ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan has stressed that any discussion concerning Lasbela’s historical status must be based on authentic historical records, official documentation, and facts rather than present-day administrative boundaries.
In a detailed post on X, the Minister said Lasbela possesses a distinct political and administrative history. It emerged as a separate ruling entity in the eighteenth century and remained under the Jam dynasty until its integration into Pakistan’s administrative framework following independence.
He pointed out that the territory now constituting the Province of Balochistan did not historically exist in its present constitutional form. The region comprised several separate political and administrative entities, including the Khanate of Kalat, the princely states of Lasbela, Kharan and Makran, as well as territories directly administered by the British under British Balochistan.
Referring to Lasbela’s relationship with Kalat, Jam Kamal Khan said political and territorial arrangements between the Jam of Lasbela and the Khan of Kalat changed at different times. Nevertheless, Lasbela developed and functioned as a separate princely state rather than merely as an ordinary district of Kalat.
He noted that during the British period, Kalat, Lasbela, Makran and Kharan were treated as separate princely states under British protection, while other parts of the region were governed directly by the British. British authority expanded gradually through treaties, leases, agreements and administrative arrangements instead of through the takeover of the entire region at one time.
Citing historical developments following the Treaty of Gandamak in 1879, the Minister said areas including Quetta, Pishin and Sibi came under British control, while separate arrangements subsequently governed territories such as the Bolan Pass, Nushki and Nasirabad.
“Therefore, it is historically inaccurate to look at today’s provincial map and assume that the same administrative boundaries existed a hundred or two hundred years ago,” the Minister observed.
Explaining the post-independence developments, Jam Kamal Khan said Lasbela acceded to Pakistan while retaining its separate identity for a period. From 1952 to 1955, it formed part of the Baluchistan States Union alongside other former princely states.
Following the introduction of the One Unit scheme in 1955, Lasbela became part of Kalat Division. However, in December 1960, it was detached from Kalat Division and combined with Karachi to form the Karachi-Bela Division. The Minister described this as an important historical fact, demonstrating that Lasbela’s administrative connection with Karachi formally existed at the divisional level during the 1960s. Lasbela was transferred back to Kalat Division in 1972.
Discussing Ormara, the Minister said historical records reflected competing claims and changing political and revenue arrangements concerning its association with Kalat, Makran and Lasbela. He added that modern accounts also documented Ormara’s historical association with Lasbela before subsequent administrative changes placed it within the Makran structure. Jam Kamal Khan said the broader history of the region must recognise the Khanate of Kalat, Lasbela Princely State, Makran Princely State, Kharan Princely State and British-administered territories as distinct entities with different political and constitutional relationships.
He stated that the modern Province of Balochistan emerged through the integration of these historically different territories and administrative systems, particularly following the dissolution of One Unit and the restoration of provincial structures in 1970.
The Minister concluded that historical debates must reflect documented facts and the true historical significance of the region instead of projecting contemporary boundaries backwards onto earlier periods.
