Zhob

Pakistan, Pakistan

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Zhob is a small town and the capital of Zhob District in Balochistan province of Pakistan, located on an open plain east of the Zhob River and known for its strategic position near the border with Afghanistan.

The town was originally called Apozai (or Appozai) by locals, but in 1889 the British established a military post there and renamed it Fort Sandeman after Robert Groves Sandeman, a colonial administrator; the name was officially changed back to Zhob on 30 July 1976 by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to remove the colonial name, with “Zhob” meaning bubbling or oozing water in Pashto, referring to the local karez (sprung water) system.

The district is named after the Zhob River, a 410 km river that springs from the Kan Metarzai range, flows north-east alongside the Indus frontier, and joins the Gomal River near Khajuri Kach, making it one of the only rivers in Pakistan with a north-eastern course. Zhob District is Pashtun-dominated, regarded in local tradition as an historic homeland of the Afghan (Pashtun) people, and is considered the second oldest district in Balochistan after Quetta, having been raised to district status in February 1890.