K A R A C H I - THE DEMISE OF A DREAM

K A R A C H I - THE DEMISE OF A DREAM

FROM A PEACEFUL HINDU MAJORITY & SINDHI SPEAKING CITY TO A VIOLENT MUSLIM MAJORITY & URDU SPEAKING CITY WITHIN 10 YEARS. 

Before Partition Karachi was a Hindu-majority city and a Sindhi-speaking city.  The architecture of the old quarters of Karachi resembled old Bombay, a port city with which it shared many similarities of culture, languages and food. 

But Karachi’s demography underwent huge change in 1947. Within a few months of Partition, 80,000 people arrived from Delhi. That was the beginning of an exodus from India which continued and in 8 years, over half a million people were added to the city’s population. In 8 years, Karachi had become a predominantly Muslim city and more than half of its population was Urdu-speaking. Very few cities in the world have undergone such a rapid change. That change is the root cause of the presently fragmented city. 

EXTREME VIOLENCE AND RIOTS IN KARACHI

At the time of Partition Karachi was capital of Sindh, but it became capital of Pakistan and the capital of Sindh was pushed out to Hyderabad. Many of Karachi’s ethnic problems are related to this fact. Today Karachi is the capital of a Sindhi-speaking province but Sindhi is not the main language.

 

THE LARGEST PASHTUN CITY IN THE WORLD. 

Do you which is the largest city of PATHANS in the World? No, it's not Kabul, Peshawar or Kandhar. It is KARACHI. Out of its 17 million residents, a quarter are Pashtuns, which is 4 times more than the total population of Kabul. 

Karachi is the largest city of Pakistan. It is the financial capital, the major trading sea port of the country, contributing 42 percent of GDP, 70 percent of income tax revenue and 62 percent of sales tax revenue.

PROBLEMS OF KARACHI

Pollution, traffic, water, electricity, waste management, traffic, crime, terrorism, sectarian violence, are not the only problems of this unmanageable metropolis. The most industrialised city of Pakistan is the most weaponized as well as well as the most ethnically diverse with 45% Urdu speaking Mohajirs, 25% Pashtun and the remaining 30% comprise Punjabis, Sindhis, Balochs, etc.

VIOLENCE AND CRIME

Violence between Sindhis, Muhajir and Pathans is not a new phenomenon. Urban ethnic violence in Karachi has a complex history, dating back to the formation of Pakistan. There have always been tense relations between Mohajirs and Pashtuns. The radicalisation of these diverse ethnic grievances has created a dynamic of entrenched violence in Karachi. 

Karachi is Pakistan in microcosm. 

It is a fragmented city, in which the military, political parties, and religious militants with their substantial presence, will always keep economic and political stability in a flux. KARACHI is a battleground. It is on fire and the warring groups are killing each-other indiscriminately. It is the Karma of partition of India. The imploding Karachi is the future of the state of Pakistan. 

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