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58-400: Lyari is said to be one of the oldest inhabited parts of Karachi, and is referred to by its residents as the "Mother of Karachi." Its name is said to be derived from a Lyar - a tree which grows in a graveyard. The first residents of Lyari were Sindhi fishermen and Baloch nomads ( pawans ). The first influx occurred in 1725, when Sindhi banyas ( wāniya ) came and expanded it, before Karachi

116-537: A common Sindhi culture , history and language . The historical homeland of Sindhis is bordered by the southeastern part of Balochistan , the Bahawalpur region of Punjab and the Kutch region of Gujarat . Having been isolated throughout history, unlike its neighbours, Sindhi culture has preserved its uniqueness. After the partition of British India in 1947, many Sindhi Hindus and Sindhi Sikhs migrated to

174-530: A common ethnicity and language. Islam in Sindh has a long history, starting with the capture of Sindh by Muhammad Bin Qasim in 712 CE. Over time, the majority of the population in Sindh converted to Islam, especially in rural areas. Today, Muslims make up over 90% of the population, and are more dominant in urban than rural areas. Islam in Sindh has a strong Sufi ethos with numerous Muslim saints and mystics, such as

232-457: A military-backed operation sought to pacify Lyari in which over 1,000 were apprehended. In 2014, the city was ranked the 6th most dangerous city in the world. After success of the operation, crime fell drastically in Karachi, and the city was ranked 93rd most dangerous in mid-2020. In 2018, Lyari voted for Imran Khan 's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, breaking a 48 year streak of PPP rule. After

290-434: A notable example in Sindh being that of Mohenjo Daro . Built around 2500 BCE., it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus civilisation or Harappan culture , with features such as standardized bricks, street grids, and covered sewer systems. It was one of the world's earliest major cities , contemporaneous with the civilizations of ancient Egypt , Mesopotamia , Minoan Crete , and Caral-Supe . Mohenjo-daro

348-604: A quarter of the city to Muslims and built a mosque there. At Ror , 6000 fighting men were massacred with their families enslaved. The massacre at Brahamanabad has various accounts of 6,000 to 26,000 inhabitants slaughtered. In the late 16th century, Sindh was brought into the Mughal Empire by Akbar , himself born in the Rajputana kingdom in Umerkot in Sindh. Mughal rule from their provincial capital of Thatta

406-618: A result, Lyari developed in a haphazard manner, and was characterized by a cluster of poor settlements with home made of reed and mudbrick. One quarter of Karachi's entire population lived in the Trans-Lyari Quarter at the turn of the 20th century. Migration of Iranian Baloch increased after the Iranian government began subjugating Iranian Balochistan in 1928. In 1941, the population of Lyari was 81,768. After independence, neglect of Lyari continued. Development of Lyari at this time

464-741: Is derived from the Sanskrit Sindhu , which translates as "river" or "sea body"; the Greeks used the term "Indos" to refer to the Indus River and the surrounding region, which is where Sindhi is spoken. The historical spelling "Sind" (from the Perso-Arabic سند) was discontinued in 1988 by an amendment passed in the Sindh Assembly , and is now spelt "Sindh." Hence, the term "Sindhi" was also introduced to replace "Sindi". In

522-548: The 2017 Census of Pakistan , Hindus constituted about 8.7% of the total population of Sindh province, roughly around 4.2 million people. Most of them live in urban areas such as Karachi , Hyderabad , Sukkur and Mirpur Khas . Hyderabad is currently the largest centre of Sindhi Hindus in Pakistan, with 100,000–150,000 living there. The ratio of Hindus in Sindh was higher before the Partition of India in 1947. Prior to

580-503: The Bahawalpur region of Punjab , the Kutch region of Gujarat and Jaisalmer and Barmer regions of Rajasthan , India. There are many Sindhi-Hindus who migrated to India after partition in 1947. Sindhis in Pakistan have their own province, Sindh, It also has the largest population of Hindus in Pakistan, with 93% of Pakistani Hindus residing in Sindh. Sindhi Hindus were an economically prosperous community in urban Sindh before partition, but due to fear of persecution on

