Chaman

Chaman (Pashto and Urdu: ) is the capital city of the Chaman District in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The city is situated south of the Wesh–Chaman border crossing with the neighbouring Kandahar province of Afghanistan.

Chaman (Pashto and Urdu: ) is the capital city of the Chaman District in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The city is situated south of the Wesh–Chaman border crossing with the neighbouring Kandahar province of Afghanistan.

History

Chaman has been used by NATO forces as a major supply route into Afghanistan since 2000. Thousands of Afghan refugees enter Pakistan via the Chaman route on a regular basis. Bombings occurred in 2017, 2020 Chaman bombing, and 2021. In December 2022, the Afghan Taliban forces launched indiscriminate fire at the Chaman border, twice in a week and caused civilian casualties on the Pakistani side. In October 2023, the border crossing process was made more stringent, requiring a passport and visa, whereas previously only requiring a national identification card, to cross from Pakistan to Afghanistan. This has resulted in protests in the city.

Climate

With an influence from the local steppe climate, Chaman features a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average annual temperature in Chaman is 19.0 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 232 mm. June is the driest month with virtually no rain rainfall, while January is the wettest month, with an average 65 mm of precipitation. July is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 31.0 °C. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 6.4 °C.

Transport

Chaman has a railway station which accommodates services with Kandahar as well as other parts of Afghanistan. A slow passenger train runs between Chaman and Quetta daily on the Rohri–Chaman Line. In 2008, it was proposed to extend this railway to Central Asia through Afghanistan. Chaman is on the Silk Road on the eastern side.

Trade

The town is an important trade point in the Balochistan region, providing a gateway on the trade routes between Afghanistan and Karachi. It underwent development during the martial law period of 1977 - 1985. People of the city import many things like cars, motor bikes and motor rickshaws. Besides, they import Japanese, Chinese and UAE phones, cosmetics, perfumes, and many other consumer goods from Afghanistan to Pakistan.

Notable people

Muhammad Essa, footballer Kaleemullah Khan, footballer Mehmood Khan, footballer Jadid Khan Pathan, footballer Fareed Ullah, footballer Asghar Khan Achakzai, President of the Awami National Party Mohammad Asghar (cricketer)

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378402043 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.