PISHIN

town, Balochistan province, Pakistan. The present town, founded by the British as a military and civil station in 1883, is a market centre and has a noteworthy rest house with a fine garden. It is connected by road with nearby Quetta city. Pishin district is located north of Quetta district and fronts Afghanistan on the east and northeast. It comprises a series of long valleys 4,5005,500 ft (1,3701,680 m) above sea level enclosed by the Toba Kakar Range to the north; vegetation is sparse. The district is drained by the Pishin Lora River and its tributaries. Crops grown in the valleys include wheat, barley, corn (maize), and potatoes; grapes, apples, apricots, and peaches are also economically important. Sheep and goats are herded. The main ethnic groups are Pashtun Kakar and Tarin. Wool, carpets, and sheepskin coats are locally produced; coal is mined. A major road and railway (completed 1888) connect Quetta city with Chaman, a commercial town, near the Afghanistan border. The railway runs through the Khojak tunnel (6,398 ft above sea level) in the Toba Kakar Range; it is one of the largest tunnels, with a length of 2.4 mi (3.9 km), in southern Asia. Pop. (1981) town, 14,715; district, 379,000.