The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998/Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso/B/Baluchistan/INFOTEXT

Text File | 1992-09-03 | 1KB | 29 lines

Mountainous desert area, comprising a
province of Pakistan, part of the Iranian
province of Sistan and Baluchestan, and a
small area of Afghanistan.
The Pakistani province has an area of 347,200
sq km/134,019 sq mi and a population (1985)
of 4,908,000; its capital is Quetta. Sistan
and Baluchestan has an area of 181,600 sq
km/70,098 sq mi and a population (1986) of
1,197,000; its capital is Zahedan. The port
of Gwadar in Pakistan is strategically
important, on the Indian Ocean and the Strait
of Hormuz. history Originally a loose tribal
confederation, Baluchistan was later divided
into four principalities that were sometimes
under Persian, sometimes under Afghan
suzerainty. In the 19th century British
troops tried to subdue the inhabitants until
a treaty in 1876 gave them autonomy in
exchange for British army outposts along the
Afghan border and strategic roads. On the
partition of India 1947 the khan of Khalat
declared Baluchistan independent; the
insurrection was crushed by the new Pakistani
army after eight months. Three rebellions
followed, the last being from 1973 to 1977,
when 3,300 Pakistani soldiers and some 6,000
Baloch were killed.