lamps are major source of light.

Economy:

         Agriculture is the major economic activity followed by livestock farming

History:

           Khuzdar was notified as a separate district on 1st March 1974. Previously  Khuzdar was a part of Kalat District. Khuzdar has also the credit of becoming the Divisional headquarter of Kalat Division since establishment/creation of Kalat as Division There was a time when, area wise, Khuzdar was the biggest District of the country till the separation of Awaran as a District in 1992. The history of Khuzdar, like that of the rest of Balochistan, is in great obscurity. 

Under a treaty with Kalat, the British appointed a political agent at Khuzdar in 1903. British assistance continued until 1947, after which the area was forcibly made part of Pakistan, and became part of the Baluchistan States Union. When the Baluchistan States Union became Kalat Division, Khuzdar was established as the divisional headquarters. The divisional administration of Pakistan ended in 2000. Khuzdar was re-established as the Divisional headquarters in June 2009 by the Pakistan Peoples Party Government.

Very little definite information is available about the area before the advent of the Arabs who ousted the Rai dynasty of Sind in the 7th century. It is possible that some parts of the army of Alexander the Great traversed the country when the conqueror was in the Indus valley (presently upper Sind). The central position of Khuzdar, as the point of convergence of roads from Multan (via the Moola pass), Makran and Kandhar (province of Afghanistan), made it a very important place for the Arabs invading India. It is probable, too, that its moderate climate made the locality acceptable to them. In the time of the Arabs, Khuzdar was protected by a small fortress. The strong fortress was probably on the peak overlooking the valley, which is now known as Biradari (Shahi Bagh). An Arab poet wrote about Khuzdar, “what a beautiful country is Kusdar (Khuzdar). How distinguished are its inhabitants.”

Therefore, the Arabs made frequent attacks upon Khuzdar and in 664 AD, in the caliphate of Muawiya, Al-Manzar, son of Al-Jarud-al-Abdi, who had been appointed to the frontiers of India after conquering Nukan and Kikan, captured Khuzdar. Al-Manzar is said to have died here. During the caliphate of Al-Mutasimbillah (833-41 AD), Umar, who was nominated as governor of Sind, transferred the inhabitants of Kandabel (Gandava) to Khuzdar.

In 976 AD, Khuzdar was governed by an Arab named Muin bin Ahmed. A year later Amir Nasir-ud-din Subuktegin commenced a series of invasions to India. He conquered Khuzdar, but its possession was restored to its previous rulers through a treaty. The treaty stipulated that immediately a sum of money was to be paid and that the ruler would thereafter send a tribute every year. Subuktegin again attacked the recalcitrant ruler. During the days of Mahmud Ghaznivi, the rulers of Khuzdar again became disaffected and withheld the tribute. Mahmud Ghaznivis marched to Khuzdar and took the rulers by surprise. It was indeed owing to Mahmud’s possession of Khuzdar that his subsequent conquests in Sind were chiefly effective. Khuzdar was included in Mahmud’s territory in 1031 AD. With the downfall of the Ghaznivids, Khuzdar passed to the Ghorids and then to Nasir-ud-din Kabacha. In 1225 AD Khuzdar submitted to Shamsuddin Altamash.

Afterwards, the country appears to have passed to the suzerainty of the Mughals. In 1590 AD Abdul Fazal speaks of the Zehri section of the Baloch tribe. Decline of the Mughal power was followed by the rise of the Brahvis to a position of greater or lesser independence.

During the reign of Mir Mahmud Khan, Pottinger visited Jhalawan in 1810 AD, traveling to Kalat via Bela and Khuzdar. He described Khuzdar as a small town not having more than 500 houses.

The influence of Hindus from Multan and Shikarpur appears to have been very great, so much, that the keys of the town gate were entrusted to the then senior Brahmin every night. During the 18th century, the people of Khuzdar were very religious. The rulers of that period seriously implemented the Islamic Laws. Since the death of Gauhar Khan, chief of Jhalawan, the area has enjoyed a long period of repose.

Khuzdar region was full of karezes and lush green cultivation at the times it was a province of Khurasan. Khuzdar was situated on the route for caravans taking merchandise on camel back to the port Makran for export to middle-east countries. The forces of Muhammad bin Qasim passed through this area gaining access to Sind through the Moola pass. The mud-fort in Khuzdar was built by the Khan Khuda Dad Khan in 1870, during a war with Jams of Lasbela.

In 1903, the British government appointed a political agent at Khuzdar to carry out the administrative affairs of the government .This administrative system continued till the partition of India. Before March 1974, Khuzdar was a sub-division of Kalat district. To serve the people and solve their problems at their doorstep, Khuzdar was awarded the status of district on 15th March 1974. Now, Khuzdar is divisional headquarters of Kalat.

Topography:

Khuzdar District is in the south-eastern part of Balochistan. It lays between 25 -42’ to    28 -52’ north latitudes and 66 -15’ and 67 -25’ longitudes. The greatest length from north to south is about 318 kilometers and the greatest width from east to west is about 175 kilometers. The total area of District Khuzdar is 43,261 square kilometers whereas Khuzdar is about 1,600 meters above the sea level.

The District is surrounded by Kalat District in the north and north-west, Kachhi, Kambar, Shahdad Kot and Dadu Districts in the east, Lasbela District in the south and Awaran District in the south-west and west. The general character of the District is mountainous, consisting of numerous ridges and valleys of varying width. The important hill ranges are Koh-e-Wasti Brahvi, Kirthar, Shashan and Moda. Moola, Kolachi, Kalghalo Nal and Porali are the main rivers in the District. 

Climate:

On the basis of available meteorological data, the climate of Khuzdar can be categorized as ‘warm summer and mild winter’. However, the northern portion of the District gets extreme cold in winter and the peak of “KOOTO” in Tehsil Zehri occasionally receives snow fall during winter. The southern areas get warm during summer whereas the climate of Khuzdar is mostly moderate. Annual rainfall is more than 250mm, thus, it makes the District as semi-arid area. The principal winds are the northerly (locally known as Goreech) and the southern and south-eastern wing (locally called as Numbi). The blowing of Numbi mostly indicates the arrival of rain. 

Annual Mean Rainfall:

The rainfall record is irregular. There is heavy rainfall in summer. The average rainfall of the District is quite enough in normal conditions to ensure growth of considerable vegetation for livestock grazing. Since the whole land of the District is steeply, so the rainy water flows fast and causes soil erosion. Annual rainfall is more than 250mm.