Quetta

The name Quetta is a variation of the Balochi word Shaal kot or kōta meaning "gifted to the sister of the ruler of kalat state".[7] Quetta was formerly known as Shalkot ( Balochi: شال کوٹ),[8]

Quetta Fort Mirri

The immediate area has long been one of pastures and mountains with varied plants and animals relative to the dry plains to the west.

From 11th century, the land of Quetta was owned and ruled by the Kasi Pashtun tribe. It was captured by Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi during his invasion of South Asia.[9] In 1543, Mughal emperor Humayun came to Quetta en route to Safavid Persia, leaving his son and future Mughal emperor Akbar here. In 1709, the region was a part of Afghan Hotak dynasty and stayed a part until 1747 when Ahmed Shah Durrani conquered it and made it a part of Durrani Empire. The first European visited Quetta in 1828, describing it as mud-walled fort surrounded by three hundred mud houses.[10]

In 1876, Quetta was occupied by the British and subsequently incorporated into British India.[9] In 1856, British General John Jacob had urged his government to occupy Quetta given its strategic position on the western frontier.[11] British troops constructed the infrastructure for their establishment.

Map of Quetta in 1935

By the time of the earthquake on 31 May 1935, Quetta had developed into a bustling city with a number of skyscraper buildings and so was known as "Little London". The epicenter of the earthquake was close to the city and destroyed most of the city's infrastructure, killing an estimated 40,000 people.[12]

The population of the city is around one million. In 2016, it was estimated at 1,140,000,[19] but the 2017 Census revealed a total of 1,001,205. This makes it the largest city in Balochistan province and one of the major cities of Pakistan. The scholars disagree about the demographics of the city. According to some, the city has a Pashtun plurality followed by Baloch people. The Hazaras and the settlers from other areas of Pakistan also live here.[20] Others think the city has a Pashtun majority followed by Balochs, Hazaras, Brahui, Punjabis and Muhajir people.[21][22][23] Urdu being the national language is used and understood by all the residents and serves as a lingua franca.

According to Reuters and the BBC, there are as many as 500,000-600,000 Hazaras living in Quetta and its surrounding areas.[24][25]

Religious groups in Quetta City (1941 & 2017)[lower-alpha 1]

Religious group	1941[26]: 13–14		2017[27][28]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	27,935	43.33%	975,815	97.64%
Hinduism	24,010	37.24%	6,112	0.61%
Sikhism	7,364	11.42%	—	—
Christianity	5,024	7.79%	16,842	1.69%
Zoroastrianism	73	0.11%	—	—
Buddhism	42	0.07%	—	—
Judaism	11	0.02%	—	—
Jainism	6	0.01%	—	—
Ahmadiyya	—	—	363	0.04%
Others	11	0.02%	253	0.03%
Total population	64,476	100%	999,385	100%

At the local level, the city is governed by a municipal corporation consisting of 66 ward members which elects a mayor and a deputy mayor.[1] In addition, Quetta Development Authority is responsible for provision of municipal services for the city.[29]

Passengers boarding a Chaman bound train at Baleli, Quetta

Quetta railway station was built during the British Raj

Quetta is on the western side of Pakistan and is connected to the rest of the country by a network of roads, railways and its international airport close to its centre.

At an altitude of 1,605 metres (5,266 feet) above sea level, Quetta International Airport is the second highest airport in Pakistan.[30] Pakistan International Airlines has regular flights to and from the other major cities of Pakistan including Islamabad, Gwadar, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar.

Quetta Railway Station is one of the highest railway stations in Pakistan at 1,676 metres (5,499 feet) above sea level. The railway track was laid in the 1890s during the British era to link Quetta with rest of the country. The extensive network of Pakistan Railways connects Quetta to Karachi in the south, by a 863 km (536 mi) track, Lahore in the northeast (1,170 km or 727 miles) and Peshawar further northeast (1,587 km or 986 miles). A metalled road runs alongside the railway that connects Quetta to Karachi via the nearby town of Sibi to Jacobabad and Rohri in the plain of the River Indus.[31]

Quetta serves as the learning centre for the Balochistan province. The city has a number of government and private colleges, including the following:

• Balochistan Agriculture College
• Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS)
• Bolan Medical College
• Islamia High School: It was frequently visited by Quaid-e-Azam in 1937 and was nicknamed as Chhota Aligarh (Little Aligarh) by him[32]
• Pakistan Command and Staff College
• Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University
• St Francis Grammar School
• St. Joseph's Convent School, Quetta
• Tameer-e-Nau Public College
• University Law College (ULC)
• University of Balochistan

• National University Of Science And Technology NUST Quetta Campus
• OPF Public School
• Pakistan School of Infantry and Tactics
• Quetta Institute of Medical Sciences
• Science College, Quetta
• Degree college, Quetta.

Football is the most popular sport among the people of Quetta. Football clubs from Quetta include: Quetta Zorawar, Muslim FC, Balochistan United W.F.C., Hazara Green Football Club, Baluch Football Club and Quetta Bazigars Club. Balochistan United W.F.C. won the 2014 National Women Championship.

Home of Quetta Gladiators

Bugti Stadium is the home of Balochistan cricket team, a first-class cricket team which competes in domestic tournaments,[33] and the Quetta based team Quetta Gladiators compete in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They were the champion of the PSL 2019.

Boxing is highly popular as well.[34] Muhammad Waseem is a professional boxer from Quetta. In Body Building Nisar Ahmed Khilji has Mr. Balochistan and Mr. Pakistan Titles and Pakistan representation in International Body Building Contests. In hockey, Quetta has produced Zeeshan Ashraf and Shakeel Abbasi, who were members of the Pakistan's national hockey team.

Facilities

Musa Sports Complex

The Shaheed Nauoroz Stadium is the largest stadium in the city. The city also has Ayub National Stadium, a multipurpose stadium used for football and cricket and Bugti Stadium for cricket.

Local facilities were created in the city for mountain climbing and caving as well as water sports. Hayatullah Khan Durrani (Pride of Performance) is the chief executive of Hayat Durrani Water Sports Academy, Balochistan's first and only Rowing, Canoeing, Kayaking, Sailing, rough swimming and boating academy where all such facilities provide free to the youth members at Hanna Lake.

• 2008 Ziarat earthquake
• List of people from Quetta
• Balochi cuisine
• Quetta hut
• RMS Quetta
• Quetta Memorial Precinct
• Governor's House, Quetta

• Bosworth, C.E. (1986). "Kwat́́t́́a". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam. Volume V: Khe–Mahi (2nd ed.). Leiden: E. J. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-07819-2.
• Jonah Blank; Christopher Clary; Brian Nichiporuk (30 October 2014), Drivers of Long-Term insecurity and Instability in Pakistan: Urbanization, Rand Corporation, p. 29, ISBN 978-0-83-308751-5

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Quetta.

• Balochistan Board Archived 22 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine
• Official webpage on Balochistan.gov.pk (archived 18 October 2010)