Ancient Karachi
The city's lineage
can be traced back
to ancient times
through its
identification with
Krokala of Alexander
the Great of
Macedonia. After his
victory at river
Jhelum, and having
spent many months on
river Indus in
search of the outer
ocean, which he
considered the edge
of the world,
Alexander arrived at
the delta. Here at
the mouth of the
Indus, which
numbered seven
according to the
Egyptian
cartographer
Ptolemy, Alexander
made sacrifices of
bulls to the sea god
Poseidon, leaving
the carcasses to
float in the Indian
Ocean. Some
historians believe
that Karachi is
located on the site
of a new port that
Alexander had
planned with naval
yards and docks at
western-most mouth
of the Indus. Others
believe that
Morontobara, a
station on the
return voyage of
Alexander's fleet
led by his famed
Cretan admiral
Nearchus, was
probably about the
position of Karachi
harbor.
The nineteenth
century historian
Henry Elliott
believed
emphatically that
Karachi is ancient
Debal, and quotes
the famous
geographer, Ibn
Haukal, in his
defense, who had
described it as "a
place of greater
sterility, and only
occupied on account
of its trade," and
thus pointed towards
barren Karachi in
preference to the
fertile Thatta.
Mention of Debal is
first found in the
accounts of Arab
historians who
recorded a naval
expedition against
it during the
caliphate of Umar I
in 636. The
expedition was
followed by a full
scale land and naval
attack on Debal in
711 by Muslim armies
under Muhammad bin
Qasim who annexed
Debal and the area
upto Multan as a
province of the
Umayyad empire with
its capital at
Damascus. Reference
to it is also found
in various later
accounts of Muslim
travelers and
geographers. Native
annals mention
Debal's subsequent
conquest by the
Ghorids in 1182 and
Sultan Jalal-ud-Din
of Khwarzim, who
sacked it in 1224.
Kalachi-jo-Ghote
Lari Bunder, close
to Thatta, was the
most important port
in Sindh for many
centuries, but
gradually became
unusable due to the
changing course and
silting up of river
Indus. For some
time, Kharakbandar,
on the confluence of
Habb river and
Arabian Sea was used
to carry out trade
with Muscat and
Bahrain. But soon,
Kharakbandar too
began to get choked
with silt, making it
difficult for the
coir-bound bamboo
wood vessels to
navigate here. The
small mercantile
community of
Kharakbandar was
forced to move to
another suitable
location which could
be used as a port.
The nineteenth
century
anthropologist and
historian, Richard
Burton, attributes
the foundation of
Karachi to Mai
Muradi, the wife of
a Jokiya chief.
However, according
to Naomul Hotchand,
a well known
merchant of Karachi,
initially it was a
small fishing
village of Dirbo
that people of
Kharakbandar moved
to. The nearby deep
pool of sweet water,
'Kalachi's Kun'
named after the
fisherman Kalachi,
was one of the
deciding factors,
since without sweet
water survival in
the hostile
environment would
have been
impossible. The
proximity of Lyari
river, although
usable only during
the rainy season,
appears to have been
another factor for
the selection of
this site. Located
between the coast of
Arabian Sea to the
west and the bank of
Lyari river to the
east, the village
became known as
Kalachi-Jo-Ghote
(village of Kalachi).
The reference to
Karachi, as part of
the Gulf of Debal,
found in the
writings of Arab
oceanographer
Sulaiman al-Mehri in
1512, surely refers
to Kalachi-jo-Ghote,
and is the earliest
reference to Karachi
by name.
By the middle of the
eighteenth century,
Kalachi-jo-Ghote had
transformed into a
flourishing trading
post and a fortified
town. This was the
period when Sindh
was being ruled by
the Kalhora chief,
Mian Nur Muhammad
(1718-55), who had
been appointed as
imperial agent by
the Mughal emperor
and granted the
title of Khudayar
Khan.
In 1730, an
altercation with the
Khan of Kalat,
styled 'Royal Eagle
of Kohistan'
resulted in a severe
fight between the
Kalhoras and the
Khan, and ended with
the 'Royal Eagle'
seeking peace with
the Kalhora chief.
The bonds of amity
were strengthened
when the Khan gave
the hands of two of
his daughters in
marriage to the
Kalhora ruler's
sons. Later,
Kalachi-jo-Ghote was
ceded to the Khan of
Kalat.
