Karachi
| Karachi کراچی |
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|---|---|
| Metropolis | |
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| Nickname(s): City of the Quaid,[1] Paris of Asia,[2][3] The City of Lights,[2] Bride of the Cities[4][5] | |
Karachi
Location in Pakistan
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| Coordinates: 24°51′36″N 67°0′36″ECoordinates: 24°51′36″N 67°0′36″E | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Sindh |
| Metropolitan Corporation | 2011 |
| City Council | City Complex, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town |
| Districts[7] | |
| Government[8] | |
| • Type | Metropolitan City |
| • Mayor of Karachi | Waseem Akhtar |
| • Deputy Mayor of Karachi | Arshad Vohra |
| Area[9] | |
| • Total | 3,780 km2 (1,460 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Population (2017 Census)[10] | |
| • Total | 14,910,352[6] (provisional) |
| • Rank | 1st in Pakistan |
| Demonym(s) | Karachiite |
| Time zone | PKT (UTC+05:00) |
| Postal codes | 74XXX – 75XXX |
| Dialing code | +9221-XXXX XXXX |
| GDP/PPP | $113 billion (2014)[11] |
| HDI | 0.69  [12] |
| HDI Category | Medium |
| Website | www |
listen); Sindhi: ڪراچي) is the capital of the Pakistani province of Sindh. It is the most populous city in Pakistan,[13][14] and third most populous city proper in the world.[15][16] Ranked as a beta world city,[17][18] the city is Pakistan's premier industrial and financial centre.[19] Karachi is also Pakistan's most cosmopolitan city.[20] Situated on the Arabian Sea, Karachi serves as a transport hub, and is home to two of Pakistan's two largest seaports, the Port of Karachi and Port Bin Qasim, as well as the busiest airport in Pakistan.Though the Karachi region has been inhabited for millennia,[21] the city was founded as the fortified village of Kolachi[22] in 1729.[23] The settlement drastically increased in importance with the arrival of British East India company in the mid 19th century, who not only embarked on major works to transform the city into a major seaport, but also connected it with their extensive railway network.[22] By the time of the Partition of British India, the city was the largest in Sindh with an estimated population of 400,000.[20] Following the independence of Pakistan, the city's population increased dramatically with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Muslim refugees from India.[24] The city experienced rapid economic growth following independence, attracting migrants from throughout Pakistan and South Asia.[25]
Karachi is one of Pakistan's most secular and socially liberal cities.[26][27][28] It is also the most linguistically, ethnically, and religiously diverse city in Pakistan.[20] With a population of 14.9 million recorded in the 2017 Census of Pakistan,[6] Karachi is the world's 6th most populous metropolitan area.[29][30] Karachi is one of the world's fastest growing cities,[31] and has communities representing almost every ethnic group in Pakistan. Karachi is home to over 2 million Bangladeshi immigrants, 1 million Afghan refugees, and up to 400,000 Rohingyas from Myanmar.[32][33][34]
Karachi is now Pakistan's premier industrial and financial centre. The city has a formal economy estimated to be worth $113 billion as of 2014.[35] Karachi collects over a third of Pakistan's tax revenue,[36] and generates approximately 20% of Pakistan's GDP.[37][38] Approximately 30% of Pakistani industrial output is from Karachi,[39] while Karachi's ports handle approximately 95% of Pakistan's foreign trade.[40] Approximately 90% of the multinational corporations operating in Pakistan are headquartered in Karachi.[40] Up to 70% of Karachi's workforce is employed in the informal economy,[41] which is typically not included in GDP calculations.[42]
Known as the "City of Lights" in the 1960s and 1970s for its vibrant nightlife,[43] Karachi was beset by sharp ethnic, sectarian, and political conflict in the 1980s with the arrival of weaponry during the Soviet–Afghan War.[44] The city had become well known for its high rates of violent crime, but recorded crimes sharply decreased following a controversial crackdown operation against criminals, the MQM political party, and Islamist militants initiated in 2013 by the Pakistan Rangers.[45] The city's murder rate in 2015 had decreased by 75% compared to 2013, and kidnappings decreased by 90%,[46] with the improved security environment triggering sharp increases in real-estate prices.[47]
History
Early history
The 15th–18th century Chaukhandi tombs are located 29 km (18 mi) east of Karachi.
The Karachi region is believed to have been known to the ancient Greeks. The region may be the site of Krokola, where Alexander the Great once camped to prepare a fleet for Babylonia, as well as Morontobara which may possibly be Karachi's Manora neighbourhood.
