S.A.J. Shirazi writes of the hidden beauty of Lasb
Face of the Earth
Lasbela, Pakistan
From Karachi, I proceeded along the coast and then turned north to Bela, an
ancient town in a historic tract surrounded by hills above the Arabian Sea.
I had read that once Alexander the Great was there; Young Muslim Generals
Muhammad Bin Qasim and Muhammad Bin Haroon were there; and lately British
bureaucrat Sir Robert Sandeman was there.
Attitude tourism – to be distinguished from, say, adventure or seeing the
sights – is generally not a particularly satisfying activity. Ideas and
those who hatch them tend not to leave behind things large or attractive
enough to ogle. So you may go to a place of great historic value but find
nothing worth the visit. Lasbela tract is a case in point. Usually, you are
left, if you are lucky, with a plaque or just an intrinsic thought. So I
expected, more or less, nothing in Bela.
What I got was signs in lieu of plaques, hot wind, remnants of crumbling
columns, and a long view of the undergrowth of thorny bushes, some
wildflowers, functional Persian wells and rocky hilltops covered with camel
and sheep droppings. It was all prosaic and quiet and yet real enough to
propel me into another fit of wonder: I was driving on the tract where
Alexander and Muhammad Bin Qasim had treaded.
One does not have to travel to have fun alone. I understand that. But I
know of few surer ways to achieve what I find to be probably my happiest
state – wonder – to stick a figurative pin into a map (as they taught me
during a Map Reading Course) and then experience the grand surprise of
seeing someplace I have only identified on maps but not seen before,
someplace that inevitably and overwhelmingly exceeds my expectations.
Inhabited for centuries, Bela is a wonder in many ways. The town is
situated in a significant plain called Lasbela in Balochistan with its own
distinct history. The tract derives its name from the word “Las” which means a
plain � surrounded by hill ranges, the greater part of the area is a flat
plain, and Bela is the main town at the apex of the plain over 100 kilometres
from Karachi. From the early period of history till the rise of the Jamoot
tribe in the middle of the eighteenth century, only a few facts are known
and recorded about the history of Lasbela.
Time seemed to me to be a greater mystery in Bela. The whole town had the
air of being in a time-warp, lost and with its fibres still connected to
some bygone era. Bela has been identified with the ancient place Armabel –
the place that was visited by Alexander. Mohammad Bin Haroon, one of the
Generals of Mohammad Bin Qasim lies buried here. The last resting place of
Robert Sandeman, the first British Chief Commissioner of Balochistan is also
here. Around Bela in the Kud river area, there are numerous sites and caves
of prehistoric period. There are boulder hills in the neighbourhood, which
are the remains of ancient settlements. The caves hewed out of solid
conglomerate rock situated some 20 kilometres to the north of Bela town are
other marvels worth visiting. The Jamia Masjid in Bela is an exemplary
accomplishment of Islamic architecture.
On his way back from South Asia Alexander passed through Lasbela, according
to Thomas Holdich’s account, “After Alexande’s death, one of his generals,
Seleukas Nickator, became ruler of central and western Asia. For many
centuries after this, nothing can be traced about the history of Lasbela. In
early seventh century the ruler of Armabel (present Bela) was a Buddhist
Somani. Chach usurped the throne of the dynasty of Sindh and marched to Bela
in 636 AD. Chach was cordially received at Bela and was impressed with the
loyalty of the people of Bela.”
The area also lay on the route followed by the young Muslim General
Muhammad-Bin-Qasim in 712 AD. On his way to Sindh, Mohammad-Bin-Qasim
marched through Bela accompanied by his General Muhammad Bin Haroon. The
power of the Arabs lasted towards the end of the tenth century. Afterwards,
the area appears to have come under the influence of the Sumras, who
asserted their independence when the power of the Abbaside caliphs declined.