The town had
achieved such
eminence as a
trading post that,
as part of an
exploratory voyage
to Indus and the
Persian Gulf
(1774-75), Lt. John
Porter was sent to 'Crochey
Town' on behalf of
British East India
Company by
Governor-General
Hastings. By 1783,
the Talpur tribe had
overthrown the
Kalhoras and the
territory was
divided among a
confederacy of
chiefs (amirs) known
as 'Char Yar' (lit.
four friends), each
ruling his own share
independently. The
Sohrabani family had
taken control of
Upper Sindh, the
Manikin Mirs started
to rule from Mirpur,
and Mir Fateh Ali,
acknowledged rais or
chief, ruled from
Hyderabad.
Having gauged the
importance of
Karachi as a port,
Mir Fateh Ali Khan
initiated a series
of raids in order to
seize it. Being too
weak to fight the
Talpur forces. Khan
of Kalat withdrew
his garrison. The
residents were
virtually
defenseless, but
resisted the attacks
of the Talpurs for
the conquest of the
fortified town.
Since the seaward
entrance —the Khara
Darwaza (lit.
Brackish-water
Gate)—permitted
unhindered access to
the sea, the sieges
did not disrupt
mercantile activity.
But the residents
suffered
considerable
hardship, having had
to be content with
the brackish water
available inside the
fort during the
sieges the bed of
river Lyari and
sweet water wells
lying outside the
fortification having
become inaccessible.
At last, during the
last siege of
1794-95, the
residents were
forced to negotiate
with Talpur rulers.
A formal surrender
was enacted and the
keys of Mitha
Darwaza (lit.
Sweet-water Gate)
and Khara Darwaza
were handed over to
the commanders of
the Talpur army,
Mian Fakiro and Mian
Palia. Among the
residents'
conditions for
surrender was one
that the Talpur
rulers will ensure
that Baluch soldiers
of the army, who
they considered
'wild and unruly
class of people'
will not be allowed
to enter the town,
and that the Nawab
appointed by the
rulers will act on
the advice of the
residents and "shall
not oppress the
ryots." 'Crochey',
thus passed into the
hands of the Talpurs.
British Interest
The British had made
attempts to
establish relations
with Sindh rulers,
first during the
reign of Shah Jahan
(1628-58) in 1635,
and later during the
rule of Ghulam Shah
Kalhora in 1758, by
setting up
factories—or kothees
as they were known.
However, within a
couple of decades,
both the
establishments were
forced to close
down.
Until the early
nineteenth century
Sindh had largely
remained unaffected
by the events
unfolding around it.
The rulers of Sindh
had followed a
'policy of
isolation',
discouraging
European interest,
whether French or
British. However,
with the arrival of
Marques of Wellesley
in 1798, the face of
the subcontinent
began to change
rapidly, affecting
Sindh as well.
Through its well
calculated policies
of territorial
acquisition, the
Kumpany Bahadur, as
East India Company
was known, was
emerging as a
powerful force in
the subcontinent.
The time was ripe:
the Mughal empire
was disintegrating,
small states were
vying for power and
much of the old
political, economic
and social order was
in disarray.
Gradually, the
fortunes of Karachi
would become closely
interlinked with the
attitude of the
British towards
Sindh and its
rulers. The British
compulsions,
depending upon their
relations with
Russia, France,
Persia and
Afghanistan, and
their perceptions of
the potential of
trade with Central
Asia, influenced
Karachi's
development.
Already, Karachi's
importance was
substantial because
of its position on
the sea, its
proximity to river
Indus and its
potential for trade.
The beginning of
organized English
presence in Sindh
was made in the same
way as in the rest
of the subcontinent:
through peaceful
trading activities.
The first British
political mission
was initiated by
Lord Wellesley in
1799, and a factory
established in
Karachi in 1800.
Although the factory
had to be closed
down within a year,
due to the feelings
against the British
at the killing of
Tippu Sultan of
Mysore, Nathan Crow
managed to collect
information about 'Currachee',
its trade potential,
as well as the
ruling house of
Talpurs, which
became invaluable in
formulating future
British strategy in
Sindh.
As the first Earl of
Minto arrived in
India in 1807, the
threat of Napoleon
once again forced
the British
Government to assess
its relations with
Sindh. After the
Franco-Russian
Tilsit Agreement
(1807), it became
imperative for Minto
to establish
friendly relations
with the powers
"that held the key
of the north-west
frontier;" and to
initiate a British
diplomatic offensive
in countries
considered buffer
states. At this
juncture along with
Persia, Kabul and
the Punjab, Sindh
assumed a strategic
position, as an
inner line buffer
state.
