Karachi District under British India underwent significant transformation during the period 1936 to 1948. [1] Initially part of Sind Province, it emerged as a pivotal economic and administrative hub. [2]
The district's role and status underwent a dramatic shift with the Partition of India in 1947, culminating in its transfer to the newly formed Federal Capital Territory of Pakistan in 1948. [3] [4]
During the British colonial era, the administrative setup of Karachi District included several important talukas:
1. Karachi Taluka - The central hub of trade, administration, and port activities. It included the city and surrounding settlements.
2. Kotri Taluka - Situated near the Indus River, it was significant due to its role in transportation and trade routes.
3. Manora Taluka - A coastal region focused on defense and port operations, including Manora Island.
4. Manjhand Taluka - Located inland, known for its rural settlements and agricultural importance.
5. Thatta Taluka - A historical region with a rich cultural past, once a prominent center of trade and learning.
6. Keti Bunder Taluka - A coastal area serving as a fishing and trading port near the Arabian Sea. Indian Gazetteer of India
Following the Partition of India in 1947, Karachi was declared the capital of the newly formed Islamic Republic of Pakistan. [5] To ensure the federal government's autonomy, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was carved out of Karachi District in 1948. [6]
The FCT remained the capital of Pakistan until 1960 when the capital was shifted to Rawalpindi. While Karachi's status as the federal capital ended, it continued to be a major economic and financial hub of Pakistan. [7]
Religious group | 1872 [8] | 1881 [9] | 1891 [10] | 1901 [11] | 1911 [12] | 1921 [13] | 1931 [14] | 1941 [15] | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | ||||
Islam | 347,551 | 82.07% | 390,067 | 81.49% | 453,188 | 80.23% | 483,474 | 79.54% | 396,334 | 75.97% | 386,151 | 71.24% | 465,785 | 71.63% | 457,035 | 64.02% | |||
Hinduism [a] | 72,513 | 17.12% | 82,860 | 17.31% | 103,589 | 18.34% | 115,240 | 18.96% | 111,748 | 21.42% | 138,485 | 25.55% | 162,111 | 24.93% | 222,597 | 31.18% | |||
Christianity | 2,643 | 0.62% | 4,674 | 0.98% | 6,314 | 1.12% | 6,486 | 1.07% | 9,013 | 1.73% | 9,999 | 1.84% | 13,152 | 2.02% | 17,695 | 2.48% | |||
Zoroastrianism | 717 | 0.17% | 969 | 0.2% | 1,408 | 0.25% | 1,841 | 0.3% | 2,202 | 0.42% | 2,720 | 0.5% | 3,364 | 0.52% | 3,721 | 0.52% | |||
Judaism | 7 | 0% | 106 | 0.02% | 147 | 0.03% | 381 | 0.06% | 573 | 0.11% | 661 | 0.12% | 955 | 0.15% | 1,053 | 0.15% | |||
Jainism | — | — | 9 | 0% | 99 | 0.02% | 126 | 0.02% | 650 | 0.12% | 1,118 | 0.21% | 629 | 0.1% | 3,215 | 0.45% | |||
Buddhism | — | — | 3 | 0% | 2 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 21 | 0% | 41 | 0.01% | 53 | 0.01% | 111 | 0.02% | |||
Sikhism | — | — | — | — | 132 | 0.02% | — | — | 1,150 | 0.22% | 2,543 | 0.47% | 4,009 | 0.62% | 7,589 | 1.06% | |||
Tribal | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | 0.01% | 347 | 0.06% | 172 | 0.03% | 884 | 0.12% | |||
Others | 64 | 0.02% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 280 | 0.05% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0% | 0 | 0% | |||
Total population | 423,495 | 100% | 478,688 | 100% | 564,880 | 100% | 607,828 | 100% | 521,721 | 100% | 542,065 | 100% | 650,240 | 100% | 713,900 | 100% | |||
Note: British Sindh era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases. |
Sindh is a province of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province by population after Punjab. It is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan to the west and north-west and Punjab to the north. It shares an International border with the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan to the east; it is also bounded by the Arabian Sea to the south. Sindh's landscape consists mostly of alluvial plains flanking the Indus River, the Thar Desert in the eastern portion of the province along the international border with India, and the Kirthar Mountains in the western portion of the province.
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The cultural history of Karachi dates back at least five thousand years to the rise of the Indus Valley Civilization in the third millennium BC. The early culture was mostly predominantly Neolithic, characterised by the widespread use of small tools and semi-precious stones. The numerous megalithic Arab graves found around Karachi suggest significant megalithic activity from the Arabian Peninsula.
Karachi is the largest and most populous city in Pakistan. The population of Karachi is estimated to be around 16 million (16,093,786) in 2020. The population and demographic distribution in the megacity has undergone numerous changes over the past 150 years. On 14 August 1947, when it became the capital city of Pakistan, its population was about 450,000 inhabitants However, the population rapidly grew with large influx of Muslim refugees after independence in 1947. By 1951, the city population had crossed one million mark. in the following decade, the rate of growth of Karachi was over 80 percent. Today, the city has grown 60 times its size in 1947 when it became the country's first capital. Although, Islamabad remains the nation's capital since the 1960s, the city's population continues to grow at about 5% per annum, largely thanks to its strong economic base.
It is estimated that the city of Lahore, Pakistan, has a Muslim majority with 94.7% and Christian minority constitute 5.1% of the population and rest Sikhs and Hindus constitute the remaining 0.2%. There is also a small but longstanding Zoroastrian community.
Jainism in Pakistan has an extensive heritage and history, with several ancient Jain shrines scattered across the country. Baba Dharam Dass was a holy man whose tomb is located near the bank of a creek called near Chawinda Phatic, behind the agricultural main office in Pasrur, near the city of Sialkot in Punjab, Pakistan. Another prominent Jain monk of the region was Vijayanandsuri of Gujranwala, whose samadhi still stands in the city.
Religions in Karachi include Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and others. According to a 2023 census of Pakistan, the religious breakdown of the city is as follows: Muslim (96.53%), Christian (2.21%), Hindu (1.12%), Ahmadis (0.0%) and other (0.14%). Other religious groups include Parsis, Sikhs, Baháʼí, Jews and Buddhists. Of the Muslims, approximately 66% are Sunnis and 34% are Shia. The Sunnis follow Hanafi fiqh while Shi'ites are predominantly Ithnā‘Ashariyyah fiqh, with significant minority groups who follow Ismaili Fiqh, which is composed of Nizari, Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra and Sulaymani fiqhs.
Hinduism is the second-largest religion in Sindh, numbering 4.9 million people and comprising 8.8 percent of the province's population in the 2023 Pakistani census. Sindh has the largest population and the highest percentage of Hindus in Pakistan. Sindh has the Shri Ramapir Temple, whose annual festival is the country's second-largest Hindu festival.