Quetta ( pashtún : کوټه , baluchi : کویٹہ ، شال , urdu : کوئٹہ ) es un distrito en el noroeste de la provincia de Baluchistán de Pakistán, en la frontera con la provincia de Kandahar , Afganistán . Es parte de la División Quetta . El distrito es famoso por sus productos agrícolas, sobre todo huertos frutales, pero también manzanas y uvas. El valle de Hanna es una zona donde se cultivan almendras. La población contabilizada en el censo de 1998 era de 760.000, mientras que en 2010 se estimaba en 1.235.000. [4]
El antiguo nombre de Quetta era Shalkot, término con el que todavía se la conoce entre la gente del país. El distrito estuvo en manos de los Ghaznavids , Ghurids y Mongoles , y hacia finales del siglo XV fue conferido por el gobernante de Herat a Shah Beg Arghun , quien, sin embargo, tuvo que ceder pronto ante el creciente poder de los Ghaznavids, Ghurids y mongoles. Mogoles . El Ain-i-Akbari menciona que tanto Shal como Pishin proporcionaban servicio militar e ingresos a Akbar; sin embargo, estas áreas pasaron con Kandahar a los safávidas . Con el ascenso del poder khilji en Kandahar a principios del siglo XVIII, simultáneamente con el de los baluchis en Kalat, Quetta y Pishin pasaron a manos de los británicos con el tratado de Durand Quetta-Pishin - Diccionario geográfico imperial de la India, v.21, pág. 13-4 </ref>
Durante el siglo XIX, Quetta (Shalkot) fue capturada por las tropas británicas durante la Segunda Guerra Anglo-Afgana de 1879. [ cita necesaria ]
On the advance of the British Army of the Indus in 1839, Captain Bean was appointed the first Political Agent in Shalkot, and the country was managed by him on behalf of Shah Shuja-ul-mulk. After Sir Robert Sandeman's mission to Kalat in 1876, the Quetta Fort was occupied by his escort and the country was managed on behalf of the Khan of Kalat up to 1883, when it was leased to the British Government for an annual rent of Rs. 25,000 through a treaty between Khan and the British Empire. It was formed, with Pishin and Shorarud, into a single administrative charge in 1883. Up to 1888 Old Chaman was the most advanced post on the frontier; but, on the extension of the railroad across the Khwaja Amran, the terminus was fixed at its present site, 7 miles (11 km) from that place. The boundary with Afghanistan was finally demarcated in 1895–1896.[5]
The city area of Shalkot was inhabited by the Kasi tribe and the surroundings were occupied by the Bazai tribe with a few other nomads including the tribes of Sulaimankhail, Kharoti, Nasar, and Baitanai. Being on the outskirts of Kandahar, it was not much developed. With the arrival of British troops, doors of development were opened. Very soon, people saw roads, trains and schools in the area.[citation needed]
In 1975, Quetta and Pishin were made separate districts. Quetta District today consists of two towns[6] and one sub-tehsil. Quetta District was designated as a City District in 2001, having two tehsils and one sub-tehsil with a total of 67 union councils.