638-648: The Balochi language , the traditional terms for Sindhis are Jadgal and Jamote . They are derived from the prefix Jatt referring to the tribe by that name, and the suffix gal meaning "speech". Thus, it signifies someone who speaks the language of the Jatts, i.e. a Jatt. The term Jatt historically encompassed Sindhis and Punjabis , and was frequently used by the British for Sindhis in their census records. Sindh has been an ethnic historical region isolated from

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696-569: The British at the Battle of Miani and Battle of Dubbo . The northern Khairpur branch of the Talpur dynasty, however, continued to maintain a degree of sovereignty during British rule as the princely state of Khairpur, whose ruler elected to join the new Dominion of Pakistan in October 1947 as an autonomous region, before being fully amalgamated into West Pakistan in 1955. Baloch migrations in

754-591: The Chach Nama , after the Arabs scaled Debal's walls, the besieged denizens opened the gates and pleaded for mercy but Qasim stated he had no orders to spare anyone. The historian al-Baladhuri stated that after conquest of Debal, Qasim kept slaughtering its inhabitants for three days. The custodians of the Buddhist stupa were killed and the temple was destroyed; 700 women taking shelter there were enslaved. Qasim gave

812-445: The Partition of India , around 73% of the population of Sindh was Muslim with almost 26% of the remaining being Hindu. Hindus in Sindh were concentrated in the urban areas before the Partition of India in 1947, during which most migrated to modern-day India according to Ahmad Hassan Dani . In the urban centres of Sindh, Hindus formed the majority of the population before the partition. The cities and towns of Sindh were dominated by

870-656: The Rashidun army during the early Muslim conquests , but the region did not come under Muslim rule until the Arab invasion of Sind occurred under the Umayyad Caliphate , headed by Muhammad ibn Qasim in 712 CE. Afterwards, Sindh was ruled by a series of dynasties including the Habbaris , Soomras , Sammas , Arghuns and Tarkhans . The Mughal empire conquered Sindh in 1591 and organized it as Subah of Thatta ,

928-768: The Soomro —descendants of the Soomra dynasty , who ruled Sindh during 970–1351 C.E.—and the Samma —descendants of the Samma dynasty, who ruled Sindh during 1351–1521 CE. These tribes belong to the same bloodline. Among other Sindhi Sammat and Sindhi Rajputs are the Bhuttos , Kambohs , Bhattis , Bhanbhros, Mahendros, Buriros, Bhachos, Chohans, Lakha, Sahetas, Lohanas , Mohano , Dahars , Indhar , Chhachhar, Chachar , Dhareja, Rathores , Dakhan, Langah , Junejo , Mahars , etc. One of

986-1228: The national assembly from a seat in Lyari. The area was a stronghold of the PPP from 1970 until 2018, when Lyari voted for Imran Khan 's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, and the PPP came in third place. There are many schools, college, and a university, along with two national standard hospital & some mini hospitals. Also, they have a public places where people gather around in the evening. The Educational and Training Institutes in Lyari Town: ▪ Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University, Lyari (BBSUL) ▪ Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical College (SMBBMC) • Lyari Degree Government Science, Arts and Commerce Boys College • Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Boys College • Rose Educational and Welfare Society • Abdullah Haroon Science & Commerce Boys College • Nusrat Bhutto Science & Commerce Girls College • Lyari General Hospital Medical & Nursing Training Institute • Government Poly Technical College Lyari • S.M. Lyari Government Boys Secondary School • Kiran Foundation, DCTO Campus > Al Qadir School, Liyari Football and boxing are

1044-424: The 1960s, which is often regarded as the early golden age of Pakistani football. Notable players during this period include Abdul Ghafoor , nicknamed the "Pakistani Pelé " and "Black Pearl of Pakistan", Muhammad Umer , Moosa Ghazi , Abid Ghazi , Turab Ali , Ali Nawaz Baloch , among others. The Kakri Ground and People's Football Stadium , which is one of the major football stadiums in the country are located in

1102-564: The 1980s, weapons from the Afghan-Soviet war arrived in Lyari, and drug-addiction became widespread. Some locals allege that drugs were pushed into the neighborhood by the regime of Zia-ul-Haq in retaliation for Lyari's opposition to his rule. In 1987, Benazir Bhutto was elected to the National Assembly from a seat in Lyari. In the 1980s and 1990s, Lyaris gangster became entwined with local politicians. The PPP supported

