Background According to Brahui and Baloch traditions, Kalat was ruled by a Hindu ruler named Sewa when they first conquered it. Historically, the regions surrounding Kalat were part of the
Mughal province of
Kandahar during 17th century. During the reign of
Shah Jahan, Mughal expansion reached its high point, and caused the emergence for the first time a strong, unified "Baloch and Brahui Confederacy" or the Khanate of Kalat. He was strong enough to capture
Quetta,
Mastung, and
Pishin from the Mughal governor at Kandahar. Since 1748, Kalat was a vassal state of
Durrani Empire, and assisted in the campaigns of Ahmad Shah such as in the
Durrani Campaign to Khorasan. However, in 1758 Mir Nasir Khan I revolted against
Ahmad Shah. The Afghans were dispatched under Shah Wali Khan to Kalat, but were defeated. As a result, Ahmad Shah marched himself with an army and defeated the Baluch armies in battle. Ahmad Shah laid siege to Kalat for over 40 days, and attempted to storm it, however it was unsuccessful. In the ensuing 1758 treaty of Kalat, the exact agreements are disputed. Some sources state that the Khanate of Kalat became a sovereign state. According to some other accounts, Mir Nasir Khan had recognized suzerainty of Ahmad Shah, who guaranteed non-interference in the matters of Kalat. Nevertheless, Kalat did not pay any tribute to Durrani Empire thereafter, and provided military contingents in exchange of money only. Mir Nasir Khan, known to the Baloch by his
epithet, "The Great", The political centralization of the Khanate of Kalat failed to survive through the colonial era and did not lead to the standardization of the
Baloch language. However, with the withdrawal of the British from the
Indian subcontinent in 1947, the
Indian Independence Act provided that the princely states which had existed alongside but outside
British India were released from all their
subsidiary alliances and other treaty obligations. The rulers were left to decide whether to accede to one of the newly independent states of
India or Pakistan (both formed initially from the
British possessions) or to remain independent outside both. As stated by
Sardar Patel, "On the lapse of Paramountcy every Indian State became a separate independent entity." The
Instruments of Accession made available for the rulers to sign transferred only limited powers, namely external relations, defence, and communications. The Shahi Jirga of Baluchistan and the non-official members of the Quetta Municipality, according to
Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema, stated their wish to join Pakistan on 29 June 1947; however, according to the political scientist Rafi Sheikh, the Shahi Jirga was stripped of its members from the Kalat State prior to the vote. Kalat remained fully independent from 15 August 1947 until 27 March 1948, when its ruler,
Ahmad Yar Khan (1904–1979), finally acceded to Pakistan, becoming the last of the rulers to do so. Show elections were held during this period and a
bicameral parliament was established. On the night of 27 March,
All India Radio carried a story about Yar Khan approaching India with an unsuccessful request for accession in around February. Salman Rafi Sheikh largely concurs with Saiyid's assessment: multiple other Kalat sardars were preparing to accede to Pakistan and Yar Khan would have hardly any territory left, if he did not accede. On 3 October 1952, the state of Kalat entered into the
Baluchistan States Union with three neighbouring states, Kharan, Las Bela, and Makran, with Yar Khan of Kalat at the head of the Union with the title of Khan-e-Azam. The Khanate came to an end on 14 October 1955, when it was incorporated into West Pakistan. == Geography ==