History of Quetta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quetta (the word derives from kwatta, Pashto for fort) is a natural fort, surrounded as it is by imposing hills on all sides. The encircling hills have the resounding names of Chiltan, Takatoo, Mordar and Zarghun. Quetta was first mentioned in the 11th century when it was captured by Mahmood of Ghazni on one of his invasions of the subcontinent. In 1543 the Mughal emperor Humayun rested here on his retreat to Persia, leaving his one-year-old son Akbar until he returned two years later. The Mughal
ruled Quetta until 1556, when it was taken by the Persians, only to be
retaken by Akbar in 1595.the Ghilzai power in Kandahar at the beginning
of the eighteenth century, simultaneously with that of the Baloch in
Kalat, Quetta and Pishin became the battle-ground between Afghan and
Baloch, Ahmed Shah Durrani Finally handed Quetta over to the Khan of Kalat Mir Noori Naseer Khan Baloch for helping him with his Baloch Army against Persians in iran in 1751 against Marathas in Battle of Panipat (1761) and against Sikh in 1765 .
History
The powerful Khans of Kalat
held the fort from 1730. In 1828 the first westerner to visit Quetta
described it as a mud-walled fort surrounded by 300 mud houses. Although
occupied briefly by the British during the First Afghan War in 1839, it was not until 1876 that Quetta came under permanent British control and Robert Sandeman
was made political agent in Baluchistan. By the formation of political
party of Muslims (Muslim league) Balochistan paid its contribution for
the freedom of Pakistan. Qazi Muhammad Essa was the first man introduced Muslims political party in Balochistan, his father was Pashtun and mother was hazara,
this struggle persisted until 1947. After the freedom, Balochistan was
badly deprived of its legal rights resulting in Balochistan being the
most backward province of Pakistan. Quetta especially, was pushed into
fire of sectarianism after the dictatorships of Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and Zia ul Haq.
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