1160-487: The African-descended Sheedi people, locally called Makrani, though they have mostly integrated into the larger Baloch community. Those of Sheedi heritage, or partial Sheedi heritage, may in fact make up the majority of Balochi speakers in Lyari. Lyari is mostly Sunni, although there are at least and estimated 50,000 Zikri members. Lyari has been an important site for social and labor activism since

1218-519: The Arab conquest, mainly due to conversion of almost all of the Buddhist population of Sindh to Islam, Hinduism managed to survive as a significant minority through Muslim rule until before the partition of India. Derryl Maclean explains what he calls "the persistence of Hinduism" on the basis of "the radical dissimilarity between the socio-economic bases of Hinduism and Buddhism in Sind": Buddhism in this region

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1276-638: The Great's invasion , Sindh became part of the Mauryan Empire . After its decline, Indo-Greeks , Indo-Scythians and Indo-Parthians ruled in Sindh. Sindh is sometimes referred to as the Bab-ul Islam ( transl.  'Gateway of Islam'), as it was one of the first regions of the Indian subcontinent to come under Islamic rule . Parts of the modern-day province were intermittently subject to raids by

1334-457: The Hindus. In 1941, Hindus were 64% of the total urban population. According to the 1941 Census of India , Hindus formed around 74% of the population of Hyderabad , 70% of Sukkur , 65% of Shikarpur and about half of Karachi . By the 1951 Census of Pakistan , all of these cities had virtually been emptied of their Hindu population as a result of the partition. Hindus were also spread over

1392-663: The Islamic conquest between the 7th and 10th centuries CE Alexander the Great marched through Punjab and Sindh, down the Indus river, after his conquest of the Persian Empire. The Ror dynasty was a power from the Indian subcontinent that ruled modern-day Sindh and Northwest India from 450 BCE to 489 CE. Sindh was one of the earliest regions to be conquered by the Arabs and influenced by Islam after 720 CE. Before this period, it

1450-696: The Kalhoras in 1783 and four branches of the dynasty were established. One ruled lower Sindh from the city of Hyderabad , another ruled over upper Sindh from the city of Khairpur , a third ruled around the eastern city of Mirpur Khas , and a fourth was based in Tando Muhammad Khan . They were ethnically Baloch , and for most of their rule, they were subordinate to the Durrani Empire and were forced to pay tribute to them. They ruled from 1783 until 1843, when they were in turn defeated by

1508-507: The PPP's defeat at the local level, the provincial government (which is still controlled by the PPP) began to invest in infrastructure improvements in a bid to regain loyalty to the PPP. The very first inhabitants of Lyari were Sindhi fishermen and Baloch nomads. Lyari Town is home of the majority Kutchi speaking people. Lyari is unique in Karachi for its high percentage of residents who are Balochi speakers - upwards for 40-50%. After Karachi

1566-585: The Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, having lived in Sindh historically. One popular legend which highlights the strong Sufi presence in Sindh is that 125,000 Sufi saints and mystics are buried on Makli Hill near Thatta. The development of Sufism in Sindh was similar to the development of Sufism in other parts of the Muslim world. In the 16th century two Sufi tareeqat (orders)—Qadria and Naqshbandia—were introduced in Sindh. Sufism continues to play an important role in

1624-402: The base from which socialist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto campaigned for Prime Minister in the 1970s, and remained a stronghold of Bhutto's PPP for decades afterwards, as opposed to the rest of the city which was dominated by other parties. In the 80s, Lyari became a center of resistance to dictator Zia-ul-Haq , and again against Pervez Musharraf in the 2000s. In 1987, Benazir Bhutto was elected to

