Background
The ancient name of Quetta was Shal, a term by which it is still known among the people of the country, Quetta is the Provicial Headquarter of Balochistan ProvinceQuetta is a district in the north-west of Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was part of Quetta Division until the year 2000 when divisions were abolished.
History
Quetta was held in turns by the Ghaznavids, Ghurids, and Mongols, and towards the end of the fifteenth century was conferred by the ruler of Herat on Shah Beg Arghun, who, however, had shortly to give way before the rising power of the Mughals. The Ain-e-Akbari mentions both Shal and Pishin as supplying military service and revenue to Akbar, however these areas passed with Kandahar to the Safavids. On the rise of the Ghilzai power in Kandahar at the beginning of the eighteenth century, simultaneously with that of the Baloch in Kalat, Quetta and Pishin became the battle-ground between Afghan and Baloch, until Nadir Shah handed Quetta over to the Balochs about 1740. The Durranis and their successors continued to hold possession of Pishin and Shorarud till the final transfer of these places to the British in 1879