Karachi: History 1
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Karachi under the British Raj
Perhaps the seed of Karachi’s industrial importance was sowed when East India Company got permission to establish a factory here in 1800. It was a Company agent, Nathan Crow, who landed in Karachi on March 2, 1800, but by the end of October the Mirs, suspecting ulterior motives, ordered the factory to be closed down.
However, this vitality of Karachi as natural harbour and port for the produce of the Indus basin had been recognised by the British, after sending a couple of exploratory missions to the area. Consequently, they conquered it on February 3, 1839. Three years later, it was annexed into British India as a district. After this there was no looking back and the city set off to become a bustling port city.
Karachi was divided into two major poles. The ‘black’ town to accommodate the burgeoning Indian mercantile population, and the ‘white’ town in the southeast. When the First Indian War for Independence broke out in 1857, the 21st Native Infantry stationed in Karachi declared allegiance to the rebellion and joined the cause of the War on September 10, 1857. The uprising though, was defeated by the British who were able to quickly reassert their control over Karachi.
Karachi was known as Kurrachee Scinde (i.e. Karachi, Sindh) during the early British colonial rule. Soon, there mushroomed churches, mosques, paved streets and commercial centres and, of course, the dynamic harbour. The Britsih were sure to leave their indelible mark in the form of magnificent buildings built in classical British colonial style — a stark contrast to the ‘Mughal Gothic’ style of Lahore. Many of these old buildings have been fortunate to withstand the ravages of time and still stand steadfast today.
A railroad connected Karachi to the rest of British India in the 1880s and its population multiplied. South Asia’s first tramway system was also laid down in 1900 in Karachi. In 1911 when the capital was shifted to Delhi, Karachi became closer to being a Gateway to India. Karachi was declared the capital of the newly formed Sindh province in 1936, chosen over the traditional capital of Hyderabad.
Krokola or Debal?
Needless to say, any history of Karachi prior to the 19th century is brief. It is said that the city called Krokola, from which one of Alexander the Great’s admirals sailed at the end of his conquests, was the same as Karachi. When Muhammad bin Qasim came to India in the year 712 he captured the city of Debul. It has been said that Debal was the ancestral village of present day Karachi. However, there is scant evidence to either prove or disprove this theory. Thus, historically, this coastal area had no significance from the time of the Indus Valley Civilisation until the end of the 18th century.
Kolachi jo Goth
The present city started life as a fishing settlement when a Balochi fisherwoman called Mai Kolachi settled here and started a family. The original name ‘Kolachi’ also survives in the name of a well-known Karachi locality named “Mai Kolachi.”
It was in 1772 that the village Kolachi-jo-Goth was changed from a fishing village to a trading post when it was selected as a port for trade with Muscat and Bahrain. In the following years a fort was built and cannons brought in from Muscat were mounted on it. The fort had two doorways, one facing the sea called the Khara Dar or Brackish Gate and one facing the River Lyari called the Meetha Dar or Sweet Gate. Currently, the site of those gates corresponds to the location of the neighbourhoods of Kharadar and Meethadar.
This city was merely an access to the Arabian Sea and even though it had no strategic importance it remained in the middle of tug of war between the Governors of Kalat and the Mirs of Hyderabad. In 1795 the city passed from the Khan of Kalat to the rulers of Sindh.
Karachi
June 17, 2007
REVIEW: The story of a city
Reviewed by Rizwana Naqvi
Karachi, now an industrial hub and a bustling metropolis of more than 15 million people, was a small fishing village about 400 years ago. Its transformation, however, did not occur overnight. The development took place slowly and gradually until after Independence, when Karachi was declared the capital of Pakistan.
The city received tremendous attention after that when it became host to an influx of refugees from India. Soon after, people from all over Pakistan started to come to Karachi in search of better livelihoods. Now, six decades later, the city is home for people from various ethnic backgrounds.
