Understanding communities in Karachi. By Usama Somroo
November 3, 2020
Community: the group of individuals forms community, by owning language, cuisine, lifestyle, and values.
I have been living in Karachi since 2012 and visited lots of areas of Karachi by all means, some places are hidden and some are outdated where people have huge amount of money. Karachi is plural city, citizens of this city are very creative, cooperative, and mischievous. Being observer I have distributed the citizens in Two parts some are legal/permanent and some illegal.
Permanent citizens of this city and province.
Citizens who are permanent in this city are known by their identities. Major population of this city is immigrants from different part of Inida after 1947, Gujrati, Memon, Baloch. Urdu is their lingafranca.
Most of the Baloch people live in Liyari, Kemari, and Sadder area. They speak many languages just like Birahvi, Balochi, Parsian and Sindhi.
The people who came to Karachi after 1947 speak Urdu, Punjabi, Memoni, Gujrati, and Bihari. They have spread out in different parts of the city ike Malir, Sadder, North Nazimabad, Azizabad, Liyaqatabad, Laloo Khet
Aghakhani community is one of the hidden community. They live in colonies and under the walls. I have seen the societies of Aghakhani community who are permanent citizens of Pakistan. Some Aghakhanis live in Sachal Goth, Saafoora and back side of the Dow university. This is one of the rich communities of Karachi. They speak Sindhi(Sindhi speaking Agha Khanis are living in Thaata and Badin distrcits.
Then I have seen Memon community who speak Memni, kachi, Sindhi and Gujrati. These people live in old Sadder town. Some communities are living in their casts just like, (Bihari, Bengali, Bohri, Indian pathans, migrated Punjabis, Hazara) these people live in Cant station area, Goli mar, and Liyari. They portray themselves as Khanzadas, Rajpoots, Maliks, Mughals, Arain.
The other community is Christian community. That are mostly commonly Urdu and Punjabi speakers. Unfortunately, their profession is sanitary work. They live in Sadder town.
If I have forgot to mention the Parsi community then it comes the one of the oldest community of Karachi, they are very peaceful people. Most of them are living in parsi Colony Garden East, back side of FTC, Azam Basti, Mehmoodabad, Chanaser Halt, and Sadder.
Lassi community is one of the Hindu community, there are basically Sindhi speaking Hindus. They speak Lasi language which is one of the dialects of Sindhi language. Their ancestral abode is Lasbella, Balochistan. Now Lassi community is living in Lee Market and Garden Area.
Illegal and Non-permanent
After the separation of Bangladesh, soviet war and Irani revolution many people came from, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Azarbaijan, Azbukistan, Tajikistan and Iran. They made Karachi as their temporary abode, but due to the nationality issues they have not gone back to their homelands, and now they live in this city.
Bengali, and Rohangians are living in Sohrab Goth, Machhar Colony, and Katti Pahari area of Karachi,
Afghani, Irani, Uzbakistani, Tajikistani I must mention here that, in Iranis, Baloch and Parsian origins are living near by Jamali Pull, back side of Al-Asif Square. If I talk about the Hazara community they are from Afghanistan dived in Shia, S0unni sect both Sunni and Shia community live in Sohrab goth.
If we talk about the Bahai community, some Bahai are permanent and other non-permanent because they are from Iran. Irani Bahai community is nonpermanent and Pakistani Bahais are permanent.
Some Aghakhanis are Afghans and they are tribali known as Baloch and they are non-permanent they mostly live in Liyari. Their profession is donkey cart running (Ghadaghadi) and driving load trucks.
If I talk about the Hindu community, they live in Defance, Clifton they are mostly Sindhi speakers. The other schedule cast Hindus(Kohli, Bheel, Bagri, Meghwar) are living in Bin Qasim, Gadap, Goli Mar, and Garden are of Karachi. They mostly speak Sindhi, Balochi, Dhatki, Marwari, Parkari and Hindku. Sindhi schedule cast Hindus speak Sindhi and Dhatki.