Bela (Pakistan)

Bela is an important town of Lasbela District in Balochistan province of Pakistan, and is the chief town of the Bela Tehsil. Bela is an ancient town in a historic track surrounded by hills above the Arabian Sea nearly 200 km west of Karachi. During the autumn of 325 BC was part of the Asian campaign of Alexander the Great, known as Alexandria Rhambacia. Alexander mentions the river name as Arabius, and local people as Oreitans.DemographyThe Bela population consists of Sindhis, Balochis, Brahui and Punjabis. The population is predominantly Muslim with small Hindu minority.EtymologyBela comes from the name of the princely state Las Bela, it became a part of Balochistan in 1970 when the provincial system was changedSignificanceBela and surrounding areas have some mineral reserves. 64km north of Bela are the Kundi deposits where traces of chalcopyrite, Galena, and silver are also found. Manganese ore is also found in the opholitic belt of Bela. The tomb of Muhammad Bin Qasim's general, Muhammad Ibn-e-Haroon, is located in Bela.