Quetta's Identity Reignites Debate As Leaders Clash Over Balochistan's Demographics

Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif stated during a session of the National Assembly, while addressing the security situation in Balochistan, that approximately 50 percent of the province's population is Baloch and 34 percent is Pashtun.

Responding to this statement, Mahmood Khan Achakzai argued that incorrect population figures had been provided. He maintained that the Pashtun population in Balochistan is approximately 50 percent. The issue of population ratios in Balochistan has previously been a source of debate and controversy.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai also delivered a detailed account of Quetta's historical background, citing various documentary references. Referring to the Treaty of Gandamak, he described Quetta as historically belonging to the Kasi, Bazai, and Yasinzai Kakar tribes, asserting that no Baloch tribal chief or feudal lord had ancestral ownership of the land.

Quoting the British Gazetteer, he stated:“Quetta is entirely an Afghan city; the Baloch here hold only nominal status. Although around 9 percent of the population is Brahui, the Lehri and Shahwani tribes are primarily cultivators.”

Following these remarks, strong reactions emerged from Baloch circles on social media. In this context, an effort was made to review historical records to better understand the debate in light of documented history.

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Historically, Afghan–Baloch relations have experienced various ups and downs. There existed a“big brother–little brother” dynamic between the Afghan state and Baloch leadership. However, in the sixteenth century, Mughal and Persian pressures disrupted this relationship.

Mir Abdullah Khan Brohi refused to accept official rank under the Afghan state, but in 1733 Shah Hussain Hotak once again recognized the Khans of Kalat as officials of Afghanistan. Later, Nadir Shah Afshar defeated the Hotak rulers.

After the establishment of Ahmad Shah Abdali's empire in 1747, Mir Naseer Khan Noori was released and reinstated as ruler of Kalat. This relationship continued in different forms until 1854.

British intervention in the subcontinent and Afghanistan reshaped the political structure of the region. Under the 1841 agreement, Brahui–British relations formally began, and Mir Naseer Khan acknowledged himself as an official under the Shah of Kabul. However, the May 14, 1854 agreement ended this status, and Kalat remained under British influence until August 1947.

Following the 1879 Anglo–Afghan Treaty of Gandamak, the Pashtun areas of present-day Balochistan, including Quetta, were gradually separated from Afghanistan, and in 1887 they were designated as British Balochistan. In contrast, southern Baloch territories - including Kalat, Lasbela, Makran, and Kharan - remained princely states, which were later merged into the Balochistan States Union in 1952.

British Balochistan was administered as a Chief Commissioner's Province, governed through a 52-member Shahi Jirga, in which only a few Baloch representatives were included. In October 1955, under the One Unit scheme, Pashtun and Baloch areas were administratively merged. After the dissolution of One Unit, the present-day province of Balochistan was formed on June 30, 1970. However, some Pashtun circles consider the provincial name politically contentious in the context of national identity.

According to Section 3 of the Imperial Gazetteer of Balochistan, Quetta was geographically and ethnically situated within Pashtun areas, although administratively attached to Kalat. Sir Olaf Caroe, in his book The Pathans, described the Bolan Pass as the boundary between Pashtun and Baloch regions, with Pashtuns residing to the north and Baloch to the south.

Historically, Quetta was also known as“Shal.” Some narratives suggest that Shal was gifted to Mir Naseer Khan's mother; however, historical records indicate that the Battle of Mashhad took place in 1749, whereas Shal, Mastung, Duki, and Pishin had already been recorded as eastern districts of Kandahar prior to that.

In the Ain-i-Akbari (1597–98), Abul Fazl mentioned Shal and Mastung, noting that Afghan Kasi tribes resided in these areas, while also recording the presence of Baloch populations in Mastung.

On this matter, Sanaullah Baloch, Information Secretary of the Balochistan National Party (Mengal), former MPA, and Senator, stated that the question of Quetta's ownership is politically irrelevant at this time. According to him, the focus should instead be on injustices and deprivations faced by Balochistan.

Meanwhile, Advocate Humayun Khan Kasi maintains that historical references support the claim that Quetta belonged to Kasi and other Pashtun tribes, arguing that land transactions cannot serve as the basis for defining collective national boundaries.

Where administrative divisions and ownership claims overlap, it becomes essential to examine historical facts with integrity. For the stability of national boundaries and socio-political identity, such matters should be addressed through documented history and realistic dialogue, in order to ensure a peaceful and stable future for coming generations.

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