Balochi or Baluchi (بلۏچی) is a Northwestern Iranian language
spoken primarily in the Balochistan region of Pakistan, Iran and
Afghanistan. In addition, there are speakers in Oman, the Arab
states of the Persian Gulf, Turkmenistan, East Africa and in
diaspora communities in other parts of the world. The total
number of speakers, according to Ethnologue, is 8.8 million.
Balochi is divided into 3 different varieties, namely Eastern
Balochi, Koroshi and Southern-Western Balochi, Of these, 6.28
million are in Pakistan. Western Baluchi is spoken in Pakistan,
Afghanistan and Iran. There are approximately 1.2 million
speakers in Balochistan and Sindh provinces of Pakistan, where
the language is used in newspapers, on the radio, and in some
literature. There are approximately 415,000 speakers in Helmand,
Kandahar and Nimroz provinces of Afgahistan. As well as
704,000 speakers in Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, and South
Khorasan provinces of Iran and 35,700 speakers in Mary province
of Turkmenistan.
Eastern Baluchi is spoken in Pakistan and India. Which consists
of about 3.5 million speakers in Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh
provinces in Pakistan and 800 speakers in Punjab province of
India. Southern Baluchi is spoken in Pakistan, Iran, Oman and the
United Arab Emirates.
Literacy for most Baloch-speakers is not in Balochi, but in Urdu in
Pakistan and Persian in Afghanistan and Iran. Even now very few
Baloch read Balochi, in any of the countries, even though the
alphabet in which it is printed is essentially identical to Persian
and Urdu.
