Marri

For the Australian tree, see Corymbia calophylla. For the villages in Iran, see Marri, Iran. For the village in Tibet, China, see Marri, Tibet.

Marri - Baloch Tribe
Total population
(150,000 (est:))
Regions with significant populations
Languages
Balochi
Religion
Islam

Marri (Balochi: مری ) is the largest Baloch / Marri Baloch tribe in Balochistan, Pakistan. The Marri tribe has three major sub-clans; Gazeni, Bijarani and Loharani.

History

British relations

Main article: Anglo Marri wars

Marri relations with the British commenced in 1840 with attacks on the communications of Sir John Keane's army after it passed the Bolan Pass. The British tried to punish the tribe, which ended in disaster. Major Clibborn was repulsed in an attempt to storm the Naffusak Pass; of his force of 650 men, 179 were killed and 92 wounded. Many of his force died of heatstroke and thirst. The fort of Kahan, which he was trying to relieve, was forced to capitulate. The Marris, however, joined the British against the Bugtis in 1845. After the annexation of Sindh by the East India Company in 1843, the Marris gave much trouble but were pacified by the policies of General John Jacob and Sir Robert Sandeman.

In 1880, during the Second Afghan War, the Marris made frequent raids on the British lines of communication, ending with the plunder of a treasure convoy. A force of 3,070 British troops under Brigadier-General Macgregor marched through the country. The tribe submitted and eventually paid 25,000 Rupees (£2,500) of a fine of 200.000 Rupees (£20,000); they also gave hostages for their future good behaviour.

1974 insurgency

In February 1973, the Pakistani government intercepted an arms shipment from Iraq intended for delivery to Marri tribe militants. President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto dismissed the Balochistan government and put the province under the central government's rule. The result was that large numbers of Marri tribesmen went to the hills in 1974 for an armed insurgency, and Khair Bakhsh Marri formed an organization called the Baluch People's Liberation Front. It took the Pakistani army four years to bring the situation under control.^[1]

Recent fighting

The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is one of the current insurgent groups in Balochistan, tracing its origins to the Baloch People's Liberation Front. It appears to have divided its leadership between members of the Baloch, Marri, and Bugti tribes and operates across the border between Afghanistan and Balochistan.

References

↑ Pakistan's Drift Into Extremism: Allah, the Army, and America's War on Terror By Hassan Abbas, Jessica Stern, 2004, ISBN 0-7656-1497-9, ISBN 978-0-7656-1497-1

Note

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Marri". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.