Sindh
Sindh is the south eastern province of Pakistan. The province is associated
with the river Indus and the Indus civilization as the river Indus ends here and
the largest city of Indus civilization is also here.
Cities in Sindh
Karachi :- The largest city of Sindh
Province it is located in the south. With its 18 million population it is the
largest city of Pakistan. Most of the International flights come to Quaide Azam
International airport.
Hyderabad :- The second largest city of
Sindh was the former capital of the area. It is 170 Kilopeters from Karachi and
offers interesting options for culture tours
Thatta :- The formal capital of Sindh the
cradle of literature history and prosperity for the province now a very small
town having ruminants of its rich past and the famous cemetery of Makli and
Shahjehan Mosque.
Sukkur :- The central city of Sindh
located on the bank of the Indus river. It was also one a historical city of the
area. The city has many archeological sites, shrines and a clock tower from the
English times. It is 500 kilometers from Karachi
Larkana :- The home to the popular political party of Pakistan the people
party. More importance of the city is it proximity with
Moen Jo Daro the ancient city of Indus
civilization.
Mirpurkhas :- The south eastern city
of Mirpurkhas is 70 kilometers from Hyderabad it is home the the rich
agriculture farms and the famous mangos from the area.
Thar Desert :- The eastern desert of
Sindh is rich in culture and natural beauty of its sand dunes.
Sanghar
Jacobabad :- The town in the western
Sindh
Sehwan :- The city of the one
of the most popular Sufi of Pakistan Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
Khairpur:- The city of Kot
DG he beautiful fort and arecheological site of Kot DG (Pre Indus civilization)
Nawab Shah:-
Sindhi Language |
Jaan Book in Sindhi |
Indus Land
Culture & History of Sindh
Historically Sindh is home to the Sindhis. Different cultural and ethnic
groups also reside in Sindh including Urdu-speaking Muslim Indians who migrated
to Pakistan from India upon independence as well as the people migrated from
other provinces after independence. The Sindh is linked with Balochistan in the
west and north, Punjab to the north, Gujarat and Rajasthan of India in the
southeast and east, and the Arabian Sea in the south. The main language of Sindh
is Sindhi while all other languages of Pakistan are spoken here. Historically
the Assyrians (as early as the seventh century BC) knew the region as Sinda. The
Persians as Abisind, the Greeks as Sinthus, the Romans as Sindus, the Chinese as
Sintow, in Sanskrit, the province was dubbed Sindhu meaning "Ocean" while the
Arabs dubbed it Al-Sindh
Origin of the name Sindh
The province of Sindh and the people inhabiting the region had been
designated after the river known in Ancient times as the Sindhus River, now also
known by Indus River. In Sanskrit, sidhu means "river, stream". However, the
importance of the river and close phonetically resemblance in nomenclature would
make one consider sidhu as the probable origin of the name of Sindh. Later
phonetical changes transformed Sindhu into Hindu in Old Persian. The Greeks who
conquered Sindh in 325 BC under the command of Alexander the Great rendered it
as Indu, hence the modern Indus, when the British conquered South Asia, they
expanded the term and applied the name to the entire region of South Asia and
called it India.
Prehistoric period
The Indus Valley civilization is the farthest visible outpost of archaeology in
the abyss of prehistoric times. The prehistoric site of Kot Diji in Sindh has
furnished information of high significance for the reconstruction of a connected
story which pushes back the history of India by at least another 300 years, from
about 2500 BC. Evidence of a new element of pre-Harappan culture has been traced
here. When the primitive village communities in Balochistan were still
struggling against a difficult highland environment, a highly cultured people
were trying to assert themselves at Kot Diji one of the most developed urban
civilization of the ancient world that flourished between the year 25th century
BC and 1500 BC in the Indus valley sites of Moenjodaro and Harappa. The people
were endowed with a high standard of art and craftsmanship and well-developed
system of quasi-pictographic writing which despite ceaseless efforts still
remains un-deciphered. The remarkable ruins of the beautifully planned
Moenjodaro and Harappa towns, the brick buildings of the common people, roads,
public-baths and the covered drainage system envisage the life of a community
living happily in an organized manner.
This civilization is now identified as a possible pre-Aryan civilization and
most probably an indigenous civilization which was conquered by the invading
Aryans. The Brahui language is possibly a remnant of the civilisation which
flourished in this region.
