HISTORY OF KARACHI

HISTORY

Karachi's recorded history is spread over a period of approximately 300 years. Its location and strategic importance was acknowledged by the local traders who developed it into a regional port town of the 17th century.

This metropolitan city of Karachi was until 1725 A.D. just a barren piece of land , washed on three sides by the blue waters of the Arabian Sea. A few fishermen lived in a small huts on the sunny creek. There was a pool o water on this barren piece of land which was known as Kalachi-jo-Kun. Kalachi was the name of fisherman whereas kun meant a deep ditch. Therefore, "Kalachi-jo-Kun" meant the deep ditch of Kalacahi, the fisherman. Later Karachi emerged as an important port of the region when the anarchic conditions in the northern India to Central Asia unsafe.

1839 : Karachi was occupied by the British's who ultimately conquered the province of Sindh in 1843. The city was made the administrative center which expanded rapidly after the British conquest.

1922 : The population of Karachi had reached 203,000 and during the Second World War, Karachi became the strategic naval base and an important workshop for warships.

1947 : The British Empire was partitioned and the new state of Pakistan was created and Karachi was made its first capital.

1951 : The population growth climbed to 1,050,000 in 1951 an increase of 2 and a half times.

1971 : East Pakistan was separated as Bangladesh as an outcome of a war between India and Pakistan. Karachi experienced another major influx from the former East Pakistan to settle down in their homeland.