The Smith Mission
was thus sent in
1809 from Bombay,
with instructions to
establish friendly
relations with Sindh
rulers. The Mission
arrived at the port
of 'Kurrachee' in a
suitable style of
magnificence in
country ship
'Maria', along with
three armed
gallivats attending
her. As half the
Mission members
proceeded by land,
and the other half
by jumptee (state
barge) sent by the
rulers, they were
able to acquire the
'utmost geographical
knowledge', in spite
of the intentions to
the contrary by the
Talpur rulers.
When the Mission
members arrived at
the Durbar in
Hyderabad, it far
surpassed their
expectations in the
richness and
splendor of the
setting. This
impression of
opulence led the
British to believe
in the extraordinary
treasures of the
Amirs, and one more
factor which
contributed to the
decision to annex
Sindh.
Other British
missions that were
later sent,
increasingly
contributed to the
knowledge of river
Indus, and the
people and country
of Sindh. Whenever
the British had
raised the
possibility of
exploring the Indus
and the interior of
Sindh, Talpur rulers
had strongly opposed
it. A cleverly
contrived scheme was
planned which the
rulers were forced
to accept due to the
constant threat
faced by them from
Ranjit Singh, the
powerful one-eyed
ruler of the Punjab.
Alexander Burnes was
entrusted with the
transportation of
five dray horses
which were a present
from the British
king William IV for
Ranjit Singh. Burnes
maintained that the
size and bulk of the
carriage he had to
deliver to the
Punjab ruler was
such that it could
only be transported
by water, and thus
forced the Talpur
rulers to accept his
entry into the fresh
waters of the river.
The spectacle of
Burnes' party
proceeding up the
river brought the
prophetic remark
from a Syed, who
watched them from
the water's edge:
"Alas! Sinde is now
gone, since the
English have seen
the river, which is
the road to its
conquest." Within a
little over a
decade, Sindh passed
into the hands of
the British.
First
Anglo-Afghan War
Through various
treaties, ostensibly
of amity and
friendship,
gradually, the Amirs
were being driven
into a corner;
however, it was the
First Anglo-Afghan
War in 1839 that had
far-reaching
consequences for
Sindh when part of
Karachi was
occupied.
It was the perceived
threat of the Czar's
armies invading
India through
Aghanistan that
resulted in
Governor-General
Earl of Auckland's
decision to install
a friendly buffer
government with
British pensioner,
the deposed Durrani
King Shah
Shuja-ul-Mulk, on
the throne of Kabul.
For this purpose a
tripartite treaty
was entered into by
Shah Shuja, Punjab's
Ranjit Singh and the
British Government.
Under this alliance,
Sindh, which was not
even a signatory to
the agreement, would
be forced to defray
part of the expense
of the expedition to
Afghanistan through
a questionable
tribute demanded by
Shah Shuja.
Under this grand
plan one section of
the British army had
to proceed to Kabul
via Bombay through
Sindh. Henry
Pottinger, the
Resident in Sindh
was deputed to
arrange for supplies
and negotiate a
passage for the
'Army of the
Indus'—as it was
styled.
When there was
difficulty in
getting the
requisite supplies,
it was decided by
the British to
demand "as a right
that which was
refused as a favor."
In a bid to
pressurize the Sindh
rulers to sign a new
treaty, which would
ensure British
military presence in
the principality, it
was decided to
dispatch a force to
Karachi to take its
possession.
It was thus that
74-gun Wellesely,
the flagship
carrying Rear
Admiral Maitland,
accompanied by
several other
ships-of-war and the
Sind Reserve Force
under the command of
Brigadier Valiant,
sailed into Karachi
Harbor on February
2,1839, and summoned
the modest Talpur
garrison to
surrender by
directing a
bombardment on
Karachi's Manora
Fort. The ancient
mud fortifications
could hardly
withstand the
onslaught and almost
instantly
surrendered, and the
flourishing port of
Karachi was
occupied. Sindh
rulers were forced
to agree to the
stationing of a
British force of
3,000 men in Karachi
and the Agreement
a/Surrender of
Karachi was signed
on February 7,1839,
relinquishing the
full possession of
the Fort and Town of
Karachi to the
British Forces.