Geography
Sindh is located on the western corner of South Asia, bordering the Iranian
plateau in the west. Geographically it is the third largest province of
Pakistan, stretching about 579 km from north to south and 442 km (extreme) or
281 km (average) from east to west, with an area of 140,915 kms (54,407 square
miles) of Pakistani territory. Sindh is bounded by the Thar Desert to the east,
the Kirthar Mountains to the west, and the Arabian Sea in the south. In the
centre is a fertile plain around the Indus river. The devastating floods of the
river Indus are now controlled by irrigation techniques.
Karachi became capital of Sindh in 1936, in place of the traditional capitals
of Hyderabad and Thatta. Other important cities include Shaheed Benazeerabad
District, Sanghar, Sukkur, Dadu, Shahdadkot, Sehwan, Mirpukhas, Larkana,
Shikarpur, Nosharoferoz, Kashmore, Umerkot, Tharparkar, Jacobabad, Ghotki,
Ranipur, and Moro.
A subtropical region, Sindh is hot in the summer and cold in winter.
Temperatures frequently rise above 46 BC (115 F) between May and August, and
the minimum average temperature of 2 BC (36 F) occurs during December and
January. The annual rainfall averages about seven inches, falling mainly during
July and August. The southwest monsoon wind begins to blow in mid-February and
continues until the end of September, whereas the cool northerly wind blows
during the winter months from October to January.
Highest and lowest temperatures
The highest temperature throughout Pakistan are usually recorded in - Shaheed
Benazeerabad District (Previously called Nawabshah District) and Sibbi from May
to August each year which rises to above 48 degree centigrade. The climate is
dry and hot but sometimes falls to 0 degrees Celsius and falls to lower than
minus seven in December or January once in a quarter of the century.
Sindh lies between the two monsoons - the southwest monsoon from the Indian
Ocean and the northeast or retreating monsoon, deflected towards it by Himalayan
mountains and escapes the influence of both. The average rainfall in Sindh is
only 15 to 18 cm per year, but the loss during the two seasons is compensated by
the Indus, in the form of inundation, caused twice a year by the spring and
summer melting of Himalayan snow and by rainfall in the monsoon season. These
natural patterns have changed somewhat with the construction of dams and
barrages on the Indus.
Climatically, Sindh is divided in three sections - Siro (upper section
centred on Jacobabad), Wicholo (middle section centred on Hyderabad), and Lar
(lower section centred on Karachi). In Upper Sindh,[2] the thermal equator
passes through Sindh. The highest temperature ever recorded was 53 BC (127 F)
in 1919. The air is generally very dry. In winter frost is common.
In Central Sindh, average monsoon wind speed is 18 km/hour in June. The
temperature is lower than Upper Sindh but higher than Lower Sindh. Dry hot days
and cool nights are summer characteristics. Maximum temperature reaches 43-44 BC
(110-112 F). Lower Sindh has a damper and humid maritime climate affected by
the south-western winds in summer and north-eastern winds in winter and with
lower rainfall than Central Sindh. The maximum temperature reaches about 35-38
BC (95-100 F). In the Kirthar range at 1,800 m7 and higher on the Gorakh Hill
and other peaks in Dadu District, temperatures near freezing have been recorded
and brief snow fall is received in winters.
The 1998 Census of Pakistan indicated a population 30.4 million, the current
population can be estimated to be in the range of 48 to 52 million using a
compound growth in the range of 2% to 2.8% since then. With just under half
being urban dwellers, mainly found in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas,
Shaheed Benazeerabad District, previously called as Nawabshah District, Umerkot
and Larkana. Sindhi is the sole official language of Sindh since the 19th
century. Going just by language, Sindhi speakers make up 59.38%; Urdu speakers
make up 21.04%; Pashto (4.19%); Punjabi (6.99)%; Gujarati/Memon (3.0%); Baluchi
(2.09%); Seraiki (1.00%) and others (2.31%). Other languages include Kutchi
(both dialects of Sindhi), Khowar, Thari, Persian/Dari and Brahui
Sindh's population is mainly Muslim (91.32%), but Sindh is also home to
nearly all (93%) of Pakistan's Hindus forming 7.5% of the province's population.
A large number of the Sindhi Hindus migrated to India at the time of the
independence. Smaller groups of Christians (0.97%), Ahmadi (0.14%); Parsis or
Zoroastrians, Sikh and a tiny Jewish community (of around 500) can also be found
in the province.
