Las Bela (princely state)

The State of Las Bela was founded in 1742 by Jam Ali Khan Korejo I, who was from the Jamote tribe. His descendants ruled Las Bela until 1955 when the state became part of West Pakistan. The statement of Ghulam Qadir Khan Korejo, the last Jam of Las Bela on signing the accession was: 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 became part of the new province of Balochistan. ==Demographics==

The main ethnic group in Las Bela state was Sindhi (Lasi, Khoja, Med, Gurjar and Hindu). But there were few nomadic baloch and brahui people as well. The population was mainly Muslims but there was a small population of Sindhi 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 temperatures can reach in the summer. ==Rulers==

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 who also used the title of Jam. 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. • Jam Ali Akbar former Provincial Minister of Balochistan province. • Jam Kamal Khan Former chief minister of Balochistan and speaker of provincial assembly of Balochistan. ==See also==