district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
in 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
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. Its capital is the city of
Khuzdar
Khuzdar ( Brahui/ bal, ; ur, , ), historically known as Qusdar ( ar, قصدار, quṣdār), is the capital city of Khuzdar District in the central part of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Khuzdar is the 2nd-largest city of Balochistan province ...
.
Until its establishment as a district in 1974 it was part of
Kalat District
Kalat or Qalat ( Balochi and Brahui: ; ur, ) is a district in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is one of 26 in that province, and encompasses an area of . The population of the district is estimated to be over 400,000 in 2005. The district is governe ...
. In November 1992 part of the territory of Khuzdar was split off to form the new district of Awaran.
Overview
Towns and cities in Balochistan are not as big as compared to other provinces generally due to scarcity of water and abundance of arid and wastelands. Khuzdar, though one of the important cities of Balochistan is a small sized city located in Khuzdar District in Balochistan, Pakistan. The city of Khuzdar is situated on National Highway linking Pakistan, Iran and Turkey. It is about 400 km from Karachi and 300 km from
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
, both of them being major cities in the country.
During the period of Arab rule, this region formed the province of Turan, with Khuzdar as the capital. It was an important cantonment and was the headquarters of the Arab General Commanding the Indian frontier. Later Khuzdar became a part of the Kalat State. It was the scene of a battle between the people of
Jhalawan
Jhalawan ( Brahui: جھالاوان) was an administrative division of the Khanate of Kalat, a princely state of Brahui that acceded to Pakistan in 1947. It was established in the 17th century and its boundary was fixed with Sindh in 1853. ...
and the
Khan of Kalat
The Khanate of Kalat ( bal, کلاتءِ ھانات) was a Baloch Khanate that existed from 1512 to 1955 in the centre of the modern-day province of Balochistan, Pakistan. Its rulers were Brahui speakers. Prior to that they were subjects ...
in 1869. The Khan of Kalat Mir Khuda Khan was victorious and built a fort of painted pottery here. Close to the town are the ruins of an old fort built by the Arabs. Khuzdar is the capital of Khuzdar district. It is a district and divisional headquarters town in Balochistan. Previously part of the Kalat district, Khuzdar was upgraded as a separate district on 1 March 1974. The district is subdivided into four tehsils: Khuzdar, Zehri, Naal and Wadh. It is at the apex of a narrow valley at an elevation of 1,237 m (4.000 feet). Over 99% of the people of the area are Muslims. The population of Khuzdar district is estimated to be over 525,000 in 2005. The major tribes in the district are Gongav, Bizenjo, Mardoi Jattak, Hasni, Siapad, Nausherwani, moosiani Zehri, Mengal, Zarakzai, Ahmadzai' Rekizai ' Sasoli ' Kurd'. A large military complex is near completion near Khuzdar, which would make it the second largest Cantonment in Balochistan after Quetta.
A university is at the outskirts of Khuzdar, known as the heart of Balochistan. The city of Khuzdar is situated on National Highway linking Pakistan, Iran and Turkey.
The city has an airport near the university. The former college, now university is constructed on the foot-hills and is spread over an area of .
Administration
The district is administratively subdivided into five
tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
Khuzdar
Khuzdar ( Brahui/ bal, ; ur, , ), historically known as Qusdar ( ar, قصدار, quṣdār), is the capital city of Khuzdar District in the central part of Balochistan Province, Pakistan. Khuzdar is the 2nd-largest city of Balochistan province ...
Wadh
Wadh ( ur, ) is a
City in the Khuzdar District of Balochistan, Pakistan. The population of the City was 480,950 according to the 2017 census. Most of the inhabitants of the sub-district belong to the Mengal tribe . The land of Wadh is agricultur ...
* Zehri
The Union Council for each tehsil is given below:
* Khuzdar – Baghbana, Balina Khattan, Faizabad, Ferozabad, Gazgi, Khand, Parko, Sasol, Tootak, Zeedi, Zerina Khattan
* Moola – Abad KarKh, Moola, Sun Chakoo, Kharzan
* Nall – Durnaili, Goni Gresha, Hazar Ganji, Killi Alam Khan, Kocho, Nal, Ornach, Sar Raij
* Wadh – Arenji, Badari, Loop, Pesi Kapper, Saroona, Shah Noorani, Wadh, Waheer
* Zehri – Chashma, Ghat, Noorgama Zehri
Source: (Local Government, Balochistan, 2005)
Demographics
At the time of the 2017 census the district had a population of 798,896, of which 419,351 were males and 379,468 females. Rural population was 523,134 (65.48%) while the urban population was 275,762 (34.52%). The literacy rate was 35.90% - the male literacy rate was 43.19% while the female literacy rate was 27.93%. 4,317 people in the district were from religious minorities, mainly
Hindus
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
.
Languages
At the time of the 2017 census, 75.59% of the population spoke Brahui, 21.16% Balochi and 1.55%
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...
as their first language.
The majority of the population is made up of Brahui-speaking tribes, and according to the 1981 census Brahui was the first language in 82% of households, followed by Balochi with 13%. In the 1998 census, which did not gather data for Brahui, 96.7% of the population reported their language as Balochi, and % – as Punjabi.
Education
According to the
Pakistan District Education Rankings The Pakistan District Education Rankings are a series of 5 consecutive annual publications by Alif Ailaan, first published in 2013.
Pakistan District Education Rankings 2018
The last district rankings published by Alif Ailaan were in 2022.
Top ...
2017, district Khuzdar is ranked at number 122 out of the 141 ranked districts in Pakistan on the education score index. This index considers learning, gender parity and retention in the district.
Literacy rate in 2014–15 of population 10 years and older in the district stands at 45% whereas for females it is only 26%.Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (2016). ''Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey 2014-15''. nlineIslamabad: Government of Pakistan, p.111. Available at: http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files//pslm/publications/PSLM_2014-15_National-Provincial-District_report.pdfccessed 6 Aug. 2018
Post primary access is a major issue in the district with 87% schools being at primary level. Compare this with high schools which constitute only 5% of government schools in the district. This is also reflected in the enrolment figures for 2016–17 with 23,848 students enrolled in class 1 to 5 and only 698 students enrolled in class 9 and 10.
Gender disparity is another issue in the district. Only 30% schools in the district are girls’ schools. Access to education for girls is a major issue in the district and is also reflected in the low literacy rates for females.
Moreover, the schools in the district lack basic facilities. According to
Alif Ailaan
Alif Ailaan ( ur, ) was a nonprofit organization working in the field of education in Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. Launched by a team of media and communications specialists, the program aimed to highlight education on priority basis in Pakistan ...
district education rankings 2017, the district is ranked at number 127 out of the 155 districts of Pakistan for primary school infrastructure. At the middle school level, it is ranked at number 133 out of the 155 districts. These rankings take into account the basic facilities available in schools including drinking water, working toilet, availability of electricity, existence of a boundary wall and general building condition. More than 4 out of 5 schools do not have electricity in them. 1 out 3 schools lack a toilet and 1 out of 2 do not have a boundary wall. 1 out of 3 schools do not have clean drinking water.In Khuzdar District 48 Private Schools,Sunrise School 1st private school Established in 1992.