The Sindhis as a whole are composed of original descendants of an ancient
population known as Sammaat, various sub-groups related to the Seraiki or Baloch
origin are found in interior Sindh. Sindhis of Balochi origin make up about 30%
of the total population of Sindh, while Urdu-speaking Muhajirs make up 20% of
the total population of the province. Also found in the province is a small
group claiming descent from early Muslim settlers including Arabs, Turks,
Pashtuns and Persian
Ancient History
The first known village settlements date as far back as 7000 BCE. Permanent
settlements at Mehrgarh to the west expanded into Sindh. This culture blossomed
over several millennia and gave r the Indus Valley Civilization around 3000 BCE.
The Indus Valley Civilization rivalled the contemporary civilizations of Ancient
Egypt and Mesopotamia in both size and scope numbering nearly half a million
inhabitants at its height with well-planned grid cities and sewer systems. It is
known that the Indus Valley Civilization traded with ancient Mesopotamia and
Ancient Egypt via established shipping lanes. In ancient Egypt, the word for
cotton was Sindh suggesting that the bulk of that civilisation's cotton was
imported from the Indus Valley Civilization. A branch of the Indo-Iranian
tribes, called the Indo-Aryans are believed to have founded the Vedic
Civilization that existed between Sarasvati River and Ganges River around 1500
BCE and also influenced Indus Valley Civilization. This civilization helped
shape subsequent cultures in the South Asia.
Sindh was conquered by the Persian Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BCE,
and became part of the Persian satrapy (province) of Hindush centred in the
Punjab to the north. Persian speech had a tendency to replace 'S' with an 'H'
resulting in 'Sindhu' being pronounced and written as 'Hindu'. They introduced
the Kharoshti script in the region and established links to the west.
In the late 300s BCE, Sindh was conquered by a mixed army led by Macedonian
Greeks under Alexander the Great. The region remained under control of Greek
satraps only for a few decades. After Alexander's death, there was a brief
period of Seleucid rule, before Sindh was traded to the Mauryan Empire led by
Chandragupta in 305 BCE. During the rule of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, the
Buddhist religion spread to Sindh.
Mauryan rule ended in 185 BCE with the overthrow of the last king by the
Sunga Dynasty. In the disorders that followed, Greek rule returned when
Demetrius I of Bactria led a Greco-Bactrian invasion of India and annexed most
of northwestern lands, including Sindh. Demetrius was later defeated and killed
by a usurper, but his descendants continued to rule Sindh and other lands as the
Indo-Greek Kingdom. Under the reign of Menander I many Indo-Greeks followed his
example and converted to Buddhism.
In the late 100s BCE, Scythian tribes shattered the Greco-Bactrian empire and
invaded the Indo-Greek lands. Unable to take the Punjab region, they seized
Sistan and invaded India by coming through Sindh, where they became known as
Indo-Scythians (later Western Satraps). Subsequently, the Tocharian Kushan
Empire annexed Sindh by the 1st century CE. Though the Kushans were Zoroastrian,
they were tolerant of the local Buddhist tradition and sponsored many building
projects for local beliefs.
The Kushan Empire were defeated in the mid 200s CE by the Sassanid Empire of
Persia, who installed vassals known as the Kushans. These rulers were defeated
by the Kidarites in the late 300s. By the late 400s, attacks by Hephthalite
tribes known as the Indo-Hephthalites or Hunas (Huns) broke through the Gupta
Empire's North-Western borders and overran much of Northern and Western India.
During these upheavals, Sindh became independent under the Rai Dynasty around
478 AD. The Rais were overthrown by Chachar of Alor around 632 CE.
Arrival of Islam
Sindh in 700 AD, under the Brahmin dynasty.During the reign of Rashidun
Caliph Umar, an expedition was sent to conquer Makran. This was the first time
that Muslim armies had entered Sindh. The Islamic army defeated the Hindu king
of Sindh, Raja Rasil, on the western bank of the Indus. The armies of the Raja
accordingly retreated to interior Sindh. Caliph Umar, on getting the information
about the miserable conditions of Sindh, stopped his armies from crossing the
Indus and, instead, ordered them to consolidate their position in Makran and
Baluchistan. Umar's successor Caliph Uthman also sent his agent to investigate
the matters of Sindh. Upon getting the same information of unfavourable
geographical conditions and the miserable lives of the people, he forbade his
armies to enter Sindh. During the Rashidun Caliphate only the southwestern part
of Sindh around the western bank of the Indus, and some northern parts near the
frontiers of Baluchistan remained under the rule of the Islamic empire.
