State of Las Bela
Encyclopedia
Las Bela was a princely state
in British India (later Pakistan
) which existed until 1955. The state occupied an area of 18254 km² (7,047.9 sq mi) in the extreme southeast of the Balochistan
province with an extensive coastline on the Arabian Sea
to the south. Las Bela was bordered by the princely states of Kalat
and Makran
to the north and west. To the east lay the province of Sind and to the southeast lay the Federal Capital Territory
around the city of Karachi
.
. For a period of three years between 3 October 1952 and 14 October 1955, Las Bela was part of the Baluchistan States Union
but retained internal autonomy. In 1955, Las Bela was incorporated into the new province of West Pakistan
and became part of Kalat division
. In 1962, the area of Las Bela was detached from Kalat division and merged with the former Federal Capital Territory to form the division of Karachi-Bela
. When the provincial system was changed in 1970, Las Bela became part of the new province of Balochistan
.
and Sindhis
. The population was mainly Muslim
but there was a significant population of Hindu
s.
. The sea breezes though make the weather less extreme than inland Balochistan, where 50 °C (122 °F) in the summer and a foot of snow in the winter is usual.
.The Samma Dynasty took the title "Jam", the equivalent of "King" or "Sultan", because they claimed to be descended from Jamshid
. This is almost certainly fictitious.
Prominent members of the family after the end of the princely state included:
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
in British India (later Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
) which existed until 1955. The state occupied an area of 18254 km² (7,047.9 sq mi) in the extreme southeast of the Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
province with an extensive coastline on the Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
to the south. Las Bela was bordered by the princely states of Kalat
State of Kalat
Kalat or Qalat was a princely state located in the centre of the modern province of Balochistan, Pakistan. The state capital was the town of Kalat.-Geography:The State of Kalat was located between 25°1′ and...
and Makran
State of Makran
Makran was an autonomous princely state of both British India and Pakistan, which ceased to exist in 1955. It was located in the extreme southwest of Pakistan, an area occupied by the districts of Gwadar, Kech and Panjgur...
to the north and west. To the east lay the province of Sind and to the southeast lay the Federal Capital Territory
Federal Capital Territory (Pakistan)
The Federal Capital Territory around Karachi was the original capital territory of Pakistan. The FCT was created in 1948 from the city of Karachi and surrounding areas as the location for Pakistan's capital following independence...
around the city of Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
.
History
The State of Las Bela was founded in 1742 by Ali Khan I. His descendants ruled Las Bela until 1955 when the state became part of West PakistanWest Pakistan
West Pakistan , common name West-Pakistan , in the period between its establishment on 22 November 1955 to disintegration on December 16, 1971. This period, during which, Pakistan was divided, ended when East-Pakistan was disintegrated and succeeded to become which is now what is known as Bangladesh...
. For a period of three years between 3 October 1952 and 14 October 1955, Las Bela was part of the Baluchistan States Union
Baluchistan States Union
The Baluchistan States Union existed between 3 October 1952 and 14 October 1955 in southwest Pakistan. It was formed by the states of Kalat, Kharan, Las Bela and Makran with the capital at the town of Kalat. The area of the Union was roughly the western half of the modern province of Balochistan...
but retained internal autonomy. In 1955, Las Bela was incorporated into the new province of West Pakistan
West Pakistan
West Pakistan , common name West-Pakistan , in the period between its establishment on 22 November 1955 to disintegration on December 16, 1971. This period, during which, Pakistan was divided, ended when East-Pakistan was disintegrated and succeeded to become which is now what is known as Bangladesh...
and became part of Kalat division
Kalat District
Kalat or Qalat is a district in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is one of 26 in that province, and encompasses an area of 6,621 km². The population of the district is estimated to be over 400,000 in 2005. The district is governed from the city of Kalat....
. In 1962, the area of Las Bela was detached from Kalat division and merged with the former Federal Capital Territory to form the division of Karachi-Bela
Karachi Division
Karachi Division was an administrative division of the Sindh Province of Pakistan, until the reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government. It contained five districts.Today the area is covered by the Karachi City District.-Districts:...
. When the provincial system was changed in 1970, Las Bela became part of the new province of Balochistan
Balochistan (Pakistan)
Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
.
