Quetta

Quetta, the fruit garden of Pakistan, is the provincial capital of Balochistan, Pakistan. It is a small city with about two million people, and is one of the few planned cities of the country. It is one of the most important military stations of Pakistan because the boundaries of Iran and Afghanistan meet here, and the Bolan Pass, the entrance of the city, serves as a significant trade center for the neighboring countries and Central Asia. he word Quetta is derived from the Pushto word !kwatta! meaning !fort!. he reason for this name given to the city is that it is surrounded by the four hills named Chiltan, "urdar, #argham and akatoo, making it a natural fort. It lies $$%% feet above the sea level at the face of Bolan Pass.

HISTORY
he name of Quetta came into view in the &&th century at the invasion of "ahmood 'ha(ni in the subcontinent. In &$)* the "ughal emperor +umayun rested here for two year on his retreat to Persia, leaving his one,year,old son Akbar until he returned back. Quetta remained under the "ughal -ule until &$$.. After that it was taken by the Persians, and retaken by Akbar in &$/$. he 0hans of 0alat ruled the area around &1*%. After the 2irst Afghan 3ar in &4*/, it remained under the British control, but after the second Afghan 3ar in &4/., the British took its total and permanent control. -obert 5andman was made political agent in Balochistan. After the Partition, the population of Quetta increased dramatically due to its military base and trading activities. "oreover at the time of 5oviet Invasion, being a border,city, it proved to be a keen attraction for the Afghan refugees. And this migration of thousands of Afghanis increased its population to almost double. 'eologically, Quetta has always been a sub6ect to earth7uakes. In &/*$, a horrible earth7uake shook the city, turning the bright city with multi,storied buildings into rubble, causing )%%% deaths at the blink of an eye. he buildings and well,planned roads at the present in the city were rebuilt after the disaster took place. After that, the houses and buildings in general are built single storied and with lighter or stronger building material to make them 7uake proof. he city does not have much of historical interests of its own e8cept the two of the small museums. he museum oghi -oad contains artifacts from "aher 'arh, presenting the /%%% years old village,culture of Pakistan. he other museum is situated on the 5taff College -oad. Quetta 5taff College, a military training institute, once had an instructor, 2ield,"arshal "ontgomery, whose bungalow has now been turned into a museum, displaying valuable military memorabilia.

PEOPLE
he locals of Balochistan are well appreciated for the friendliness and hospitality. Quetta tribesmen are strongly built, having tan comple8ions and are aggressive by nature. he main inhabitants in Quetta are Pathans, Balochs, and Brahuis. +alf the population is nomads who keep coming here occasionally, and herding and fishing are their ma6or occupations. Afghanis are the basic reason for population increases in the area. he ma6or occupation of Afghanis is the smuggling of goods from Afghanistan and Iran to Pakistan. he language spoken in common is Pushto. Persian is also spoken, and 9rdu is the commonly understood one. It would be lucky for find out a few who can understand and speak :nglish.

"ost of the local men wear loose,fitting 5halwar Qamee( with scarf, turban, or ;astar as headdresses. <ocal Balochi 6ackets with mirror,work are also worn with keenness. <ocal women mostly wear wide, legged trousers, and loose frock,like shirts with embroidered sleeves along with woolen Chadars. he 7uality and 7uantity of the embroidered work on clothes indicates the social status of the wearer. he women usually have neatly plaited hair, unlike the Pathan males, who like having long untidy hair with untidy beards, as an emblem of the pride of "anhood.

PLACES AROUND
he city does not have much of historical interests of its own e8cept the two of the small museums. he museum oghi -oad contains artifacts from "aher 'arh, presenting the /%%% years old village culture of Pakistan.

Ziarat
#iarat is situated &=* km from Quetta, and is visited basically because the Quaid,e,A(am -esidency is there. It is the place where Quaid used to stay when he used to come to Quetta. After his death, the house was preserved as a valuable treasure of historical importance for Pakistanis.

Bund Khushdil Khan

&. km from Pishin, a lake named Bund 0hushdil 0han is situated. he specialty about it is that it is man, made. In early winters, it serves as a keen spot for visitors interested in ;uck,shooting.

The B lan Pass

he Bolan Pass is best appreciated during the rail 6ourney. It is a steep pass with alarming se7uence of slip lines built to catch runaway trains. Continuing && km on the same route comes the beautiful +anna <ake, a great picnic spot. he orchards of 9rak angi are == miles from the +anna <ake, great aesthetic stimulus for nature lovers.

Hanna La!e
+anna <ake situated among hills, is about &% km east from Quetta. It is a bright tur7uoise pool within bare brown surroundings. he lake has a well,made picnic spot, with a restaurant having chairs and table fi8ed under the shade of the sparkling pine trees. Paddleboats are also available for touring the lake at one>s own. An irrigation dam around is also an attraction for those interested in hiking and camping.

Ura! Tandi "alle#

wo km left and 4 km right from the +anna <ake, there are the famous orchards of the 9rak andi ?alley. hese gardens are also a great spot for picnic and rela8ation. he blossoms of apples, apricots, peaches, pomegranate, and cherry trees envelope the roads in April season. here is a little village at the end of 9rak ?alley, surrounded with #argham range of hills. A stream running.

The Pishin "alle#

he valley of Pishin is situated about $* km from Quetta. It is surrounded by thousands of acres of vineyards and orchards. 5even miles away, the @aru -ailway station is loaded with a rich harvest of apples, grapes, plums, peaches and apricots.

$ETTIN$ THERE
Quetta is linked with all the ma6or cities of Pakistan i.e. <ahore, 0arachi and Peshawar via railway and daily flights. he trains are also connected with other cities through the three ma6or highways, Quetta,Chaman +ighway, 0arachi,0hu(dar,Quetta +ighway, and Quetta,;.I.0han +ighway. Quetta is also linked with #iarat by road, on which bus, wagon, and coaches are available all around the year.

$ENERAL IN%OR&ATION
he weather of Quetta is mostly cold and dry. In summers, it>s mostly pleasant and delightful here unlike the other cities in Balochistan, where the season is harsh and intolerable. In winter the weather is e8tremely cold, temperature lower than the free(ing point. It snowfalls from ;ecember to 2ebruary, turning the area white and hills snow,coated.