In 711 CE, Muhammad bin Qasim conquered the Sindh and Indus Valley. The Karachi region is believed to have been known to the Arabs as Debal, from where Muhammad Bin Qasim launched his forces into South Asia in 712 C.E.[48]
Under Mirza Ghazi Beg, the Mughal administrator of Sindh, the development of coastal Sindh and the Indus delta was encouraged. Under his rule, fortifications in the region acted as a bulwark against Portuguese incursions into Sindh. The Ottoman admiral, Seydi Ali Reis, mentioned Debal and Manora Island in his book Mir'ât ül Memâlik in 1554.
Kolachi settlement
Karachi was founded in 1729 as the settlement of Kolachi under the rule of the ethnically Baloch Talpur Mirs of Sindh.[23] The founders of the settlement are said to arrived from the nearby town of Karak Bandar after the harbour there silted in 1728 after heavy rains. The settlement was fortified, and defended with cannons imported by Sindhi sailors from Muscat, Oman. The name Karachee was used for the first time in a Dutch document from 1742, in which a merchant ship de Ridderkerk is shipwrecked near the original settlement.[49][50] The city continued to be ruled by the Talpur Mirs until it was occupied by forces under the command of John Keane in February 1839British Raj
Some of Karachi's most recognized structures, such as Frere Hall, date from the British Raj.
Karachi features several examples of colonial-era Indo-Saracenic architecture.
The former State Bank of Pakistan building was built during the colonial era.
The city was recognized for its strategic importance, prompting the British to establish the Port of Karachi in 1854. Karachi rapidly became a transportation hub for British India owing to newly built port and rail infrastructure, as well as the increase in agricultural exports from the opening of productive tracts of newly irrigated land in Punjab and interior Sindh.[53] The British also developed the Karachi Cantonment as a military garrison in order to aid the British war effort in the First Anglo-Afghan War.[54]
During the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the 21st Native Infantry, then stationed in Karachi, mutinied and declared allegiance to rebel forces in September 1857, though the British were able to quickly defeat the rebels and reassert control over the city. Following the Rebellion, British colonial administrators continued to develop the city. In 1864, the first telegraphic message was sent from South Asia to England from Karachi.[55] Public building works were undertaken, including the construction of Frere Hall in 1865 and the later Empress Market. In 1878, the British Raj connected Karachi with the network of British India's vast railway system.
By 1899, Karachi had become the largest wheat-exporting port in the East.[56] British development projects in Karachi resulted in an influx of economic migrants from several ethnicities and religions, including Anglo-British, Parsis, Marathis, and Goan Christians, among others. Karachi's newly arrived Jewish population established the city's first synagogue in 1893.[57] Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was born in Karachi's Wazir Mansion in 1876 to migrants from Gujarat. By the end of the 19th century, Karachi's population was estimated to be 105,000.[58]
Under British rule, the city's municipal government was established. Known as the Father of Modern Karachi, mayor Seth Harchandrai Vishandas led the municipal government to improve sanitary conditions in the Old City, as well as major infrastructure works in the New Town after his election in 1911.
Post-independence
At the dawn of Pakistan's independence in 1947, Karachi was Sindh's largest city with a population of over 400,000.[20] Despite communal violence across India and Pakistan, Karachi remained relatively peaceful compared to cities further north in Punjab.[2] The city became the focus for the resettlement of Muslim Muhajirs migrating from India, leading to a dramatic expansion of the city's population. This migration lasted until the 1960s.[59] This immigration ultimately transformed the city's demographics and economy.Karachi was selected as the first capital of Pakistan and served as such until the capital was shifted to Rawalpindi in 1958.[60] While foreign embassies shifted away from Karachi, the city is host to numerous consulates and honorary consulates.[61] Between 1958 and 1970, Karachi's role as capital of Sindh was ceased due to the One Unit programme enacted by President Iskander Mirza.[2]
Karachi of the 1960s was regarded as an economic role model around the world, with Seoul, South Korea borrowing from the city's second "Five-Year Plan."[62][63] The 1970s saw major labour struggles in Karachi's industrial estates. The 1980s and 1990s saw an influx of thousands of Afghan refugees from the Soviet war in Afghanistan into Karachi; who were in turn followed in smaller numbers by refugees escaping from post-revolution Iran.[64]
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Karachi was rocked by political and conflict, while crime rates drastically increased with the arrival of weaponry from the War in Afghanistan.[44] Conflict between the MQM party, and ethnic Sindhis, Pashtuns, and Punjabis was sharp. The party and its vast network of supporters were targeted by Pakistani security forces as part of the controversial Operation Clean-up in 1992 – an effort to restore peace in the city that lasted until 1994.[65] Anti-Hindu riots also broke out in Karachi in 1992 in retaliation for the demolition of the Babri Mosque in India by a group of Hindu nationalists earlier that year.[66] Karachi had become widely known for its high rates of violent crime, but recorded crimes sharply decreased following a controversial crackdown operation against criminals, the MQM party, and Islamist militants initiated in 2013 by the Pakistan Rangers
Economy
Karachi's financial heart is centered on I. I. Chundrigar Road
Karachi's colonial-era Empress Market is located in Saddar.