In the year 711 Sindh was finally conquered by Umayyad Arabs from Damascus,
led by the young Muhammad bin Qasim with the aid of local leaders such as the
Thakore of Bhatta, Mokah Basayah, Ibn Wasayo, Jat and Mid tribes. His alliance
defeated Raja Dahir and his Hindu followers, the fall of the Brahman dynasty was
made easier by the tensions between the Buddhist majority and the repressive
ruling Hindu' weak base of control.
Sindh became the easternmost province of the Umayyad Caliphate and among the
wealthiest due to its vibrant Sindhi ports. Referred to as Al-Sindh on Arab maps
with lands further east known as Hind". These maps resemble the current border
between the nations of Pakistan and India.
The Arabs redefined the region and adopted words and terms such as Budd to
refer to the numerous Buddhist idols they encountered, a word that remains in
use today. The city of Mansura (near present Sukkur) was established by the
Umayyads as a regional Misr or capital.
Sindhi Muslims like other converts were known as the Mawali and were
discriminated by the Umayyad authorities and thus actively supported the general
Abu Muslim Khorasani leader of the Abbasid Revolution in the year 750 and still
associate themselves with Abbasid rule.
During the Abbasid era Sindhis introduced medicinal plants known in Sindh as
Bhang a plant native to the Indus Valley widely used by medieval Muslim Surgeons
who used the word Hindiba drug also known as Cannibis. The introduction of
starcharts (Zij) such as the Zij al-Sindhind was studied by Muhammad ibn Mia
Al-Khwarzimi (in thd year 820). The introduction of Arabic numeral system and a
book about basic Mathematics were introduced by Sind Ibn Ali (in the year 840).
The Historian and Anthropologist Abu Mashar al-Sindi (in the year 930) studied
and wrote about the early Muslim society of Medina. Important figures such as
Sindbad the Sailor (in the year 780) made seven famous voyages, his origins were
from the Sindhi port city of Debal . Sindhis also introduced shipbuilding and
navigation techniques used by the Bawarij and later the Arabian Dhows.
Arab rule lasted for nearly three centuries. They introduced clans such as
the Abbasi, Seyids and Sheikhs. During their rule prominent locals, fishermen,
yogis and sailors from the port city of Debal converted to Islam many of them
maintained trade links and migrated to Basra after it became the official port
during the rule of the Abbasid Harun ar-Rashid. A fusion of cultures produced
much of what is today modern Sindhi society.
Muslim geographers, historians and travellers such as al-Masudi, al-Tabari,
Baladhuri, al-Biruni and Ibn Battutah wrote about or visited the region and also
sometimes used the name "Sindh" for the entire area from the Arabian Sea to the
Hindu Kush.
Direct Arab rule ended with the ascension of the Soomro dynasty, they were
the first local Sindhi Muslims to translate the Quran and into the Sindhi
language. They also introduced Sufis the most famous was Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
and his Char Yar (four companions) and their Sufi Murids spread Islam in Punjab
and Kashmir. The Soomros controlled Sindh directly as vassals the Abbasids from
1058 to 1249.
Turkic invaders such as Mahmud Ghaznavi conquered the area by the year 977
since then the region loosely became part of the Ghaznavid Empire, which was
then succseded by the legendary Qutb-ud-din Aybak founder of the Delhi
Sultanate.
Sindh was also ruled by Muhammad Ibn Tughluq, his descendants and various
other figures until the year 1524.
Samma Period
Though a part of larger empires Sindh enjoyed a certain autonomy as a Muslim
domain.
In 1339 Jam Unar founded a Sindhi Muslim Samma Dynasty, which reached its
peak during the reign of Jam Nizamuddin II Nindo (reigned 1461-1509) he greatly
expanded the new capitol Thatta and its Makli hills which replaced Debal he
patronized Sindhi art, arcitecture and culture. Important court figures such as
Sardar Darya Khan, Moltus Khan, Makhdoom Bilwal and Kazi Kazan. But the capitol
Thatta was a port city, unlike garrisons it could not mobilize large armies
against the Arghun Mongol invaders who killed many regional Sindhi Mirs and
Amirs loyal to the Samma.
The ruthless Arghuns and the Tarkhans sacked Thatta during the rule of Jam
Feroz and established their own dynasties in the year 1519.
Mughal Period
In the year 1524 the few remaining Sindhi Amirs welcomed the Mughal Empire and
helped Babur defeat his Arghun enemies, since then Sindh had become a region
loyal to the Mughals.
