Nomadism; Determinants of Nomadic Migrations. A Case Study of District Zhob, Balochistan

Abstract

Nomadism refers to the life pattern in which people roam about for pasture. These nomadic migrants live in different locations who move from one place to another. The study has one main objective of exploring the causal factors behind migration of nomadic settlements. For this main aim of the research, Balochistan province’s Zhob division has been carefully chosen as the area of the research. For the conduct of social research, the qualitative method has been employed: 30 respondents have been selected as a sample for the purpose of data collection. The sample includes ten semi-structured interviews and two focused group discussions comprising ten to twelve respondents in each group, were accompanied. For the reason of collecting in-depth data of the entire
study, the participant observation technique was adopted. It was revealed by all the qualitative and empirical findings that various nomadic communities live in various parts of Balochistan province. These folks don’t have any permanent homes because of their typical lifestyle of roaming which compel them to move to high lands of the province in cold season and spend winter in warmer areas of the province. During the field survey it was reported by the nomads that they follow the typical life pattern that was implemented by their forefathers, the factors behind their roaming are frequently economic and environmental. Moreover, the results of the study revealed that the socio-economic status of nomadic life in Balochistan is very bad that requires proper devotion by government for the sake of their better living standards.