Quetta (Pashto: کوټه, Urdu: کوئٹہ) is a district in the northwestern part of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. According to 2023 Pakistani census population of Quetta District is 2,272,290 (2.2 million).
Quetta District
کوټه ولسوالۍ ضلع کوئٹہ | |
|---|---|
District | |
  | |
 Map of Balochistan with Quetta District highlighted | |
| Coordinates: 30°10′N 67°00′E / 30.167°N 67.000°E | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Balochistan |
| Division | Quetta |
| Established | April 1983 |
| Administrative Headquarters | Quetta Metropolitan Corporation |
| Administrative Towns | 5
|
| Government | |
| • Commissioner Quetta | Hamza Shafqaat |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Lieutenant (R) Saad Bin Asad |
| • Constituensy | NA-263 Quetta-II |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,447 km2 (1,331 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,680 m (5,510 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 2,272,290 |
| • Density | 660/km2 (1,700/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:00 (PKT) |
| • Summer (DST) | DST is not observed |
| ZIP Code | |
| NWD (area) code | 081 |
| ISO 3166 code | PK-BA |
| CNIC Code of Quetta District | 54400 |
| Website | www |
It is part of Quetta Division. The district is famous for its agriculture produce, most notably fruit orchards, including apples and grapes. The Hanna Valley is an area where almonds are grown. The population counted in the 1998 census was 760,000, while in 2010 it was estimated at 1,235,000,[3] and in 2017 at 2,275,699.[1][4]
History
editThe ancient name of Quetta was Shalkot, a term by which it is still known among the people of the country. The district was held in turns by the Ghaznavids, Ghurids, 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 rising power of the Mughals. The Ain-i-Akbari mentions both Shal and Pishin as supplying military service and revenue to Akbar, however these areas passed with Kandahar to the Safavids. On the rise of the Khilji power in Kandahar at the beginning of the eighteenth century, simultaneously with that of the Baloch in Kalat, Quetta and Pishin became i to the hand of british with the treaty of durand.[5]
British Era
editDuring the 19th century Quetta (Shalkot) was captured by the British troops during the Second Anglo-Afghan War of 1879.[5]
On the advance of the British Army of the Indus in 1839, Captain Bean was appointed the first Political Agent in Shalkot, and the country was managed by him on behalf of Shah Shuja-ul-mulk. After Sir Robert Sandeman's mission to Kalat in 1876, the Quetta Fort was occupied by his escort and the country was managed on behalf of the Khan of Kalat up to 1883, when it was leased to the British Government for an annual rent of Rs. 25,000 through a treaty between Khan and the British Empire. It was formed, with Pishin 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 (11 km) from that place. The boundary with Afghanistan was finally demarcated in 1895–1896.[5]
The city area of Shalkot was inhabited by the Kasi tribe and the surroundings were occupied by the Bazai tribe with a few other nomads including the tribes of Sulaimankhail, Kharoti, Nasar, and Baitanai. Being on the outskirts of Kandahar, it was not much developed. With the arrival of British troops, doors of development were opened. Very soon, people saw roads, trains and schools in the area.[5]
Administrative divisions
editSubdivisions
editIn 1975, Quetta and Pishin were made separate districts. Quetta District today consists of two towns[6] and one sub-tehsil. Quetta District was designated as a City District in 2001, having two tehsils and one sub-tehsil with a total of 67 union councils.
- Tehsil Quetta City
- Tehsil Quetta Saddar
- Sub-Tehsil Panjpai
Also categorized as the following:
Demographics
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | N/A | — |
| 1961 | N/A | — |
| 1972 | N/A | — |
| 1981 | N/A | — |
| 1998 | 774,547 | — |
| 2017 | 2,269,473 | +5.82% |
| 2023 | 2,595,492 | +2.26% |
| Sources:[7] | ||
Population
editAccording to 2023 census, the district had a population of 2,595,492[8].
Religion
editIn the 2023 census, Islam was the predominant religion at 98.59% of the population, while Christians were 1.1% of the population.[2]
Language
editAt the time of the 2023 census, 59.95% of the population spoke Pashto, 15.51% Brahui, 7.38% Balochi, 2.95% Punjabi, 2.56% Urdu, 1.34% Sindhi, 1.09% Saraiki and 0.82% Hindko as their first language. Around 200,000 speakers of 'Other' languages were recorded in the census, mainly Hazaragi.[9] Hazaras, who speak Dari, are one of the other main ethnic groups in Quetta, having fled there as refugees since the 1990s.