1682-1172: The basis of religion and after large scale arrival of Muslim refugees from India, they migrated to India after partition. They had a hard time in India developing their economic status with no native homeland to claim, they chose to live in states that had similarity with Sindhi culture. Despite all of that they were successful in establishing themselves as one of India's richest communities, especially through business and trade. Sindhis have distinguished themselves in India, from famous actors such as Ranveer Singh and Jimmi Harkishin to veteran politicians such as L. K. Advani , all of whom had families that came from Sindh. In India as per 2011 census, Sindhis have an estimated population of 2,770,000. Unlike Sindhis in Pakistan, Indian Sindhis are scattered throughout India in states such as Gujarat , Maharashtra and Rajasthan . Today many Sindhis live outside Pakistan and India, particularly in Afghanistan , where there are an estimated 25,000 of them, largely engaged in merchant trade . In addition, during

1740-817: The city. The 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul , South Korea bronze medal champion Hussein Shah was born and trained in Lyari, who won in the Middleweight division (71–75 kg). It was the country's first-ever Olympic boxing medal. 26°28′N 68°15′E  /  26.467°N 68.250°E  / 26.467; 68.250 Sindhi people Sindhis ( / ˈ s ɪ n d iː z / ; سنڌي ‎ ( Perso-Arabic ) , सिन्धी ( Devanagari ) ; romanized : sindhī ; pronounced [sɪndʱiː] ) are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group , originating from and native to Sindh region of Pakistan, who share

1798-410: The civilisation may have contained between one and five million individuals during its florescence. A gradual drying of the region during the 3rd millennium BCE may have been the initial stimulus for its urbanisation. Eventually it also reduced the water supply enough to cause the civilisation's demise and to disperse its population to the east. For several centuries in the first millennium BCE and in

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1856-645: The colonial era. Lyari was also a base for anti-colonial movements, such as the Khilafat Movement , and the Reshmi Rumal Tehreek. Mohandas Gandhi is reported to have visited Lyari's Chakiwara Chowk during his struggle against the British. In the 1960s, Lyari was the main base for several leftist student organizations and Baloch nationalist organizations. It is sometimes referred to as the birthplace of Baloch nationalism. The locality became

1914-483: The consolidation of British rule and the use of Sindh as a market for British products and a source of revenue and raw materials. With the appropriate infrastructure in place, the British hoped to exploit Sindh's economic potential. The British incorporated Sindh, some years later after annexing it, into the Bombay Presidency . The distance from the provincial capital, Bombay , led to grievances that Sindh

1972-619: The crackdown on separatist groups by Pervez Musharraf an estimated 400-500 Sindhi separatists, along with Balochis , fled to Afghanistan. Another group of Sindhis migrated to the island of Ceylon , which is the now modern day country of Sri Lanka , roughly two centuries ago to engage in business and trade. They came via migration from Hyderabad city of Sindh. However, after partition this trend increased as Sindhi Hindus left their home province. Today they are mainly concentrated around Colombo . Rich Sindhi communities can also be found in both Hong Kong and Singapore . Sindh

2030-479: The daily lives of Sindhis. Sindh also has Pakistan's highest percentage of Hindus overall, which accounts 8.7% of the population, roughly around 4.2 million people, and 13.3% of the province's rural population as per 2017 Pakistani census report. These numbers also include the scheduled caste population, which stands at 1.7% of the total in Sindh (or 3.1% in rural areas), and is believed to have been under-reported, with some community members instead counted under

2088-621: The first five centuries of the first millennium CE, the western portions of Sindh, the regions on the western flank of the Indus river, were intermittently under Persian, Greek and Kushan rule, first during the Achaemenid dynasty (500–300 BCE) during which it made up part of the easternmost satrapies, then, by Alexander the Great, followed by the Indo-Greeks and still later under the Indo-Sassanids , as well as Kushans , before

2146-622: The first-level imperial division. Sindh again became independent under the Kalhora dynasty . The British conquered Sindh in 1843 after their victory in the Battle of Hyderabad over the Talpur dynasty . Sindh became a separate province in 1936, and after independence became part of Pakistan. Sindh and surrounding areas contain the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization . There are remnants of ancient cities and structures, with

2204-487: The gang of Uzair Baloch and Rehman Dakait to confront the MQM-back Arshad Pappu. In 2001, Lyari was amalgamated into Lyari Town - an administrative division that was officially reversed in 2013. During that period, Lyari was cut off from sources of revenue and "economically lucrative" areas in Karachi's District South, as it was made into its own municipality during that era. The formation of the town system

