Sindh

Geography of Sindh

Sindh is located in the southern corner of Pakistan bordering Balochistan in the west and India (the state of Gujrat and Rajasthan) in the east. The eastern part of it consists of a desert named Thar, which extends into India. The western side is lined with the Arabian Sea, the only side by which Pakistan has access to maritime activities. The inside area constitutes the Indus valley up to the delta area towards the sea.

Sindh

The geographic identification of Sindh is generally laid with the Subcontinent however, it remains a part of the Western powers (Iran, Arab, etc) During the early period the Western pull appeared to be stronger and by the time of Sultans of Delhi, Sindh could not be considered a part of the Subcontinent. The Geo-physical proximity with the Subcontinent created a strong bond between Sindh and the Subcontinent and in between periods of Western connection was lost.

The Major part of Sindh is a plain area. Sindh has three Geographic divisions.

 

Western Hilly area

Plains of Indus Valley

Desert

The Mountain range includes Kirthar, Pab, Laki, and Kohistan. The highest peak in the region is in the Kirthar range named Kutai-Ji-Qabar with an altitude of 2072 meters. Most of Sindh is comprised of plain land which is important concerning agriculture. The Thar Desert is 9th largest desert and the most densely populated in the world. It has coal deposits and other Valuable Minerals

Climate of Sindh

The climate of Sindh is divided into three regions

Upper Sindh with a centre point of Jocobabad

Middle Sindh with a centre of Hyderabad 

Lower Sindh comprising Karachi

Pakistan is at the junction of three tectonic plates which control the surface of the earth and give it its shape. These are the Indian plate, Arabian plate, and Eurasian plate. The Indus basin is on the northwestern corner of the Indian plate and Sindh is situated in the lower Indus basin.

The Boundaries of Sindh

The Word Sindh denotes the lower half of the Indus valley from Bhakkar down to the sea and from the Kirthur in the west to the desert of Thar in the east. These geographical boundaries loosely form the cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and political frontiers of Sindh.  

The People of Sindh

Being at the intersection of various civilizations Sindh received the currents of each civilization reaching the land. This gave way to a population that absorbed different traits over time.

Against this backdrop, Sindhis possess great abilities and noble character. The following passage helps have a deep look into the character of Sindhis.

The soil of Sindh produced warriors, scholars, and nobles. Some characteristics stood out as prominent amongst the tribes of Sindh. These were integrity, sacrifice, and devotion. 

Population Statics of Sindh

According to the 2012 census total population of the province is 42.4 million with a population density of 300/square km. With 23 districts there are 1108 union councils.

Following is the Proportion of different categories of Population

Urban Population                            49.50 %

Rural Population                             50.50%

Population growth rate                    2.80 %

Gender ratio(male / 100 FM)           112.24 %

Economically active population    22.75 %

Muslims                                         91.31 %

Hindus                                            8.51 %

Others                                              0.18%

Historical Background of Sindh

Latest fossils and rock studies have proved that early phases of human civilization were set up in India and the Indus was central in bringing up these phases, region of Sindh is very important in this regard. Moreover, the latest excavations have unearthed the remains of the great Indus Valley civilization of which Mohenjo-Daro reached the zenith in techno-science. 

 

History of Sindh

The Muslim Era is important in many respects. It is in the full light of history as Muslims gave much attention to recording the events. Detailed histories were written in this period. With the expansion of the Muslim Empire of the Arabs, the annexation of India became inevitable for many reasons. First of all Arab Muslims' victories were matchless in conquering the world, therefore sooner or later India would have come in the way of Muslim expansionism. Secondly, there was no strong seat of Government that could satisfy the governmental needs of the region. Thirdly Arab traders had developed strong centers of trade and good relations with different rulers of India.

