Chaman
Chaman (Pashto/Urdu: چمن) is a city located on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. It is the capital of Killa Abdullah District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is situated just south of the Wesh-Chaman border crossing with the neighbouring Kandahar Province of Afghanistan. After the capital Quetta, Chaman is the second-largest city and tehsil in the Pashtun majority northern part of Balochistan.
Chaman چمن | |
|---|---|
 Chaman Gate border between Pakistan and Afghanistan | |
  Chaman  Chaman  Chaman .svg.png) Chaman | |
| Coordinates: 30°55′20″N 66°26′41″E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Balochistan |
| District | Qilla Abdullah District |
| Elevation | 1,338 m (4,390 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 123,191 |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Number of Union Councils | 13 |
Climate
With an influence from the local steppe climate, Chaman features a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh). The average annual temperature in Chaman is 19.0 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 232 mm. June is the driest month with 0 mm of rainfall, while the wettest month is January, with an average 65 mm of precipitation.
July is the hottest month of the year with an average temperature of 31.0 °C. The coldest month January has an average temperature of 6.4 °C.
| Climate data for Chaman | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 13.3 (55.9) |
16.0 (60.8) |
21.2 (70.2) |
27.3 (81.1) |
33.8 (92.8) |
38.7 (101.7) |
39.3 (102.7) |
38.5 (101.3) |
35.2 (95.4) |
29.2 (84.6) |
21.1 (70.0) |
16.8 (62.2) |
27.5 (81.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) |
9.0 (48.2) |
13.8 (56.8) |
19.5 (67.1) |
24.7 (76.5) |
29.1 (84.4) |
31.0 (87.8) |
29.6 (85.3) |
24.9 (76.8) |
18.9 (66.0) |
12.8 (55.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
19.0 (66.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −0.4 (31.3) |
2.1 (35.8) |
6.5 (43.7) |
11.7 (53.1) |
15.6 (60.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
20.7 (69.3) |
14.7 (58.5) |
8.7 (47.7) |
3.6 (38.5) |
0.3 (32.5) |
10.5 (50.9) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org[2] | |||||||||||||
Transport
Chaman has a railway station which accommodates services with Kandahar as well as other parts of Afghanistan. A slow passenger train runs between Chaman and Quetta daily. In 2008, it was proposed to extend this railway through Afghanistan to Central Asia. Chaman is on the silk road on the eastern side.
Trade
The town is an important trade point in the Balochistan region, providing a gateway on the trade routes between Afghanistan and Karachi. It underwent development during the martial law period of the 1980s.
Sports
Chaman has been known for its football since the 1940s and is home of Afghan Football Club and Muslim Football Club, which plays in the Pakistan Premier League. There were more than 80 local football clubs in the chaman during 2001 and more than 2000 players participate in intra-district football tournament every year. The Jamal Nasir Shaheed Stadium, Millat stadium, Baghicha ground and Essa Khan Stadium are located in the town. More than a dozen players of Afghan FC and Muslim FC played for the Pakistan national football team, including the captain Mohammad Essa, Jadid Khan Pathan, Kaleem Ullah Achakzai. Also Chaman have many popular soccer players Like, former Pakistan Team Captain, Kaleem Ullah (recently playing a league in USA and Iraq) Mehmood Khan, Dawood Khan (a Khan brother), Himat Khan, Majeed Khan and Saeed Khan (also brothers), Shams ud din Achakzai, Sadullah (sado) and Hayat Ullah International.
One of the oldest players, Haji abdul Qayyum aka Khadako, currently coaches the Pak Army football Club Chaman. Mohammad Essa was also the head coach of Pakistan national team during 2017–18. Chaman City football teams include:
- Afghan FC Chaman
- Muslim FC Chaman
- Millat Stadium FC
- Shaista Pashtoon FC
- Pak Afghan FC
- Chaman Football Club
- Buldia FCC
- Shaista Abbaseen Shaeed Football Club (Shams Academy)
- Gulshan football club Chaman
Besides football, Chaman is the home of Asian Gold Medalist in boxing Meer Wais Khan. He belongs to Akbar Boxing Club led by Khudaidad Khan Achakzai.
Afghanistan War and terrorism
Chaman has been used by NATO forces as a major supply route into Afghanistan since 2000.[3]
On 30 August 2009, an attack on a NATO convoy destroyed 20 fuel tankers and other supply trucks. The attackers reportedly fired rockets and small arms before destroying the trucks.[3][4]
Former Afghan president Amanullah Khan escaped to Europe by way of Chaman.
Thousands of Afghan refugees entered Pakistan via the Chaman route.
Notable people
Notes
- "PAKISTAN: Provinces and Major Cities". PAKISTAN: Provinces and Major Cities. citypopulation.de. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- "Climate: Chaman - Climate-Data.org". Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- "Pakistan Blast Sets NATO Fuel Convoy Ablaze". VOA News. August 31, 2009. Archived from the original on September 3, 2009.
- "The News International: Latest News Breaking, Pakistan News". thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2018-06-18. Retrieved 2009-08-31.