Quetta-Pishin
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
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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 which 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, however, 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.]
