Karachi’s problems will remain till economic disparities are removed, equal opportunity in education & job are ensured
ISLAMABAD: On the eve of Partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, a vast population migrated to Pakistan on religious grounds. Who and from where different groups and families migrated is well documented. The majority of immigrants were from east Punjab. Their mother tongue was Punjabi and they settled in Lyallpur, now Faisalabad, as well as in adjoining districts. The other distinguishable lot migrated from UP and found their way to urban Sindh, mainly Karachi. Most migrants from Bihar went to East Pakistan.
Over a short period of one generation, immigrants from east Punjab assimilated in to the local population. Memories are fading fast and their offspring don’t talk of the upheaval their forefathers went through. They are Pakistani to the core and play their due and constructive part in building their country. They don’t eulogise the sacrifices they made in the creation of Pakistan. Their profession was cultivation and remained so after settlement. The migration to Sindh, on the other hand, was spread over a period between 1947 and 1955. This migration was relatively smooth and without the kind of bloodshed that one witnessed in the upheavals caused due to migration in Punjab. Some family members even remained in India. The influx of migration to urban Sindh was for economic reasons. The migration of other communities to urban Sindh for this very reason continues to this day, from other countries as well as from inside the country. A number of ethnic groups live in Karachi. All are economic migrants except a few who are its original dwellers. However, there are cultural, educational and economic disparities among those who migrated from northern India and the rest of Karachi’s population. These disparities hamper the assimilation of various groups. The turf wars that go on in the city have nothing to do with any ideology. These are simply fights for controlling Karachi’s resources. Some want all resources to be at their disposal while others want portions of it. Even the British fought for resources and took whatever they could from India and, in the process, made their nation prosperous and strong.
How do we bring peace to Karachi? Above all, how do we remove economic disparity from the city. Those who have migrated and are migrating from the northern part of Pakistan and from Balochistan work hard to earn their living, doing manual labour and are economically hard-pressed. Those who opted to come to Pakistan between 1947 and 1955 are better educated and work in jobs that serve educated people. Some of these people keep a tight control on these jobs and on educational facilities, lest someone else enter their domain. Karachi’s problems will remain until economic disparities are removed and equal opportunities in education and job entry are ensured for all. This will be possible only when steps are taken to control the city’s black economy.
Abdul Waris Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, July 2nd, 2015.
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