With an estimated GDP of $113 billion as of 2014,[35] Karachi contributes the bulk of Sindh's gross domestic product.[80][81][82][83] The city's competitiveness has declined relative to other Pakistani cities on account of poor infrastructure, corruption, and political instability.[79]
Following a controversial crackdown operation against criminals initiated in 2013 by the Pakistan Rangers,[45] crime rates have dramatically fallen in the city,[46] triggering sharp increases in real-estate prices.[47] In addition to increased land values, upmarket restaurants and cafés are described by Reuters as "overflowing.
| of estate | Location | Established | Area in acres | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SITE Karachi | SITE Town | 1947 | 4700 | ||||||||||||
| Korangi Industrial Area | Korangi Town | 1960 | 8500 | ||||||||||||
| Landhi Industrial Area | Landhi Town | 1949 | 11000 | ||||||||||||
| North Karachi Industrial Area | New Karachi Town | 1974 | 725 | ||||||||||||
| Federal B Industrial Area | Gulberg Town | 1987 | |||||||||||||
| Korangi Creek Industrial Park | Korangi Creek Cantonment | 2012 | 250 | ||||||||||||
| Bin Qasim Industrial Zone | Bin Qasim Town | 1970 | 2500 | ||||||||||||
| Karachi Export Processing Zone | Landhi Town | 1980 | 315 | ||||||||||||
| Pakistan Textile City | Bin Qasim Town | 2004 | 1250 | ||||||||||||
| West Wharf Industrial Area | Keamari Town | 430 | |||||||||||||
| SITE Super Highway Phase-I | Super Highway | 1983 | 300[ | ||||||||||||
| SITE Super Highway Phase-II | Super Highway | 1992 | 1000 | Religion
Abdullah Shah Ghazi, an 8th-century Sufi mystic, is considered to be the patron saint of Karachi.[152]
St. Patrick's Cathedral serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Karachi.
The Swaminarayan Temple is the largest Hindu temple in Karachi.
Prior to Pakistan's independence in 1947, the population of the city was estimated to be 50% Muslim, 40% Hindu, with the remaining 10% primarily Christians (both British and native), with a small numbers of Jews. Following the independence of Pakistan, much of Karachi's Sindhi Hindu population left for India while Muslim refugees from India in turn settled in the city. The city continued to attract migrants from throughout Pakistan, who were overwhelmingly Muslim, and city's population nearly doubled again in the 1950s.[123] As a result of continued migration, over 96.5% of the city currently is estimated to be Muslim.[2] Karachi is overwhelmingly Muslim,[2] though the city is one of Pakistan's most secular cities.[26][27][28] Approximately 65% of Karachi's Muslims are Sunnis, while 35% are Shi'ites.[153][154][155] Sunnis primarily follow the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, with Sufism influencing religious practices by encouraging reverence for Sufi saints such as Abdullah Shah Ghazi and Mewa Shah. Shi'ites are predominantly Twelver, with a significant Ismaili minority which is further subdivided into Nizaris, Mustaalis, Dawoodi Bohras, and Sulaymanis. Approximately 2.5% of Karachi's population is Christian.[148][149][150] The city's Christian community is primarily composed of Punjabi Christians,[139] who converted from Sikhism to Christianity during the British Raj.[156] Karachi has a community of Goan Catholics who are typically better-educated and more affluent than their Punjabi co-religionists.[157] The Goan community dates from 1820 and has a population estimated to be 12,000–15,000 strong.[158] While most of the city's Hindu population left en masse for India following Pakistan's independence, Karachi still has a large Hindu community with an estimated population of 250,000 based on 2013 data.[159] Karachi's affluent and influential Parsis have lived in the region in the 12th century, though the modern community dates from the mid 19th century when they served as military contractors and commissariat agents to the British.[160] Further waves of Parsi immigrants from Persia settled in the city in the late 19th century.[161] The population of Parsis in Karachi and throughout South Asia is in continuous decline due to low birth-rates and migration to Western countries |
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