The Feudatory State of Las Bela

Las Bela was a Princely state in the extreme southeast region of Balochistan. Earlier a vassal state of the larger kingdom of Kalat, Las Bela entered into a subsidiary alliance with the British when they arrived in the area in the mid-1850s. It was one of the two states, now part of Pakistan, to issue its own postage stamps, the other being Bahawalpur.

The rulers of Las Bela were called Jam Sahibs. The state was founded in 1742 AD by Jam Ali Khan I, a member of the Rajput Jamote clan from Rajputana. The main ethnic groups in Las Bela were the Sindhis, however, there was a substantial number of Balochi and Brahui nomadic tribes as well. The population was mainly Muslim, with a small population of Hindus.

Las Bela had a long coastline with the Arabian Sea. The climate was that of a hot and dry tropical desert, though less extreme than the interiors of Balochistan.

With the independence and subsequent partition of India, Las Bela became a part of the newly formed Pakistan. Its absorption in the new state was gradual. It was initially part of the Balochistan States Union. In 1955, it was incorporated into the new province of West Pakistan and placed under the Kalat division. In 1960, it became part of the Karachi-Bela Federal Capital Territory and finally became a part of the newly formed state of Balochistan in 1960.

Stamps of Las Bela

The postal history of Las Bela began in 1897 when Jam Mir Kamal Khan (1896-1921) issued the first set of stamps. These stamps of Half anna denomination were issued on thick paper, black on white, and were lithographed and mostly perforated. Gradually stamps were issued on papers of slightly different colours, varying from greyish blue (1898), greenish grey (1899) and slate (1900).

In 1901, a perforated type of 1 anna stamp was issued by the state. It was lithographed black over thick orange paper and had a perforation of 11½.