Demographics
The main ethnic groups in Las Bela are BalochBaloch people
The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
and Sindhis
Sindhi people
Sindhis are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, a province Formerly of British India, now in Pakistan. Today Sindhis that live in Pakistan belong to various religious denominations including Islam, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity...
. The population was mainly Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
but there was a significant population of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s.
Geography and climate
Las Bela has a hot, dry tropical desert climate. It is only a few degrees north of the Tropic of CancerTropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer, also referred to as the Northern tropic, is the circle of latitude on the Earth that marks the most northerly position at which the Sun may appear directly overhead at its zenith...
. The sea breezes though make the weather less extreme than inland Balochistan, where 50 °C (122 °F) in the summer and a foot of snow in the winter is usual.
Rulers
The hereditary rulers of Las Bela were styled as Jam SahibJam Sahib
Jam Sahib is the title of the ruling prince of Nawanagar, now known as Jamnagar, an Indian princely state. The Jam Sahibs were from the Jam Jadeja clan , who are a branch of Samma Rajput...
.The Samma Dynasty took the title "Jam", the equivalent of "King" or "Sultan", because they claimed to be descended from Jamshid
Jamshid
Jamshid is a mythological figure of Greater Iranian culture and tradition.In tradition and folklore, Jamshid is described as having been the fourth and greatest king of the epigraphically unattested Pishdadian dynasty . This role is already alluded to in Zoroastrian scripture Jamshid (Middle-...
. This is almost certainly fictitious.
| Tenure | Jams of Las Bela |
|---|---|
| 1742–1765 | Jam Ali Khan I (surnamed Kathuria) |
| 1765–1776 | Jam Ghulam Shah |
| 1776–1818 | Mir Khan I |
| 1818–1830 | Ali Khan II |
| 1830–1869 | Mir Khan II (CIE Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion... , KCIE KCIE KCIE may refer to:* Knight Commander, one of the ranks of the Order of the Indian Empire* KCIE , a radio station licensed to Dulce, New Mexico, United States... ) (1st time) |
| 1869–1886 | Sir Ali Khan III (KCIE KCIE KCIE may refer to:* Knight Commander, one of the ranks of the Order of the Indian Empire* KCIE , a radio station licensed to Dulce, New Mexico, United States... ) (1st time) |
| 1886 - 21 January 1888 | Sir Mir Khan II (KCIE KCIE KCIE may refer to:* Knight Commander, one of the ranks of the Order of the Indian Empire* KCIE , a radio station licensed to Dulce, New Mexico, United States... ) (2nd time) |
| 21 January 1888 - May 1896 | Sir Ali Khan III (2nd time) |
| May 1896 - March 1921 | Kamal Khan (CIE Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion... ) |
| March 1921 - 1937 | Ghulam Mohammad Khan (GCIE) |
| 1937 - 14 October 1955 | Ghulam Qadir Khan (CIE Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion... ) |
| 14 October 1955 | State of Las Bela dissolved |
Prominent members of the family after the end of the princely state included:
- Jam Ghulam Qadir Khan former Chief Minister of Balochistan province
- Jam Mohammad Yousaf former Chief Minister of Balochistan province
- Prince Jam Ali AkbarPrince Jam Ali AkbarJam Ali Akber شهزاده جام علي اكبر خان : Belonged to the Lasbela House of Royal, is the Ex-Provintial Minister of Balochistan Province. He has become Member Provintial Assembly of Balochistan twice.- See also :* Jam Ghulam Qadir Khan...
former Provincial Minister of Balochistan Province.
- Prince Jam Kamal KhanPrince Jam Kamal KhanJam Kamal Khan Alyani شهزاده جام كمال خان عالياني: Belongs to the Lasbela House of Royal, famous Jam family of Lasbela. Was the District Nazim of the District Governmentl Lasbela District in Pakistan and the elder son of Jam of Lasbela, Jam Mohammad Yousaf .- Family :The State of Las Bela was...
Nazim District Council of Lasbela.
See also
- Lasbela DistrictLasbela DistrictLasbela is a coastal district of Balochistan province of Pakistan. It became a separate district in Kalat Division on 30 June 1954. The name is derived from the words Las which in Sanskrit signifies a settlement or lived in or lively and Bela which means "A Sea's Shore" in Sanskrit and is also the...
- Balochistan ProvinceBalochistan (Pakistan)Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
- List of Indian Princely States