The social organisation in Barkhan is mainly tribal. The tribal set-up is rigid and tribal affiliation is prominent. Birathri or sectional feelings still exist very strong. The people of different tribes have not yet developed any social connection to bring them together. They have no tolerance for one another and try to bring down their opponents at any cost.

Family and kinship are the most important social institutions, which command loyalty of its members. The tribal system has a characteristic social pattern, in which each tribe is united and organised under a Sardar, who is the social and cultural leader of the tribe. The Jirga system is the principal system of tribal responsibility. Rawaj (Custom) is accepted as law. Jirga membership as well as posts in levies and the post of Sardar pass from father to son. The Sardari is however losing some of its importance due to the impact of recent reforms, commercialisation and urbanisation.

Most of the district’s population are poor farmers. The majority of the people is uneducated and follows old tribal customs. There are three main tribes in Barkhan district: Khetran, Marri and Buzdar. The principal tribe is of the Khetrans. The Khetrans’ tribal constitution resembles Baloch tribes. They have a chief or tumandar and a headman or wadera for each clan or section. Khetrans are divided into three main clans: Dharas, Ispani and Phaliat.²³ The most spoken language is Khetrani.

Far farmers and labourers, wheat is the staple food throughout the year and jowari is also a staple food during winter months. The majority of the people has only two meals; one in the morning and one at sunset. Bread is baked in ovens or on griddles. The majority of the population is poor and eats the bread with uncooked onions, chillies, chatni or lusi. Some even skip the morning meal. The evening meal exists of bread and a small dish of cooked pulses or vegetables. Occasionally meat and mutton is also cooked. In hard times when crops have failed, the diet is reduced to porridge or ogra, made of crushed wheat, jowari or inferior rice. The quality of the food of the majority of the people is very poor, resulting in many health problems.

Well-to-do persons have three meals a day and eat bread with meat, pulses, butter or milk, eggs etc. The diet of the well-to-do among the people has now much improved at Barkhan town, in some villages and the trader class. They use good food, meat, fowls, fish if available, eggs and also drink squashes etc, in the season.

Almost all Khetrans drink tea and it has now become an essential part of the morning meal. It is also drunk in the evening. Some families and persons drink tea many a time during the day. Tea is prepared with milk and sugar, but poor classes even use gur and prepare it without milk.

The dress of most people is simple and made of cotton cloth. However, some persons of the poor classes and most people of middle class dress in superior cotton and artificial silk cloth. The dress of men usually consists of a turban (patka), shalwar and a shirt or kurta in summer, and in winter waist coat or coat, stockings and cotton or woolen wrapper (chadar). The dress of women usually consists of a dopata (poti), long shirt and shalwar. The front of the shirt and edges of the shalwar and poti of married women (mostly young women) are embroidered. The women in this district still make their dresses themselves. The majority of men however get their dress from tailors, who are available almost in all villages.

Embroidery work is done on sleeves, collars, backs, shoulders and pockets of women and children’s shirts. Men’s shirts are also sometimes embroidered The women dress which is embroidered, is the choli or sleeveless shirt, which is of three kinds: chali chola, badha’ and gagha or chhurya. The first two are made for the use of married women and the last for unmarried girls. Men’s shirts are embroidered in designs called lawan tain chitrya, choli chitri, turi wala and sada. Other items that are embroidered are women’s sheets, especially the head portion, handkerchiefs, caps and money pouches.

Ornaments usually worn by women are: nose-rings, ear-rings, finger-rings, bangles and necklaces, usually made of silver or brass. Women of middle and upper classes wear ornaments made of gold.

Ethnic or tribal identity remains the potent force for both groups and individuals. The Jirga system is static and curbs ambition, as a result of which tribesmen tends to compromise with fate. Society is modelled on the authoritarian structure of the Sardari system, governing the relationship between the male members of the tribe. The hierarchical system of authority flows downwards from the Sardar to the youngest male members of the tribe. However, the Sardar’s role has changed over the years from one of defenders of tribal independence to one of mediation between the tribe and the state.²⁶

The political organisation is built upon two principles: hereditary authority and a personal bond of allegiance, in which loyalty is exchanged for protection.²⁷ The persistence of tribal politics and the continuing power and influence of local chiefs or Sardars have been seen to affect and change the working of the established parliamentary system. Many of the elected representatives are Sardars and tribal chiefs. The Sardari system, however, is in a transitionary stage and is undergoing changes, due to economic, social and political independence of the common man, commercialisation and rapid urbanisation.

The role of women in decision making is negligible, as majority of the decisions are made by men. In small family affairs the women has some say. Their community role is also limited to a great extent as their social interaction outside the immediate household is limited. There are some occasions, like births, death, illness, marriages etc; which serve as one of the few socially sanctioned forms of mobility available to women. These occasions provide women with a forum for exchange of information and ideas and improvement of social ties and alliances between themselves.

 Most of the people in Barkhan district are uneducated and follow old tribal traditions and customs, which are sometimes against the Sharia Islami. Disputes over property, vulvar and other matters are common. Sectional rivalry does not permit them to tolerate others and they do not hesitate to take action against their opponents.³⁴

Women have a low status in society. They are treated like an asset and are at the mercy of her husband and relatives. A woman is not allowed to take share of property in inheritance, except in a few middle class families. Polygamy is resorted to by many men. Sometimes it is imposed to take a second wife, for example if it concerns the widow of a brother or other relative. Bride price is increasing with the passage of time. In some cases more than Rs. 3000 is paid. The result is that men who cannot afford to pay the bride price have to wait for marriage till they are over 30 years. But the custom of paying bride price is slowly fading away among the educated classes.

Women are poorly represented in every walk of life due to socio-cultural taboos. Constitutional and legal rights which are just on paper, are not sufficient to change the attitudes of the society towards the role and rights of women.

The old traditions and customs of cooperation are disappearing; now government plays a bigger role in the process of mechanisation of agriculture and modernisation. Karezes are being replaced by tube-wells and earth dams by proper dams.

In urban areas the role of Sardar is losing influence under the pressure of modernisation, commercialisation and urbanisation, but in rural areas and specially among the uneducated people, the sardari system is still very influential.

The people are moving away from the joint family system to the nucleus family system, with greater economic independence and education.

Absolute poverty, ignorance and lack of social security are the main causes of child labour.

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