Famous Road Routes

Bolan Pass

Since the Bolan Pass is an important trade route and a track of vital strategic value through which most of the great migrations into this subcontinent have taken place and which have served as the passage for several invading armies, control over this region has been coveted by all the neighboring powers. There was a long tussle for its domination between the Safvids of Iran and the Mughals of India and later between the Afghan and Kalat rulers. Finally, at the end of the nineteenth century, the British brought this region, including Quetta, under their direct rule, naming it British Balochistan, although a major portion of Quetta Division is inhabited by Pukhtuns. However, in the city of Quetta various ethnic and linguistic groups are found. It is multi-lingual place with Balochi, Brohui, and Pushto as the main languages. Also spoken are Persian, Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi in certain clustered areas of the city. Racially, too, it is not a single entity and the population includes Baloch, Pathans, Brohuis, Hazaras and a small number of Iranians, Sindhis and Punjabis who have settled there.

Lak Pass

Lak pass is located between kalat and quetta at a point where the highway makes a turn for Koh-e-Taftan, Sandak copper mines and Zahidan in Iran and the other section links Karachi via Kalat, Khuzdar and Bela. PTDC motel at Khuzdar and Taftan caters for motorist. The view from the top of the pass is interesting. Trucks, Railers and Lorries laden to their brim with merchandise and passengers move along at great speed. Down below these kiosks sell beverages. On the hills, unmindful of the presence of motorized transport and human beings, hundreds of sheep browse upon the scant herbage available there.

Khojak Pass

The Khojak Pass is 7575 ft. above the see level. It leads directly to the border of Afganistan at Chaman which is 153 kms away from Quetta. The train passes through the longest tunnel of the sub-continent. The scenery is breath-taking here as it is at Bolan Pass.

Harnai Pass

The entire population of Kharwari Baba and for that matter of the entire Ziarat, migrates to Harnai in extreme winter. Harnai Pass, about hours drive from Loralai is just a spectacular as the Khyber Pass near Peshawar.