Las Bela State

Las Bela was a princely state in a subsidiary alliance with British India (later a princely state of Pakistan) which existed until 1955. The state occupied an area of 18,254 km2 (7,048 sq mi) in the extreme southeast of the Baluchistan region, 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. 

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 Pakistan. 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.

Demographics

The main ethnic groups in Las Bela are Sindhis and some Baloch. The population was mainly Muslim but there was a significant population of Hindus.

Geography and climate

Las Bela has a hot, dry tropical desert climate. It is only a few degrees north of the Tropic of Cancer. 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 Sahib. The Samma Dynasty took the title of "Jam", the local 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:

·         Jam Ghulam Qadir Khan former Chief Minister of Balochistan province.

·         Jam Mohammad Yousaf former Chief Minister of Balochistan province.

·         Prince Jam Ali Akbar former Provincial Minister of Balochistan province.