Lasbela (princely state)
Princely state of British India and later Pakistan
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Lasbela 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
The state of Lasbela was founded in 1742 by Jam Ali Khan Korejo I, who was from the Jamote tribe. His descendants ruled Lasbela until 1955 when the state became part of West Pakistan. Jam Ghulam Qadir Khan, the last Jam of Lasbela, signed the instrument of accession.
For a period of three years between 3 October 1952 and 14 October 1955, Lasbela was part of the Baluchistan States Union but retained internal autonomy. In 1955, Lasbela was incorporated into the new province of West Pakistan and became part of Kalat Division. In 1960, the area of Lasbela was detached from Kalat Division and merged with the former Federal Capital Territory to form the division of Karachi-Bela division. When the provincial system was changed in 1970, Lasbela was made part of the newly created province of Balochistan.
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Demographics
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 Lasbela 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%.
Geography and climate
Lasbela 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 Lasbela state, while whole of western Lasbela constituted a level alluvial plain. Sonmiani and Ormara were principal seaports.
Rulers
The hereditary rulers of Lasbela were styled as Jam. The Jams of Lasbela are believed to have claimed their ancestry from the Koreja Family of Samma of Sindh who also used the title of Jam.