The Khetran are a Baloch tribe found primarily in the northeast of the

Balochistan province Balochistan (; bal, بلۏچستان; ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southwestern region of the country, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by land area but is the least populated one. It shares land ...

of Pakistan. Their area is a large hilly tract in the

Sulaiman Mountains The Sulaiman Mountains, also known as Kōh-e Sulaymān ( Balochi/Urdu/ fa, ; "Mountains of Solomon") or Da Kasē Ghrūna ( ps, د كسې غرونه; "Mountains of Kasi"), are a north–south extension of the southern Hindu Kush mountain system i ...

comprising the whole of

Barkhan District Barkhan ( Balochi: بارکھئوں, ur, , ) is a district in the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It shares its borders with the province of Punjab to the east and the Balochistan districts of Dera Bugti to the south, Kohlu to the west, Lor ...

as well as small parts of neighbouring

Kohlu District Kohlu district ( bal, کوہلو, ur, ) is a district of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is bounded in the north by Loralai District, Dera Bugti in the south, Barkhan in the east, and Sibi District in the west. Demographics At the ...

to the south-west, and Musakhel District to the north. The total population is about 150,000, and at least two-thirds are speakers of the

Khetrani language Khetrānī, or Khetranki, is an Indo-Aryan language of north-eastern Balochistan. It is spoken by the majority of the Khetrans, a Baloch tribe that occupies a hilly tract in the Sulaiman Mountains comprising the whole of Barkhan District as well ...

. The are also Khetrans who have settled to the east in the

Dera Ghazi Khan District Dera Ghazi Khan (Urdu and pnb, , Saraiki: , bal, ڈیرہ غازی خان) is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Its capital is the town of Dera Ghazi Khan. Most of its inhabitants are Saraikis and Baloch. The district lies t ...

of Punjab; they speak the

Saraiki language Saraiki ( '; also spelt Siraiki, or Seraiki) is an Indo-Aryan language of the Lahnda group, spoken by 26 million people primarily in the south-western half of the province of Punjab in Pakistan. It was previously known as Multani, after it ...

Khetran-Bugti relationships

In 1845 under the command of Sir Charles James Napier 7,000 men attacked the

Bugti Bugti ( bal, بُگٹی ) is a Baloch tribe found in eastern Balochistan, Pakistan. , it was estimated to comprise over 180,000 people, mostly living in the Dera Bugti region of Pakistan. They are in turn divided into the Rahija,Marhita, Perozani, ...

s, killing many of them. Khetrans provided sanctuary to hundreds of Bugtis who took refuge in their lands. In 1847 Sir William attacked the Bugtis with full strength; this time the Bugtis lost 500 fighting men and 120 got arrested. Marris took the opportunity and also attacked the Bugtis, seizing much of their area. The Bugtis went to the Khetran Sardar and asked for his help; that same year a combined attack of Khetrans and Bugtis drove the Marris off, killing more than 70 of their men and taking possession of their cattle.

Struggle against the British

Both war parties of Khetrans and the Marris attacked

Kohlu Kohlu (Urdu and bal, ) is the capital of Kohlu District in Pakistan's Balochistan province.In· May 1892 a sub-tahsil was established at Kohlu, the income being treated as a part of the Zhob Zhob (; ) or Zhobak (), formerly known as Appozai ...

police station. After looting and then burning it down they attacked a post of Gumband Lavy and also raised it do the ground. All entry points towards the city of Kohlu were sealed off by these war parties. February 1918,

was facing a threat of Khetran and Marri army. On 1 March Khar was attacked. Post office and a rest house was burned down. They also cleaned their hands on some weapons stored in post office. On 5 March they looted the city of Barkhan where government treasury was kept. Khetran army gathered in Rakni and Bawoata and then attacked Border Military burning down three of their posts. On 15 March Khetrans were seen along with Marris inside Fort Minro. That night government buildings and Bungalows were burnt down. Khetrans, Marris and

s yearly did damage of 25,000 Rupees and of 25 lives."Tareekh-e-Balochistan " by Bahadur Hattu Ram, summary by Saleem Akhtar page 80 .

References

{{Baloch tribes Social groups of Pakistan Baloch tribes Saraiki tribes