In 1540 a deadly mutiny by Sher Shah Suri forced the Mughal Emperor Humayun
to withdraw to Sindh where he joined the Sindhi Amir Hussein and in 1541 Humayun
married Hamida Bano Begum a Sindhi woman, she gave birth to the infant Akbar at
Umarkot a Mughal garrison at Sindh, in the year 1542.
In 1556 the Ottoman Admiral Seydi Ali Reis visited Humayun and mentions
various regions of the subcontinent including Sindh (Makran coast and the Mehran
delta) in his adventurious book Mirat ul Memalik.
During the reign of Akbar the Mughal chronicler Abu'l-Fazl (1551-1602) was a
descendant of a Sindhi Shaikh family from Rel, Siwistan in Sindh. He was the
author of the famous Akbarnama and the Ain-i-Akbari.
In the year 1603 Shah Jahan visited the provence of Sindh and at Thatta he
was generously welcomed by the locals after the death of his father Jahangir.
Shah Jahan felt a close kinship with the Sindhis, he ordered the construction of
the Shahjahan Mosque, which completed during the early years of his rule the
unique mosque containes 101 domes and numerous arches.
It was during the rule of Shah Jahan many Sindhi: Shaikhs and Seyids served
as Mansabdar for the Mughal Empire they introduced muskets and cannons in Sindh.
Others like the metallurgist, astronomer Muhammad Salih Tahtawi created a
seamless celestial globe also known as the Armillary Sphere by using a secret
wax-casting technique in 1660 it contains inscriptions in Arabic and Persian.
After the death of Aurangzeb the Mughal Empire and its institutions began to
decline various hostile warring Nawabs had taken hold of vast territories and
ruled independantly from the Mughal Emperor.
The legendary Mughals ruled for more than three centuries and rebuild the
vibrant region.
Amirs of Sindh
The Mughals streingthened various Sindhi Amirs such as the Kalhoras and Talpurs
both were loyal to each other and the provence. They patronized Sufi Poets,
literature and the Sindhi language throughout the provence.
The Sindhi Sufis played a pivotal role in converting the millions of native
people to Islam.
Rohri - Sukkur, by James Atkinson, 1842The among most famous Sindhi Sufis is
the Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai through his poems he expresses love of God, The
Prophet Muhammad, history, folklore and adventures such as that of Sindhi
sailors who brought back: Gold, Pearls, Sapphires and Diamonds through their
voyages to Malabar, Sri Lanka and in Java where Sindhis were known as the Santri.
Others Sindhi Sufis like Sachal Sarmast a master poet of seven different
languges gained thousands of devoted followers from Sindh and near by provences.
Theologens such as Makhdoom Moinuddin Thatawi wrote many books about Islam
and History, his student Abul Hassan Thatawi converted the Memons and others to
Islam, expanding the frontiers of Sindh.
But Sindh faced many threats,
Mian Yar Mouhammed Kalhoro (Khudabad)
challenged the invader Nadir Shah but failed according to legend: to avenge the
massacre of his allies he sent a small force to assasinate Nadir Shah and turn
events in favour of the Mughal Emperor during the Battle of Karnal in 1739 but
failed again.
The trajedy that Nadir Shah famous Mughal valubles such as the Peacock Throne
and the Koh-i-Noor, the Aftermath of the battle caused the Mughal Empire to
became fully disable and restricted only to a few cities.
Sindh faced even greater threats from Sikh and Rajput raiders. Their brutal
attacks forced the Kalhoras to build the Kot Diji Fort and the Talpurs to build
the fortress of Imamgarh in responce to the defiling incurisions.
Within the following decades because of the serious threats from the Sikhs
led by Ranjit Singh. The Sardars of Baluchistan and Amirs of Sindh became allies
and vassal-states in 1747, of the Afghan Khans of the Durrani Empire.
British Regime
The British East India Company made its first contacts in the Sindhi port city
of Thatta which according to a report was: "a city as large as London containing
50,000 houses which were made of stone and mortar with large varandahs some
three or four stories high the the textiles of Sind were the flower of the whole
produce of the East, the international commerce of Sind gave it a place among
that of Nations, Thatta has 400 schools and 4000 ships at its docks, the city is
guarded by well armed Sepoys... "
Flag House, colonial styled building built during the British Raj.
Map of "Sind" in 1880.British and Bengal Presidency forces under General Charles
James Napier arrived in Sindh in the 19th century and conquered Sindh in 1843.