In 1998, 74% of the population resided in urban areas.[10] The major religion was Islam (96%), but there were also Christian (2.7%) and Hindu (0.5%) communities.[11] The most common first languages according to the 1998 census were Pashto (70%), Balochi (18%) and Punjabi (10%).[12] The number for Balochi speakers also included speakers of Brahui, who are normally bilingual with Balochi. Languages in the 1981 census were counted at the level of the household: Pashto was the language of 36% of households, Punjabi at 19%, Brahui at 17%, Urdu at 11% and Balochi at 5.1%.[13] There is also a population of Hazaras.[14]
| Religious group |
1901[15] | 1911[16] | 1921[17] | 1931[18] | 1941[19] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam 
|
96,600 | 84.67% | 106,702 | 83.59% | 103,456 | 75.47% | 107,945 | 73.16% | 113,288 | 72.49% |
Hinduism 
|
11,752 | 10.3% | 13,746 | 10.77% | 22,300 | 16.27% | 26,718 | 18.11% | 28,629 | 18.32% |
Christianity 
|
3,743 | 3.28% | 4,564 | 3.58% | 6,139 | 4.48% | 7,370 | 5% | 5,441 | 3.48% |
Sikhism 
|
1,798 | 1.58% | 2,430 | 1.9% | 4,848 | 3.54% | 5,255 | 3.56% | 8,787 | 5.62% |
Zoroastrianism 
|
151 | 0.13% | 137 | 0.11% | 151 | 0.11% | 161 | 0.11% | 73 | 0.05% |
Judaism 
|
43 | 0.04% | 47 | 0.04% | 16 | 0.01% | 15 | 0.01% | 11 | 0.01% |
Jainism 
|
0 | 0% | 9 | 0.01% | 8 | 0.01% | 32 | 0.02% | 7 | 0% |
Buddhism .svg){kind=small}
|
— | — | 12 | 0.01% | 159 | 0.12% | 40 | 0.03% | 42 | 0.03% |
| Tribal | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Others | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 5 | 0% | 5 | 0% | 11 | 0.01% |
| Total population | 114,087 | 100% | 127,648 | 100% | 137,082 | 100% | 147,541 | 100% | 156,289 | 100% |
| Note: British Baluchistan era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases. | ||||||||||
Notable people
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "District And Tehsil Level Population Summary - Quetta District" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ a b c "Pakistan census 2023" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan website.
- ^ PDD 2011, p. viii.
- ^ "Screenshot of Itunes Library - Archived Platform Itunes 2010". doi:10.3998/mpub.11435021.cmp.6. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b c d Quetta-Pishin - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 21, p. 13-14
- ^ a b c "Towns & Unions in the City District of Quetta". National Reconstruction Bureau, Government of Pakistan website. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ "Population by Sex, Religion and Rural/Urban, Census - 2023" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ "Pakistan Census 2023" (PDF).
- ^ 1998 Census, pp. 17, 21.
- ^ 1998 Census, p. 20.
- ^ 1998 Census, p. 22.
- ^ 1981 Census, p. 77.
- ^ 1998 Census, p. 7.
- ^ "Census of India 1901. Vol. 5A, Baluchistan. Pt. 2, Imperial tables". 1901. p. 5. JSTOR saoa.crl.25352844. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "Census of India 1911. Vol. 4, Baluchistan : pt. 1, Report; pt. 2, Tables". 1911. p. 11. JSTOR saoa.crl.25393764. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "Census of India 1921. Vol. 4, Baluchistan : part I, Report; part II, Tables". 1921. p. 165. JSTOR saoa.crl.25394124. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "Census of India 1931. Vol. 4, Baluchistan. Pts. 1 & 2, Report [and] Imperial and provincial tables". 1931. p. 390. JSTOR saoa.crl.25797115. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ India Census Commissioner (1941). "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 14, Baluchistan". p. 17. JSTOR saoa.crl.28215993. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
Bibliography
edit- 1981 District census report of Quetta. Vol. 2. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 1983.
- 1998 District census report of Quetta. Census publication. Vol. 158. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 2001.
- Planning & Development Department, Government of Balochistan (2011). Quetta District Development Profile (PDF) (Report).
External links
edit
- Quetta District at www
.balochistan .gov .pk - Quetta District Archived 23 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine at www
.balochistanpolice .gov .pk