2262-639: The main Hindu category. Although Pakistan Hindu Council claimed that there are 6,842,526 Hindus living in Sindh Province covering around 14.29% of the region's population. Umerkot district in the Thar Desert is Pakistan's only Hindu-majority district. The Shri Ramapir Temple in Tandoallahyar whose annual festival is the second largest Hindu pilgrimage in Pakistan is in Sindh. Sindh is also

2320-515: The most popular sports, and some of the most notable boxers and footballers in Pakistan have mostly emerged from Lyari. The city of Lyari has played a large role in Pakistani football history. In its early years, football in Pakistan was mainly concentrated to Balochistan and the locality of Lyari, from where majority of players of the Pakistan national football team were recruited mainly in

2378-717: The newly independent Dominion of India and other parts of the world; some Sindhis fled and formed diasporas settling in countries such as England and the United States . Pakistani Sindhis are predominantly Muslim , with smaller minorities of Christians , Sikhs , and Hindus . The latter are concentrated mostly in the eastern Sindh . Indian Sindhis are predominantly Hindu with smaller Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and Jain minorities. Despite being geographically separated, Sindhis still maintain strong ties to each other and share similar cultural values and practices. Europe North America Oceania The name Sindhi

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2436-548: The northern edge of Mithadar , with Lyari settlement across the river. As a result, the area was referred to as the Trans-Lyari Quarter during the British period. Lyari was neglected during this era, as the British administrators and Hindu mercantile community showed little interest in developing the Muslim-majority working-class locale, and instead chose to develop the port and eastern part of Karachi. As

2494-749: The oldest Sindhi tribes is the Charan . The Sindhi-Sipahi of Rajasthan and the Sandhai Muslims of Gujarat are communities of Sindhi Rajputs settled in India. Closely related to the Sindhi Rajputs are the Sindhi Jats , who are found mainly in the Indus delta region. However, tribes are of little importance in Sindh as compared to in Punjab and Balochistan. Identity in Sindh is mostly based on

2552-519: The only province in Pakistan to have a separate law for governing Hindu marriages . Per community estimates, there are approximately 10,000 Sikhs in Sindh. Hinduism along with Buddhism was the predominant religion in Sindh before the Arab Islamic conquest. The Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang , who visited the region in the years 630–644, said that Buddhism was declining in the region. While Buddhism declined and ultimately disappeared after

2610-538: The region between 14th and 18th centuries and many Baloch dynasties saw a high Iranic mixture into Sindhis. The British East India Company conquered Sindh in 1843. General Charles Napier is said to have reported victory to the Governor General with a one-word telegram, namely "Peccavi" – or "I have sinned" ( Latin ), which was later turned into a pun known as "Forgive me for I have Sindh". The British had two objectives in their rule of Sindh:

2668-410: The residents despite Lyari having no basic amenities at the time. Lyari's first criminal gangs took root in the 1960s, but were considered to be fairly harmless towards the local population. In the late 1970s, Lyari gave rise to its own music scene, known as "Lyari Disco." Lyari in the 70s also became a haven for drug traffickers who could avoid law enforcement agencies in the localities narrow lanes. By

2726-537: The rest of India; unlike its neighbors Sindh did not experience violent invasions. Boundaries of various Kingdoms and rulers in Sindh were defined on ethnic lines. Throughout history the geographical definition for Sindh referred to the south of Indus and its neighboring regions. Besides Sindh the historical homeland of Sindhis are regions like Kacchi Plain , the Lasbela and Makran regions in Balochistan ,

2784-759: Was abandoned in the 19th century BCE as the Indus Valley Civilization declined, and the site was not rediscovered until the 1920s. Significant excavation has since been conducted at the site of the city, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. The site is currently threatened by erosion and improper restoration. The cities of the ancient Indus were noted for their urban planning , baked brick houses, elaborate drainage systems, water supply systems, clusters of large non-residential buildings, and techniques of handicraft and metallurgy . Mohenjo-daro and Harappa very likely grew to contain between 30,000 and 60,000 individuals, and