After defeating the Sindhi coaltion led by Talpurs and Kalhoras under command
of the Sindhi general Mir Nasir Khan Talpur in the fierce Battle of Miani during
which 50,000 Sindhis were martryed. Shortly after the defeat Mir Sher Muhammad
Talpur comanded another army which fought at the Battle of Dubbo where the young
Sindhi general Hoshu Sheedi and 5,000 Sindhis were martryed. The first Agha Khan
I, helped the British in their conquest of Sindh and as result he was granted a
lifetime pension.
Within weeks Charles Napier and his forces occupied Sindh. It is said that he
reported the conquest by sending back to the Governor General a one-word
message, "Peccavi" Latin for "I have sinned" (a pun on "I have Sindh"),[4]
these words later appearing as a cartoon in Punch magazine.
After 1853, the British divided Sindh into districts, in each district the they
assigned a ruthless Wadera to collect taxes for the British authorities. Wealthy
buisnesses owned by Sindhi Muslim merchants were handed over to the minority
Hindu Brahmans leading the provence to further unrest and a severe economic
depression.
In a highly controversial move, Sindh was later made part of British India's
Bombay Presidency much to the surprise of the local population, who found the
decision offensive and a powerful unrest followed after which Twelve Martial
Laws were imposed by the British authorities. Shortly afterwards, the decision
was reversed and Sindh became a separate province in 1935.
The British ruled the area for a century. According to Richard Burton Sindh was
one of the most restive provences during the British Raj and was home to many
prominent Muslim leaders such as Muhammad Ali Jinnah who strove for greater
Muslim autonomy.
Modern History after independence of Pakistan
On August 14 1947 Pakistan gained independence from colonial British colonial
rule. The province Sindh attained self rule, the first time since the defeat of
Sindhi Talpur Amirs in the Battle of Miani on February 17, 1843.
The first challenge faced by the Government of Sindh was the settlement of
Muslim refugees. Nearly 7 million Muslims from India migrated to Pakistan while
nearly equal number of Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan migrated to India. The
Muslim refugees known as Muhajirs from India settled in most urban areas of
Sindh. Sindh at the time of partition was home to a large number of Hindus who
accounted for 27% of the total population of the province. They were more
concentrated in the urban centres of the province and had a strong hold on the
province's economy and business. Although the relations between the local
Muslims and Hindus were good but with the arrival of Muslim refugees in the
urban centres of the province, Hindus started to feel unsafe. This along with
unstable future in a Muslim country and better opportunities in India made a
large number of Sindhi Hindus to leave the province.
Sindh did not witness any massive level genocide as other parts of the
Subcontinent (especially Punjab region) did, comparatively there were few
incidents of riots in Karachi and Hyderabad but over all situation remained
peaceful mainly due to the efforts of the Chief Minister of Sindh Mr. Ayub
Khuhro. At present there are roughly 2.9 million Hindus in Sindh forming 7.5% of
the total population of the province. Sindhi Hindus in Pakistan (i.e caste
Hindus accounting for 86% of the total Hindu population of Pakistan as of 1998
census) are mainly into small to medium sized businesses. They are mainly
traders, retailer/wholesalers, builders as well as into the fields of medical,
engineering, law and financial services. However the scheduled caste Hindus (Dalits)
are in a poorer state with most of them as bonded labour in the rural areas of
the province. Most of the Muslim refugees are settled in urban areas of Sindh
especially in Karachi and Hyderabad.
Since Pakistan's Independence in 1947, Sindh has been the destination of a
continuous stream of migration from South Asian countries like Bangladesh,
Burma, and Afghanistan as well as Pashtun and Punjabi immigrants from the North
West Frontier Province and the Punjab Province of Pakistan to Karachi. This is
due to the fact that Karachi is the economic magnet of Pakistan attracting
people from all over Pakistan. Many native Sindhis resent this influx.
Nonetheless, traditional Sindhi families remain prominent in Pakistani politics,
especially the Bhutto, Zardari and Soomro dynasties. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the
Founder of Pakistan, was from Karachi, Sindh but was a Gujarati.
Pakistan Resolution in the Sindh Assembly
The Sindh assembly was the first British Indian legislature to pass the
resolution in favour of Pakistan. G. M. Syed, an influential Sindhi activist,
revolutionary and Sufi and one of the important leaders to the forefront of the
provincial autonomy movement joined the Muslim League in 1938 and presented the
Pakistan resolution in the Sindh Assembly. G. M. Syed can rightly be considered
as the founder of Sindhi nationalism
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