Sindh Lando of Sufis 

 Sufism has been a conspicuous phenomenon in Islam throughout its history. Sufism based its validity upon the traditions transmitted from soul to soul. Sindh was not excluded as Islam reached here in early times. Several Sufis reached the land and provided guidance for people along the divine lines. Prominent of them were Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, and Sachal Sarmast. This unit will cover their life and teachings along with their impact on the social life of Sindh.

 Lal Shahbaz Qalandar with the real name Syed Usman Marani son of Syed Ibrahim Kabir Uddin Jawabi was born in Marwand in 1177. He was a contemporary of Baha-ud-din Zakariya, Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari, Shams Tabrizi, Meher Ali Shah mast, and Rumi, the former four constituted Chahar yar a legendary friendship. He travelled around the Muslim world and settled in Sehwan (Sindh, Pakistan) where he was eventually buried. Evidence shows that Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was in Sindh before 1196 when he met Pir Haji Ismail Panhwar of Paat. It is believed he arrived in Sehwan in 1251. On his way from Balochistan to Sindh. He stayed in the present-day Karachi Manghopir area for meditation. Here in Sehwan, it was the "King of Kings" the great Qalandar Lal Shahbaz. who was noble, holy, and knew the mysteries of God, and who died in the fourteenth century at the age of one hundred and twelve years.

shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Sehwan Sindh

 

 Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai was born to Shah Habib in the village Hala Haveli a few miles to the east of the present town of Bhit Shah ( named after him) in 1690 AD. He was raised during the golden age of Sindhi culture. He was well-versed in Arabic and Persian. The Quran and Hadiths, the masnawi of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, and Shah Inayatullah along with the collection of Shah Karim's poems, were his constant companions. He is also known for his famed Calligraphic and handwritten skills he made several copies of the Quran. His correspondence in Persian with contemporary scholar Makhdoom Moinuddin Thattvi bears witness to his scholastic competence. Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai travelled to many parts of Sindh and also went to the bordering lands as far as Multan, Lesbella, Jaisalmer, and Bhuj. He died in 1752 AD. He was buried at the place where his mausoleum no stands, which was built by the ruler of Sindh Ghulam Shah Kalhoro.

Sachal Sarmast (1739-1829) was a Sufi poet during the Talpur era. He was born in Daraza near Ranipur, Sindh. His real name was Abdul Wahab Farouqi and Sachal was his nickname. He also used it in his own poetry. Sachal means truthful in Sindhi while Sarmast means Mystic in Sindhi. He lived a humble, ascetic life, preferring solitude, and simple meals of daal and yogurt.

The British Conquest 

The summer of 1842 saw the beginning of the tragic events that were finally to give the province to the British. Estwick a key figure for stability in the province, fell ill and had to retire. He had been a moderating force, trying to temper the greed of the avaricious, grasping never satisfied Faringi, the English.  

On February 17th at Miani, in a battle famous in British military annals, the Sindhis had 22,000 troops in the field, while he had but 2800, six hundred of them engaged in guarding the baggage or scouting the enemy under Outram. Only five hundred of Napier's forces were white, the rest were natives whose loyalty and reliability under fire was always a source of concern to the English.

The Sindhis advanced wave upon wave, to be moved down by Napier's superior firepower. The lesser number of company troops were able to outflank and encircle the enemy and unable to escape, the Sindhis marched relentlessly into the English cannons. There was bitter hand-to-hand fighting and then the surviving Sindhis fled. In the frightful carnage, Napier lost twenty officers and 250 troops. Sin thousand natives died or lay wounded on the field Hyderabad surrendered and its treasure was in Napier's hands.

Sindh War of Independence 1857

The War of Independence 1857 was a milestone in the history of the Muslim struggle against imperial rulers. It gave impetus to strive for the cause of freedom for the Subcontinent. It also provided an opportunity to rehearse against the foreign yoke of colonial rule in India. 

 

Sindh war of independence 1857

The Muslims from the province of Sindh had shared a history of strife with the rest of Muslim India. They had participated against the British from the platform of the Khilafat Movement as well as joined the Hijrat Movement during the first half of the 20th century.