Quetta ( '' Kwaṭa '' ; ; ; ; formerly known as Shalkot ( ) ) is the provincial capital and largest city of Balochistan , Pakistan . It was largely destroyed in the 1935 Quetta earthquake , but was rebuilt and has a population of 1,001,205 according to the census of 2017 while the Quetta District has a population of 2,275,699 . Quetta is at an average elevation of above sea level , making it Pakistan 's only high-altitude major city . The city is known as the " Fruit Garden of Pakistan , " due to the numerous fruit orchards in and around it , and the large variety of fruits and dried fruit products produced there
1935 Quetta earthquake
1935 Quetta earthquake
Quetta