Pakistan Affairs MCQs – Page 22 (Q211-220)

The Gomal Pass, historically used for trade with Afghanistan, is located in South Waziristan, part of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas merged into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018. The pass has long served as a route for the seasonal migration of Powindah nomadic traders moving livestock and goods between Afghanistan and the Indus plains. It lies south of the more famous Khyber Pass and offered an alternative, less heavily used corridor through the rugged tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. The wider Waziristan region has historically been known for its rugged terrain and strong tribal autonomy, remaining one of Pakistan's more remote and historically under-administered areas.

The Cholistan Desert is located in Punjab, extending across the Bahawalpur division in the province's southeast and merging into India's Thar Desert along the border. Historically, the region was watered by the now-dried Hakra River, along whose ancient course lie ruins including the impressive Derawar Fort, a symbol of the desert's lost fertility. Cholistan hosts an annual jeep rally and desert festival that draws visitors to the region, alongside traditional camel and cattle herding by local communities. Despite its arid conditions, the desert supports pastoral livelihoods and has become a site of interest for solar energy projects in recent years.

The Cholistan Desert is also locally known as Rohi, a name commonly used by the desert's indigenous pastoral communities who have inhabited the region for generations. It lies mainly in Punjab's Bahawalpur division, bordering India's Thar Desert, and was historically watered by the now-vanished Hakra River, whose dry bed still traces a path through the sands. The desert is home to Derawar Fort, a massive 40-bastioned fortress built by the Bhatti tribe and later expanded by the Nawabs of Bahawalpur. Cholistan's culture, including its distinctive folk music and embroidery traditions, remains closely tied to the harsh but resilient desert lifestyle of the Rohi.

The Thal Desert lies between the Indus and Jhelum rivers, occupying a large tract of west-central Punjab south of the Salt Range. Once a largely barren, sparsely populated tract, significant portions of the desert have been converted to agricultural land since the mid-20th century through canal irrigation projects developed under the Thal Development Authority. The desert's terrain consists mostly of sand dunes and scrubland, supporting pastoral herding alongside newer irrigated farming communities. It contrasts with Punjab's other arid zone, the Cholistan Desert, which lies further south near the Indian border and is watered by a different, now-dry river system, the Hakra.

The Kharan Desert is located in Balochistan, forming part of the province's vast, sparsely populated western terrain alongside other arid zones like the Chagai Hills further north. It is a low-lying basin desert with limited vegetation, historically inhabited by small nomadic and semi-nomadic communities adapted to its harsh climate. The desert lies near the site of Pakistan's second round of 1998 nuclear tests, conducted just days after the main Chagai tests, at a location near Kharan. Balochistan overall is Pakistan's largest province by area, and its extensive deserts, including Kharan, Chagai and the Makran coastal strip, remain among the country's least populated regions.

Jacobabad, often cited as one of the hottest cities in Pakistan, is located in Sindh, regularly recording among the highest summer temperatures anywhere in the world, sometimes exceeding 50 degrees Celsius. The city was founded in the 1840s by British General John Jacob, after whom it is named, and served as an important administrative and military outpost during colonial rule. Its extreme heat is attributed to its location in the upper Sindh plains, shielded from sea breezes and surrounded by arid terrain. Jacobabad also hosts a significant Pakistan Air Force base, reflecting its continued strategic importance despite its harsh climate.

Murree, known for heavy rainfall and snowfall, is located in Punjab, in the Rawalpindi district, and stands as one of Pakistan's most popular hill station retreats due to its cool climate and proximity to Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Developed by the British in the mid-19th century as a summer retreat from the plains' heat, it retains colonial-era architecture including churches and the Mall Road shopping area. The town regularly receives heavy snowfall in winter, drawing large numbers of tourists, sometimes leading to severe traffic congestion and, in a tragic 2022 incident, deaths from being stranded in snow. Nearby hill destinations in the wider region include Nathiagali and Bhurban, both also popular summer retreats.

The Sukkur Barrage is built on the Indus River, completed in 1932 during British colonial rule as one of the largest irrigation barrages in the world at the time. Originally named the Lloyd Barrage after the Governor of Bombay who initiated the project, it feeds a vast network of canals that irrigate large parts of Sindh, transforming previously arid land into productive farmland. The barrage remains a critical piece of infrastructure for Sindh's agricultural economy, supporting crops including wheat, rice, cotton and sugarcane. It lies near the historic city of Sukkur, itself an important commercial hub along the Indus.

The Sukkur Barrage is located in Sindh, near the city of Sukkur, and remains one of the most important irrigation structures in the Indus Basin Irrigation System. Completed in 1932 as the Lloyd Barrage, it feeds seven major canals that irrigate millions of acres of farmland across Sindh, transforming the province's agricultural output. The barrage also functions as a road and rail crossing point over the Indus, linking northern and southern Sindh. Its construction was a major engineering achievement of British colonial India, reflecting the scale of investment in the Indus irrigation network during that era.

The Guddu Barrage on the Indus River is located near the town of Kashmore, in northern Sindh close to the border with Punjab and Balochistan. Completed in 1962, it supplies water to canal systems irrigating parts of Sindh, Balochistan and southern Punjab, making it an important multi-provincial irrigation structure. The barrage also carries a road crossing over the Indus, linking the regions on either bank. Along with the Sukkur and Kotri barrages further downstream, Guddu forms part of the chain of major Indus barrages in Sindh that underpin the province's extensive agricultural irrigation network.