2842-485: Was developed under British rule, large waves of Baloch migrants settled in the Lyari from the Iranian portion of Balochistan. Migration increased after the Iranian government began subjugating Iranian Balochistan in 1928. Baloch of Iranian descent today form the largest portion of Baloch in Lyari. Gujaratis and Kutchis are also heavily represented in Baghdadi and Shah Baig Line . There are several thousand members of

2900-417: Was focused on the northern outskirts, and included the planned neighborhoods of Agra Taj Colony and Bihar Colony - both of which were developed for migrants. By 1956, Lyari's population had rapidly grown to about 360,000. In the late 1950s, General Ayub Khan attempted to rehabilitate central Karachi by relocating Lyari's population to the northern neighborhood of New Karachi , which was fiercely opposed by

2958-514: Was formally established in 1729. Further waves of Baloch migrants arrived in 1770 and 1795. After Karachi was developed under British rule, large waves of Baloch migrants settled in the Lyari from the Iranian portion of Balochistan . Lyari's population was 24,600 in 1886, and it was a majority-Muslim area of Karachi, which in turn was majority Hindu. At the time, the Lyari River flowed along

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3016-766: Was heavily Hindu and Buddhist . After 632 CE., it was part of the Islamic empires of the Abbasids and Umayyids . Habbari, Soomra , Samma , Kalhora dynasties ruled Sindh. After the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad , the Arab expansion towards the east reached the Sindh region beyond Persia . An initial expedition in the region, launched because of the Sindhi pirate attacks on Arabs in 711–12, failed. In 712, when Mohammed Bin Qasim invaded Sindh with 8000 cavalry while also receiving reinforcements, Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf instructed him not to spare anyone in Debal. According to

3074-417: Was mainly urban and mercantile while Hinduism was rural and non-mercantile, thus the Arabs, themselves urban and mercantile, attracted and converted the Buddhist classes, but for the rural and non-mercantile parts, only interested by the taxes, they promoted a more decentralized authority and appointed Brahmins for the task, who often just continued the roles they had in the previous Hindu rule. According to

3132-475: Was neglected in contrast to other parts of the Presidency. The merger of Sindh into Punjab province was considered from time to time but was turned down because of British disagreement and Sindhi opposition, both from Muslims and Hindus, to being annexed to Punjab. In 1947, violence did not constitute a major part of the Sindhi partition experience, unlike in Punjab. This was in part due to the Sufi-influenced culture of religious tolerance and in part because Sindh

3190-474: Was not divided and was instead made part of Pakistan in its entirety. Sindhi Hindus who left generally did so out of a fear of persecution, rather than persecution itself, because of the arrival of Muslim refugees from India. Sindhi Hindus differentiated between the local Sindhi Muslims and the migrant Muslims from India. A large number of Sindhi Hindus travelled to India by sea, to the ports of Bombay, Porbandar, Veraval and Okha. The two main tribes of Sindh are

3248-429: Was seen to purposefully impact Lyari in a negative manner because administrative division were largely controlled by the MQM, whereas Lyari had been a bastion of the rival PPP. Crime and violence emanating from Lyari began to take hold over much of Karachi in a manner that had not been seen in previous decades, when violence in Lyari was mostly confined to Lyari itself. 3,251 people were killed in Karachi by 2013. In 2013,

3306-410: Was the site of one of the Cradle of civilizations , the Bronze Age Indus Valley civilisation that flourished from about 3000 BCE. The Indo-Aryan tribes of Sindh gave rise to the Iron Age vedic civilization , which lasted until 500 BCE. During this era, the Vedas were composed. In 518 BCE, the Achaemenid empire conquered Indus valley and established Hindush satrapy in Sindh. Following Alexander

3364-452: Was to last in lower Sindh until the early 18th century, while upper Sindh was ruled by the indigenous Kalhora dynasty, consolidating their rule until the mid-18th century, when the Persian sacking of the Mughal throne in Delhi allowed them to grab the rest of Sindh. It is during this the era that the famous Sindhi Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai composed his classic Sindhi text Shah Jo Risalo The Talpur dynasty (Sindhi: ٽالپردور‎‎) succeeded

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