ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to provide some insight into the people of Baluchistan and the governance structures through which this province is administered. Baluchistan is one of the provinces of Pakistan where parallel legal and administrative systems have co-existed for centuries. Baluchistan is divided into what is known as ‘settled’ areas, where the ordinary laws of the country, both federal and provincial, and the institutions thereof operate, and people have access to the superior judiciary (high court and supreme court). In addition to the settled areas, there exist what are known as Tribal Areas administered under special laws and directly under the control of the federal government. In this chapter, after outlining the origins of the Baluch people, we shall analyse the governance structures of Baluchistan under the constitution of 1973. The final section of the chapter looks at the problems of the people of Baluchistan and presents some suggestions for their alleviation.
