Karachi: History 1

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Karachi under the British Raj

Perhaps the seed of Karachi’s industrial importance was sowed when East India Company got permission to establish a factory here in 1800. It was a Company agent, Nathan Crow, who landed in Karachi on March 2, 1800, but by the end of October the Mirs, suspecting ulterior motives, ordered the factory to be closed down.

However, this vitality of Karachi as natural harbour and port for the produce of the Indus basin had been recognised by the British, after sending a couple of exploratory missions to the area. Consequently, they conquered it on February 3, 1839. Three years later, it was annexed into British India as a district. After this there was no looking back and the city set off to become a bustling port city.

Karachi was divided into two major poles. The ‘black’ town to accommodate the burgeoning Indian mercantile population, and the ‘white’ town in the southeast. When the First Indian War for Independence broke out in 1857, the 21st Native Infantry stationed in Karachi declared allegiance to the rebellion and joined the cause of the War on September 10, 1857. The uprising though, was defeated by the British who were able to quickly reassert their control over Karachi.

Karachi was known as Kurrachee Scinde (i.e. Karachi, Sindh) during the early British colonial rule. Soon, there mushroomed churches, mosques, paved streets and commercial centres and, of course, the dynamic harbour. The Britsih were sure to leave their indelible mark in the form of magnificent buildings built in classical British colonial style — a stark contrast to the ‘Mughal Gothic’ style of Lahore. Many of these old buildings have been fortunate to withstand the ravages of time and still stand steadfast today.

A railroad connected Karachi to the rest of British India in the 1880s and its population multiplied. South Asia’s first tramway system was also laid down in 1900 in Karachi. In 1911 when the capital was shifted to Delhi, Karachi became closer to being a Gateway to India. Karachi was declared the capital of the newly formed Sindh province in 1936, chosen over the traditional capital of Hyderabad.

Krokola or Debal?

Needless to say, any history of Karachi prior to the 19th century is brief. It is said that the city called Krokola, from which one of Alexander the Great’s admirals sailed at the end of his conquests, was the same as Karachi. When Muhammad bin Qasim came to India in the year 712 he captured the city of Debul. It has been said that Debal was the ancestral village of present day Karachi. However, there is scant evidence to either prove or disprove this theory. Thus, historically, this coastal area had no significance from the time of the Indus Valley Civilisation until the end of the 18th century.