The Sumras gained a position of supremacy in the middle of the eleventh
century. The Sammas under Jam Umar eventually overthrew them in 1333. The
Sammas reigned till 1523 when they were defeated and their power was
completely broken by Shah Hussain Argon. The succeeding period is again
obscure. The chiefs of the Gujar, Ranjha, Gunga and Burfat tribes, who are
still found in Bela, are said to have exercised a semi-independent power
previous to the rise of the Jamoot tribe. When the British advancement
extended beyond Sindh, Jam Mir Khan-II was exercising powerful political
control over the affairs of these areas. In agreement with the British, the
family ruled until Pakistan came into existence.
Geographically, the district can be divided into the alluvial plain that surrounds Bela and extends southwards up to the bay of Sonmiani and the
hilly regions situated east and west of this plain. The plain itself
consists of alluvium deposits of rivers. At the edge of the plain, around
the margins of the adjoining hilly regions and near the coast, lie raised
sea-beaches, some 15 to 25 metres above sea level. The east of the alluvial
plain exhibits the greatest variety of rocks forming the hill ranges, which
are separated by valleys. The hilly region is situated on the west of the
alluvial plain and extends along the Makran coast.
“Lasi” is a geographical term, which is applies to all the tribes other than
Baloch and Brahvi, Med, Khoja and Hindus who are settled in Lasbela. The
principal Lasi tribes are only five in number: Jamoot, Ranjha, Sheikh,
Angaria and Burraf. These are called the Panjraj or the five tribal
confederacies. Under each Raj are a large number of heterogeneous groups.
The few Afghans are mostly nomads, except the Buzdars, who are flock owners
and wander about. Minor tribes include the Gunjas, Sinars, Sangurs, Burfats,
Chhuttas and Khojas. A good number of Hindus are also residing in Uthal,
Bela and Hub. In many places that I had been, I heard the Lasis speaking a
new dialect.
The land offers exciting landscape. The great spans of arid wastelands with a
fierce but hospitable tribal people makes the place very thrilling for
cautiously curious going to this region. The dull brown of the fields is
relieved by desolate shrubs, hamlets and Persian wells.
Not only is the earth good in Lasbela, but some of the people also leave an
unforgettable impression. There was my host Muqeem Kumbhar, landlord and
agriculturist by profession and local historian in leisure time. He is well
aware of the rapid change Lasbela is undergoing and feels powerless to do
anything about it. He liked the idea of recording oral histories to document
the folkways of the old Lasbela before they are totally wiped out by erosion
of another kind.
For me, he arranged an evening with a nomad family who had a large herd of camels. We were served Kurut � curry made by dried
meat and dried milk. It tasted wonderful. As a sweet dish, there was honey
on the food mat, wild honey straight from the wilderness. I must have looked
more than usually astonished since Kumbhar kindly explained that there are
wild bees in droves and pesticides or some other problem must have driven
them here from neighbouring areas. The honey had a faint tang of wild
berries, a beautiful, lingering taste.
After the dinner we sat under the
star studded sky to chat with the elders of the family. They had seen and
knew so much and were more interesting than history books. Obviously, life
of the nomads is incredibly difficult even in modern times despite having
transistor radios, tape recorders and florescent lights. The evening
reminded me of a similar experience I had outside the Saudi town Ar’Ar during the
Gulf War. Only there we sat on costly carpets and under shining generator
lights.
Adjacent to Karachi and having reservoirs of metal ores, Lasbela is
developing rapidly. The area has potential for agricultural, fisheries and
industrial development. By developing the industrial state of Hub, the
people of Hub have become well-off, while many people of Bela still live
without basic facilities. The private sector has shown much interest in
developing various kinds of industries in this area due to incentives.
Still, the rural and far flung areas remain deprived of electricity, water
supply and gas. Drinking water is a major problem for the rural population.
The supply of water in far flung areas is not adequate.
A trip to this region is a wonderful for those who know the art to become
happy when they have an enriching experience. After three days in the area,
I turned back for a last look. There was nobody there, nothing but the shrubs swinging with the wind!
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