Compiling the history of a cosmopolitan city like Karachi, which has undergone tremendous changes over the centuries, must have been a cumbersome task. Ajmal Kamal’s two-volume book, Karachi Ki Kahani, is a modified version of the two-volume special edition of a quarterly magazine published by Aaj in 1996. Comprising articles written by eminent writers, Karachi Ki Kahani traces the history of this city of lights.
The collection comprises memoirs, marking the important events in the history of the city; analytical essays, covering the city’s evolution from various angles; and articles that are a melange of both.
The first volume is an account of Karachi from a historical perspective. An article by Seth Noamal Hotchand traces the history of Karachi from when a small group of traders moved to the city after the river port of Kharak Bunder was silted. It also discusses the takeover of Sindh by the British.
Another interesting account has been provided by an engineer of the East India Company, John Burton, who came to Karachi with the assignment of laying the first railway line connecting the city to the wheat- and cotton-growing centres of the country and turning it into one of the biggest ports of Pakistan.
A number of articles in the volume are personal accounts of life in pre-Partition and early post-Partition Karachi — some of them delightful reminisces of the past, while others narrating the horrors of Partition. The last piece in the volume is by the well-known architect Arif Hasan. He discusses the physical changes the city has undergone over the decades.
The second volume of Karachi Ki Kahani deals with a more contemporary Karachi, with an emphasis on the last decade.
The decade of the 1990s was marked by terrorism and bloodshed as a result of which the city changed. People from all walks of life such as doctors, poets and journalists recount their experiences. An account by Akhtar Hameed Khan, describing the projects carried out in the Orangi area under the Orangi Pilot Project on a self-help basis, is not only a study of the strength of the common people who want to better their lives, but also an eye opener.
Karachi has played host to people from all over the country. The poor settled in katchi abadis wherever they pleased. Then they demanded civic facilities and regularisation of their settlements. The katchi abadis are in addition to the already existing ones set up by the refugees who came from India or from former East Pakistan. Four significant articles by Tasneem Siddiqui, Arif Hasan, Kenneth Fernandez and Jan van der Linden, a Portuguese research scholar, discuss the process of the settlement of katchi abadis, the role of land grabbers in this regard and the factors leading to their demolition.
In the aftermath of Partition, round about the entire middle class of Karachi, mostly comprising Hindus, migrated to India. Their place was taken up by those who came from India to make Pakistan their new home. But they were indifferent to and unaware of the history, culture and heritage of the old city and hence, not caring for its heritage, developed the city according to their own requirements and taste. Most parts of the city developed on their own without any proper planning.
During the past 20 years, Karachi has seen many instances of violence and the disruption of civic life. Sectarian strife and easy availability of weapons are two factors that play a key role in this regard. Arif Hasan has tried to analyse the Mohajir-Sindhi tension, while Mark Tully looks into the arms and weapons issue in the South Asian context.
The accounts of residents of the various localities that were affected by the turmoil caused by the ethnic and sectarian strife, have been provided in detail by Zeenat Hisam. She presents heart-rending pictures of the situational crisis that the people had to face.
Fahmida Riaz’s article, though a bit lengthy, talks about Karachi’s deteriorating law and order situation.
The last article in the second volume is also by Arif Hasan who has tried to point out the social changes that have come about in the country, and the problems emanating from them which are most seriously affecting the city of Karachi.
Karachi Ki Kahani is an excellent compilation of writings about a great metropolis. It will surely hold its place in the literature about this city for times to come. However, one would like to point out a few shortcomings with the hope that they will be taken care of in the next edition. Though most of the featured writers have been introduced in the Introduction of the first volume, it would have been more appropriate if a small note about them was given at the beginning of their essays. Similarly, while reading some write-ups one may find it difficult to ascertain the time they were first written. Footnotes would have been appropriate.
Karachi Ki Kahani (Vol. I & II) Compiled by Ajmal Kamal Aaj publications Available with City Press Bookshop, 316 Madina City Mall, Abdullah Haroon Road, Saddar, Karachi-74400 Tel: 021-5213916, 5650623 ajmalkamal@gmail.com www.aajurdu.com ISBN 969-8379-86-X 950pp. Rs1,100