The Sindh Amirs
having been dealt
firmly by the
British
Governor-General,
the way was now
clear for the 'Army
of the Indus' to
proceed without
hindrance to Kabul.
However, this first
major war after the
enthronement of
Queen Victoria
(1837) would result
in a humiliating
defeat for the
British. The
disastrous turn of
events in the First
Anglo-Afghan War
ended in dire
failure, striking a
severe blow to
British policy and
prestige.
The unfortunate
events in
Afghanistan had a
profound effect on
subsequent British
policy viz a viz
Sindh, resulting in
an even more
hardened attitude
towards the amirs.
The annexation of
Sindh now became
imperative in order
to prove the
ascendancy of the
British arms and to
overcome the
humiliation suffered
in Afghanistan.
Conquest of Sindh
was obviously
comparatively simple
now because of the
presence of British
forces in the
principality.
Annexation
In September 1842,
Major-General
Charles Napier was
sent to command all
troops stationed in
Sindh and
Baluchistan. Napier
believed in the
supremacy of the
British rule in
Sindh, noting in his
diary: "We have no
right to seize
Sindh, yet we shall
do so, and a very
advantageous,
useful, humane piece
of rascality it will
be."
On February 17,1843,
the decisive battle
of Miani took place
on the banks of the
river Fulaillee,
about nine miles
from the capital,
Hyderabad.
In the face of
superior military
hardware and well
organized army led
by General Charles
Napier, the Amirs
had no option but to
surrender. Mount
Stuart Elephantine,
one time Governor of
Bombay, placed the
British conquest in
perspective with
this observation:
"Coming after
Afghanistan, it put
one in mind of a
bully who has been
kicked in the
streets and went
home to beat his
wife in revenge."
On February 20,1843,
British flag was
unfurled at the
Hyderabad fort. The
Amirs were sent into
exile and all their
guns, ammunition and
treasure were taken
by Napier. All
Talpur guards were
replaced with
British troops at
the city's gates,
Mitha Darwaza and
Khara Darwaza; the
Talpur flag was cut
down, and Union Jack
was raised in its
place. The
occupation of Sindh
was immortalized by
the English journal
Punch when it
published the
laconic message sent
by Charles Napier,
often mentioned as
'the conqueror of
Sindh': "Peccavi 'I
have Sind'
(sinned)."
Napier declared
Karachi the capital
of the new British
territory in place
of Hyderabad,
capital of the
Talpur rulers. The
famous traveler and
anthropologist
Richard Burton
declared Karachi
"the young
Alexandria of our
young Egypt." 'Young
Egypt' became a
favorite sobriquet
for Sindh, having
originated from an
official
proclamation
announcing Napier's
conquest to be equal
to "Egypt in
fertility, a
reminder of Amrou's
despatch to Caliph
Umar, in which he
describes the land
of the Nile as
successively
appearing a desert,
a lake and a
flower-garden."
No doubt Napier
understood the
importance of this
port town which
could later develop
as a key entrepot
for transit goods to
and from Britain.
Before leaving
Karachi Napier had
wistfully declared:
"You will yet be the
glory of the East;
would that I could
come again to see
you, Kurrachee in
your grandeur!" In
1844 Napier had
predicted that
Karachi "will become
so rich that it may
tempt the hill
tribes to rush down
and plunder it." He
was not far wrong.
Flourishing
Entrepot
Napier would have
been pleased with
the phenomenal
growth the city made
over the years. The
establishment of the
railways in 1861 and
development of the
port facilities
contributed to
facilitating
large-scale export
of cotton to English
factories during the
cotton famine in the
1860s. Further
impetus was given to
commercial
activities on the
opening of the Suez
Canal in 1869, which
made Karachi the
subcontinent's
closest port to
Europe. By 1876,
Karachi had become
so busy that Richard
Burton noted there
was no room "in the
harbor to wedge the
fleet of ships which
will be wanted for
the passenger
traffic," along with
the growing
grain-trade.
By the 1880s wheat
began to pour from
the canal colonies
of the Punjab for
onward shipment from
Karachi port. It is
not surprising then
that by 1899,
Karachi had become
the biggest wheat
exporter in the
East.
And, Karachi had
already become a
cosmopolitan city;
Alexander Baillie,
writing about
Karachi ten years
earlier (1889) had
noted that "In
addition to the
permanent residents,
there is a constant
flow of temporary
visitors, consisting
of natives from
surrounding country
and from remote
districts of the
Province; of
Kutchees, Baluchees,
Mooltanees, and
Punjabees, from
inland, and Arabs
and Persians from
the Gulf."
