Karachi City

Karachi City which is also called Dubai of Pakistan

Karachi is the largest city and industrial, commercial, educational, communication and economic center of Pakistan and sixth largest city in the world.  Karachi is the capital of Sindh province of Pakistan. The city is located on the north coast of the Arabian Sea west of the Indus River. Pakistan's largest port and airport is also located in Karachi. Karachi was also the capital of Pakistan from 1947 to 1960. The name of the ancient fisherman's settlement at the site of the present Karachi was Mai Koalachi. What later deteriorated to Karachi, the British laid the foundations for the development and development of the city in the nineteenth century. At the time of Pakistan's independence in 1947, Karachi was elected as the capital of nine states. This caused the entry of millions of refugees into the city. Due to Pakistan being the capital and international port, industrial activities in the city started before other cities. Despite the transfer of the capital of Pakistan to Islamabad in 1959, the population and economy of Karachi did not slow down.

People from all over Pakistan come to Karachi in search of jobs and because of this there are different religious, ethnic and linguistic groups. For this reason, Karachi is also called Chhota Pakistan. Due to the mutual tension of these groups, Karachi was the victim of linguistic riots, violence and terrorism in the 80s and 90s. The Pakistan Army also had to intervene in Karachi to handle the deteriorating situation. With the rapid national economic growth in the 21st century, the situation in Karachi has changed drastically. Karachi's public situation has improved considerably and the pace of development in various sectors of the city has increased tremendously.

The ancient Greeks were familiar with the different names of the present area of ​​Karachi: Krokola, where, after their expedition into the Sikandar-Azam Valley, the army camped in preparation for the return of Babylon; the island near Manora, from where the Alexander's soldier Nierchus (Nyarkhos) returned home; Knew where Mohammed bin Qasim started his conquests in 712. According to British historian Elite they were among the few areas of Karachi and Manora Island, Debal.

Current name Before Karachi, Karachi was known as Mai Koalachi, rather than a Baloch Mai who migrated from Colanch in the area of ​​Makran (Balochistan), whose entire population was Baloch after Mai Koalachi. In 1772, Karachi became the British capital of Karachi. Due to this the village started to be converted into a commercial center. In Mai Kolachi, besides Baloch, the community of neighboring areas also settled in large numbers. To protect the growing city, a wall was erected around the city and guns were imported and installed on the city wall. There were 2 gates in the wall; one door was towards the sea and hence it was called Kharadar and the other gate was facing the Lyari River, hence it was called Maeethadar.

Karachi in 1800s

Until 1795, Karachi (Kolachi) was part of the Khan of Qalat kingdom. This year, a battle broke out between the Sindh rulers and Khan of Qalat, and Karachi was taken over by Sindh rulers. After that, the population of Karachi increased due to success of the port of city and becoming the center of trade of a larger country. Where, this development drew

attention of many people to Karachi, the eyes of the British also attracted the city.

On 3 Feb 1839, British invaded and occupied Karachi city. After three years the city was annexed to British India and made it a district. The British monitored the development of the city to make Karachi's natural port the main trading center of the Indus River. During the British rule, both the population and the port of Karachi grew rapidly. During the War of Independence of 1857, the 21st NATO Infantry in Karachi on 10 Sep 1857, pledged allegiance to Mughal commander Bahadur Shah Zafar. The British recaptured the city and crushed the revolt.

Railway Station Karachi

Karachi gradually became a trading center around a major port. Karachi was annexed to the rest of India by rail in the 1880s. The population of Karachi increased to 73,500 in 1881, 105,199 in 1891 and 115,407 in 1901. In 1899, Karachi was the world's largest wheat importing center. When British India became the capital of Delhi in 1911, the number of travelers passing through Karachi increased. In 1936, when Sindh was given the status of a province, Karachi was elected as its capital. In 1947, Karachi was elected as the capital of Pakistan. At that time the ci

ty had a population of only four million. Due to its new status, the city's population grew rapidly and the city became a hub of the region. The capital of Pakistan shifted from Karachi to Rawalpindi and then to Islamabad, but Karachi is still Pakistan's largest city and industrial and commercial center. Karachi was the victim of violence, political and social upheaval and terrorism in the 1980s and 1990s. In the current decade, the law and order situation in Karachi has improved greatly and this has led to a lot of growth in the city.

Karachi is located just north of the Arabian Sea in southern Pakistan. The area of the city is 3,527 square kilometers. It is a rugged plain with hills on its northern and western borders. Two major rivers pass through the city i.e Malir River and Lyari river as well as several smaller rivers and rain streams pass through the city. The port of Karachi is located southwest of the city. Since the port is surrounded by land from all sides, it is considered a very beautiful natural harbor.

The Baldia of Karachi city started in 1933. Initially there was a city mayor, a deputy mayor and 57 councilors. In 1976, the Baldia of Karachi was made as Baldia Uzma Karachi. In 2000, the Government of Pakistan planned to move political, administrative and financial resources and responsibilities to a lower level. Then, before the implementation of the project in 2001, there was a second level of administrative change withthe Karachi Division.  The Karachi division consisted of five districts, District South Karachi, Karachi East District, Karachi Western District, Central Karachi District and Malir District.

In 2001, all these districts were merged into one district. Now Karachi's management system is located at three levels. i.e. City District Government, Town Municipal Administration and Union Council Administration. District Karachi is divided into 18 Towns. They all have elected local bodies. Their responsibilities and powers include water supply, drainage, garbage cleaning, road repairs, gardens, traffic signals and a few other categories.

Karachi has a modern international airport with name Jinnah International which Pakistan's busiest airport. The city's old airport terminal is now used for pilgrimages, cargo and movement of important leaders of country. The new airport was built in 1993 by a French company. The country's largest ports i.e Karachi and Port Qasim are also located in Karachi. These ports are

well equipped with modern facilities and work not only in accordance with all the trade requirements of Pakistan but also the maritime trade of the countries of Afghanistan and Central Asia.

Karachi is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and it faces increasing population, traffic, pollution, poverty, terrorism and crime. Some of the problems areas of the city are as under:-

·   At present, the biggest problem in Karachi is traffic. According to official statistics, 550 people die each year in traffic accidents in Karachi. The number of cars in the city is m

uch higher than the road structure. To tackle these traffic problems, several projects were initiated in the city during Niamatullah Khan's time, including flyovers and underpasses.

·   Pollution is increasing in the city due to the increasing traffic and open vacations for smoke-free vehicles. Air pollution in Karachi is 20 times higher than the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Apart from the traffic, the burning of garbage and lack of public awareness is the major cause of pollution.

·      Another major problem is the cutting of trees to widen the highways. Karachi already has a shortage of trees, and environmental organizations have protested over the erosion of existing trees.

·         Like other cities in Pakistan, the problem of building illicit facilities in the open spaces with the interference of politicians and government officials is disturbing to generations in Karachi.