About Sindh
Sindh is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis. Different cultural and ethnic groups also reside in Sindh including Urdu speaking people who migrated from India at the time of independence and partition as well as the people migrated from other provinces after independence. Neighbouring regions are Balochistan to the west and north, Punjab in the north, Rajasthan and Gujarat (India) to the east, and the Arabian Sea to the south. The main languages are Sindhi and Siraiki. In Sanskrit, the province was dubbed Sindhu meaning “ocean”. The Assyrians (as early as the seventh century BCE) knew the region as Sinda, the Persians Abisind, the Greeks Sinthus, the Romans Sindus, the Chinese Sintow, while the Arabs dubbed it Sind. It is mentioned to be a part of Abhirrdesh (Abhira Kingdom) in Srimad Bhagavatam. Historically it was also known as Aparanta. Sindh was the first place where Islam spread in South Asia. As a result, it is often referred to as “Bab-al-Islam” (Gate of Islam).
GEOGRAPHY
Sindh is located on the western corner of South Asia, bordering the Iranian plateau in the west. Geographically it is the third largest province of Pakistan, stretching about 579 km from north to south and 442 km (extreme) or 281 km (average) from east to west, with an area of 54,407 square miles or 140,915 km² of Pakistani territory. Sindh is bounded by the Thar Desert to the east, the Kirthar Mountains to the west, and the Arabian Sea in the south. In the centre is a fertile plain around the Indus river. The devastating floods of the river Indus are now controlled by irrigation techniques.
Karachi became capital of Sindh in 1936, in place of the traditional capitals of Hyderabad and Thatta. Other important cities include Sanghar, Sukkur, Shahdadkot, Kamber Khan, Sehwan, Mirpukhas, Larkano,Nawabshah, Shikarpur, Khairpur, Nawabshah, Kashmor, Dadu, Umerkot, Thar, Jacobabad, Ghotki, Ranipur, Gambat, Sobhodero, Hingorja, Noshairo Feroz, Moro, Qazi Ahmed and Sehtharja.
DEMOGRAPHICS AND SOCIETY
The 1998 Census of Pakistan indicated a population 30.4 million, the current population can be estimated to be in the range of 42 to 44 million using a compound growth in the range of 2% to 2.8% since then. With just under half being urban dwellers, mainly found in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Ubauro and Larkana. Sindhi is the sole official language of Sindh since the 19th century. The British required all officers posted to Sindh to become fluent in Sindhi upon posting to Sindh. In 1972, the first elected Sindh assembly since the dissolution of the province restored this status but successive governments have failed to implement the law and many officials in the Sindh government cannot speak, read or write the language. Large sections of the population speak Sindhi and Urdu languages with other languages spoken including Siraiki, Kutchi (both dialects of Sindhi), Balochi, Brahui, Punjabi, Pashto, Rajasthani, Persian/Dari, Khowar and Gujarati. The urban areas of Sindh are dominated by Muhajir Urdu as well as by migrant workers from peripheral provinces; and the rural areas consisting of predominantly Sindhi people. Due to this ethnic composition, Sindh has become a highly polarized province. It is estimated that Urdu speaking Muhajirs make up 15% and native Sindhis make up only 60% of the total population of Sindh, and Balochis, Pashtuns and Panjabis a significant part of the rest. The chief tribes of Sindh are Jats and Rajputs, while Balochis and Urdu-speaking Muhajirs are more recent immigrants. Both Balochi Sindhi and natives speak Sindhi language as their mother tongue. By language, Sindhi speakers make up 50% and Urdu speakers make up 13%, while 20% of the total population of Sindh speaks Pashto, Panjabi, Balochi, Seraiki, Thari, Persian, Kutchi, Gujarati, and Bengali. The Punjabis and Pashtuns form the third and fourth biggest community in Sindh after the Sindhis and the Muhajirs.
Sindh’s population is predominantly Muslim, but Sindh is also home to nearly all of Pakistan’s Hindus, numbering roughly 1.8 million. However, most Sindhi Hindus migrated to India at the time of the Partition. Smaller groups of Christians, Parsis or Zoroastrians, Ahmadis, and a tiny Jewish community (of around 500) can also be found in the province.
The Sindhis as a whole are composed of original descendants of an ancient population known as Sammaat, various sub-groups related to the Siraiki or Baloch origin are found in interior Sindh. Sindhis of Balochi origin make up about 30% of the total population of Sindh, while immigrant Urdu speaking Muhajirs make up 15% of the total population of the province. Also found in the province is a small group claiming descent from early Muslim settlers including Arabs, Turks, Jews, Afghans and Persians. Most of the urban population of Sindh including Karachi and Hyderabad are descendants of people who migrated to Pakistan in 1947 and are called Muhajirs or Urdu-speaking people.