As the city became
prosperous, it began
to display its
wealth through its
architecture.
Several Imperial
buildings were built
by the British
government in
Italianate,
neo-Classical,
neo-Gothic and
Anglo-Mughal styles,
while the merchant
princes and
mercantile community
began to decorate
facades of their
buildings with an
innovative mix of
European and local
ornamentation.
The urban form
reflected the
aloofness of the Raj
in the new area 'the
White Town' while
the local population
continued to live in
or around the old
town 'the Black
Town'. Gradually,
especially after the
First World War, the
barriers began to be
weakened and a
gradual merging of
the two parts became
evident. After the
Second World War,
even areas where
earlier natives were
not allowed to
reside, became
available to them.
At the beginning of
the century, Karachi
had already become a
throbbing
metropolis; as
independence from
British rule was
declared in 1947,
Karachi absorbed an
unprecedented
transfer of
population fleeing
from India.
Among the earliest
estimates of
population of
Karachi had been
noted in 1813by
Henry Pottinger,
later the British
Resident in Sindh,
as "13,000 souls."
At the time the town
occupied an area of
sixty to seventy
jirabs (thirty to
thirty-five acres)
in the form of an
irregular circle
protected with mud
ramparts, which is
identifiable as the
'Old Town Quarter'
today.
After annexation the
city developed
rapidly, and were it
not for the
recurring cholera,
the population would
probably have been
far in excess of
136,297, recorded in
1901. Two factors
were responsible for
an enormous increase
in its population
from 300,779 in 1931
to 435,887 in 1941:
the declaration of
Sindh as a separate
province, free from
the hegemony of
Bombay Presidency,
under which it had
been governed since
the time Napier
left, and the Second
World War when
Karachi became a
strategic naval
base. The
independence of
Pakistan in 1947 and
the partition of the
subcontinent
resulted in
unprecedented
migration of Muslims
from India to
Pakistan. Karachi,
thus grew
phenomenally as the
capital of the newly
created country.
The population of
Karachi rose by 161%
to 1,137,667 in
1951, almost
doubling in the next
decade. In 1971, the
separation of
Bangladesh itself
brought another
large exodus of
people congregating
into Karachi. In
1981, the growth
rate was a
staggering 6-7% at
5.44 million. The
present population
of Karachi is
estimated at almost
13 million.
Karachi Today
Karachi is known as
the most dynamic
city of Pakistan and
its inhabitants are
among some of the
most enterprising in
the world. It is the
principal urban
centre of Pakistan,
being twice the size
of the next largest
city. It is not only
the transportation
hub of Pakistan, two
major ports are also
situated here. It
boasts the newest
and the largest
international
airport, and
provides 25% of the
federal revenue, 40%
of the provincial
revenue and 15% of
gross domestic
product. It
generates 50% of
bank deposits and
75% of all the issue
capital of the
country.
Since it possesses a
strong manufacturing
base, it has the
optimum potential
for industrial
growth, consisting
of, as it does,
trained labor force
and an adequate
physical
infrastructure. It
houses the largest
formal sector
consisting of
banking,
communication
services, logistic
facilities,
broad-based trading,
manufacturing,
capital and goods
exchange and a large
number of
educational
institutions; its
informal sector
plays a major role
as generator of
employment.
A city, which
continues to bounce
back after every
adversity, contains
the highest literacy
levels in Pakistan.
66% of the adult
population is
literate, while 25%
being university
graduates and
professionals.
Although all cities
of Pakistan contain
rich cultural
heritage, however,
it is the city of
Karachi which has
proved to be the
most conscious in
preserving its urban
historic
architecture.
Consisting mainly of
British period
buildings, due to
Heritage
Foundation's
crusade, almost 600
historic buildings
in the city are now
protected under
Sindh Cultural
Heritage
(Preservation) Act,
1994.
Karachi is also the
first city in
Pakistan to restore
the first
British-period
building—
Quaid-e-Azam House
Museum (formerly
Flagstaff House),
was restored and
refurbished in mid
1980s.
As more historic
buildings are
conserved, and as
Foundation's
proposals regarding
pedestrianization of
historic areas are
taken up by the
Government, Karachi
will become an even
more enjoyable
metropolis. |
