Lasbela (princely state)
Las Bela state لسبيله (Lasi) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1742–1955 | |||||||||
 Flag | |||||||||
 Las Bela in Pakistan 1955 (in red) | |||||||||
| Status | Independent kingdom (1742–1839) Princely state under British Raj (1876–1947) Princely state of Pakistan (1947–1955) | ||||||||
| Capital | Bela | ||||||||
| Common languages | Lasi (Sindhi) Balochi Brahui | ||||||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||||||
| Government | Absolute Monarchy | ||||||||
| Jam | |||||||||
• 1742–1765 | Jam Ali Khan I Koreja (first) | ||||||||
• 1937–1955 | Jam Ghulam Qadir Khan Korejo (last) | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1742 | ||||||||
• Disestablished under One Unit Scheme | 1955 | ||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 18,470 km2 (7,130 sq mi) | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of |  Pakistan | ||||||||
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| This article is part of the series |
| Former administrative units of Pakistan |
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Las Bela (Sindhi: لسبيله) was a Jamote[1][2][3] princely state in a subsidiary alliance with British India (later a princely state of Pakistan) which existed from 1742 until 1955. The state occupied an extensive plain covering 7,132 sq mi (18,470 km2) of area to the southwest of Sind and southeast of Makran,[4] with a long coastline on the Arabian Sea.
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 after 1947, to the southeast lay the Federal Capital Territory around the city of Karachi.
History
[edit]The state of Las Bela was founded in 1742 by Jam Ali Khan Korejo I, who was from the Jamote tribe.[1][2][3][5] His descendants ruled Las Bela until 1955 when the state became part of West Pakistan. Ghulam Qadir Khan Korejo, the last Jam of Las Bela, signed the instrument of accession.
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 1960, 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 was made part of the newly created province of Balochistan.
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Demographics
[edit]At the time of 1951 census, which was also the first census to be conducted in post-independence Pakistan, the total population of princely state of Las Bela was enumerated to be 75,769, out of which 39,465, or a little over than 52%, were ethnic Lasis, while 60,681 people of the state, or 80%, returned their language as Lasi, a dialect of Sindhi. Principal ethnic Lasi clans included Jamot (5,849), Runjha (5,659), Gonga (5,168), Angaria (4,939), Burra (3,740), Mandra (2,636), Sheikh (2,137), Shahok (1,770), and Mangia (1,609). Other ethnic groups were Baloch (9,544), Brahui (7,197), Jat (4,896), and Pashtun (593). Several other small ethnic groups included Gadra (8,523), Med (1,836), Khoja (609), and Langah (581). Hindu population was 1,015, or 1.3%.[6][7]
Geography and climate
[edit]Las Bela has a hot, dry tropical desert climate, as it lies only a few degrees north of the Tropic of Cancer. The sea breezes though make the weather less extreme than inland Balochistan, where temperatures can reach 50 °C (122 °F) in the summer. The Pab Range stretched from Jhalawan to southeastern corner of Las Bela state, while whole of western Las Bela constituted a level alluvial plain. Sonmiani and Ormara were principal seaports.[6]
Rulers
[edit]The hereditary rulers of Las Bela were styled as Jam Sahib. The Jams of Lasbela are believed to have claimed their ancestry from the Koreja Family of Samma of Sindh[8] who also used the title of Jam.
| Tenure | Jams of Las Bela[9] |
|---|---|
| 1742–1765 | Jam Ali Khan I (surnamed Koreja) |
| 1765–1776 | Jam Ghulam Shah |
| 1776–1818 | Jam Mir Khan I |
| 1818–1830 | Jam Ali Khan II |
| 1830–1869 | Jam Mir Khan II (CIE, KCIE) (1st time) |
| 1869–1886 | Jam Sir Ali Khan III (KCIE) (1st time) |
| 1886–1888 | Sir Mir Khan II (KCIE) (2nd time) |
| 1888–1896 | Jam Sir Ali Khan III (CIE) (2nd time) |
| 1896–1921 | Jam Kamal Khan I (CIE) |
| 1921–1937 | Jam Ghulam Mohammad Khan (GCIE) |
| 1937–1955 | Jam Ghulam Qadir Khan (CIE) |
| 14 October 1955 | State of Las Bela dissolved |
| 1955–1988 | Jam Ghulam Qadir Khan (CIE) |
| 1988–2012 | Jam Mohammad Yousaf |
| 2013 – present | Jam Kamal Khan II |
Gallery
[edit]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Tombs of the Jam Nobles". The Friday Times. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
After death of Jam Aali, his son Jam Ghulam Shah Jamote became the new ruler of Lasbela. He was very wise ruler. During his rule, life and property were safe in Lasbela. Mir Naseer Khan, then ruler of Kalat, gave his daughter to Jam Ghulam Shah Jamote. The necropolis of the Jam rulers contains one of the most impressive stone carved graves in Balochistan. Unfortunately, all the tombs of the Jams of Lasbela are falling to pieces. There is a row of five stone carved graves built over platforms which are in dilapidated condition. The first tomb belongs to Jam Aali followed by Jam Dagar, Jam Dina or Dinar and Jam Jangi. There is no inscription on the fifth tomb. To the west of these tombs is located the chhatri or canopy of Jam Ghulam Shah Jamote Three tombs that lie under the chhatri. The first tomb belongs to Ghulam Shah Jamote, which carries following inscription Ghulam Shah Walid (son of) Jam Aali quom (caste) Jamote 1190 (circa 1776 AD
- 1 2 Quddus, Syed Abdul (1990). The Tribal Baluchistan. Ferozsons. p. 63. ISBN 978-969-0-10047-4.
The former rulers of Makran and Lasbela, Gichki and Jamots respectively, are Rajputs.
- 1 2 The Encyclopaedia of Islām: A Dictionary of the Geography, Ethnography and Biography of the Muhammadan Peoples. E. J. Brill. 1970. p. 632.
The leading tribes, which are probably of Rājpūt origin are the Djāmot, to which the Djām or ruler of Lasbela belongs...
- ↑ Martin, Frederick; Keltie, Sir John Scott; Renwick, Isaac Parker Anderson; Epstein, Mortimer; Steinberg, Sigfrid Henry; Paxton, John; Hunter, Brian; Turner, Barry (1950). The Statesman's Year-book. Palgrave. p. 203.
- ↑ Aiyar, Mani Shankar (1994). Mani Shankar Aiyar's Pakistan Papers. UBS Publishers' Distributors. p. 131. ISBN 978-81-7476-008-1.
Matters came to a head when the Jam Sahib of Lasbela alleged that members of his Jamote tribe had been attacked by Mengal tribesmen owing allegiance to their Sirdar, Chief Minister Ataullah Mengal
- 1 2 "Census of Pakistan, VOLUME 2 1951. Baluchistan: Report & Tables" (PDF). Manager of Publications, Government of Pakistan, Karachi. 1951.
- ↑ Boivin, Michel (18 March 2024). Devotion, Religious Authority, and Social Structures in Sindh: Khojas, Vanyos, and Faqirs. BRILL. p. 28. ISBN 978-90-04-69529-0.
- ↑ "Necropolis: City of silence". Dawn. 11 April 2010.
The Jams of Lasbela are believed to have claimed their ancestry from Samma of Sindh who ruled over Sindh from 1351 to 1524. One of their ancestors Jam Araddin migrated from Sindh and settled in Kanrach during the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir (1569-1627).
- ↑ Ben Cahoon, WorldStatesmen.org. "Pakistan Princely States". Retrieved 3 October 2007.