Why Dhurandhar Lyari Called Mother Of Karachi In Pakistan Know Its History Crime And Facts
The recently released Bollywood film Dhurandhar has again brought the Lyari area of Karachi into discussion from India to Pakistan. This espionage thriller film by Aditya Dhar stars Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Khanna. The story of the gang war that took place in Lyari, which was once infamous in Pakistan, has also been shown in the film. In this, Akshay Khanna has played the role of Rehman dacoit while Sanjay Dutt has played the role of SP Chaudhary Aslam. This is the same Lyari which became the battlefield of a bloody battle in the 2000s. Gang war had taken hundreds of lives here. Here drugs, extortion and arms trade dominated. Lyari had virtually become a ‘no-go zone’ due to the criminal syndicate.
However, Lyari was not always like this. This is the oldest area of Karachi, the capital of Sindh province of Pakistan. This is the area due to which Karachi came into existence. That is why it is also called the mother of Karachi. Let us know the story behind this.
oldest area of karachi
In fact, Lyari is known as the oldest inhabited area of Karachi. That is why local people call it the mother of Karachi. It is located in the south-western part of Karachi city in Sindh province of Pakistan. It is said that the word Lyari is derived from the Sindhi word Lyar, which means a tree that grows on the banks of the river. Similarly, this area was also born on the banks of the Lyari River on the shores of the Arabian Sea. Then the Sindhis gave it this name. Sindhi fishermen were the first people to settle in Lyari. Baloch nomads are also counted among the first settlers here.
The word Lyari is derived from the Sindhi word lyar, which means a tree that grows on the banks of a river.
Sindhi tradesman arrived in the year 1725
This is the year 1725. Sindhi traders first reached Lyari area of Karachi. It was he who expanded this area. Karachi was formally established in the year 1729. Between 1770 and 1795, a large number of Baloch migrants started coming here. During the British rule, Karachi started developing as a major city and along with it, a large number of Baloch from Iranian Balochistan also came and started settling in Lyari. In a way, the people who settled in Lyari were hard-working labourers. By the year 1886, the population of Lyari had crossed 24 thousand.
became an area for working people
Since Lyari settlement was across the river, the British did not show much interest in its development. Instead, the port and eastern areas of Karachi were developed more. The British rulers and the businessmen of Karachi focused less on Lyari and more on the development of new areas of Karachi. Therefore, with time, industrial development took place in other areas of Karachi. At the same time, due to the establishment of industries and proximity to the port, laborers, artisans and small business people started settling in Lyari.
In this way this area became the first ‘working class’ area of Karachi city. Therefore the development of this area happened in a haphazard manner. It became known as an area with houses made of mud bricks and reed. Not only this, this densely populated area became the center of political activities as well as labor movements.
Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University built in Lyari.
Lyari continues to be neglected
In the year 1928, due to some political unrest in Balochistan of Iran, the migration of Iranian Baloch to Lyari started increasing. By the year 1941, the population of Lyari crossed 81 thousand. After the partition of India and Pakistan, even when Karachi became a part of Pakistan, Lyari continued to be neglected. At the same time, the northern outskirts of Lyari continued to develop. Areas like Agra Taj Colony and Bihar Colony were developed there. By the year 1956, the population of Lyari increased rapidly and it crossed three and a half lakhs. At the end of the same decade, the then military government of Pakistan shifted the people of Lyari to the north of New Karachi and tried to develop Lyari situated in the center of Karachi.
people of many cultures living together
Talking about the present, according to the census of 2023, the population of Lyari town of Karachi has reached around 10 lakh. It still ranks among the most densely populated areas of Karachi. Now, along with Sindhis and Baloch, people speaking Urdu, Punjabi and Pashtun have also settled here. This is an area of Karachi where people of many cultures live together. If we look at it this way, it was the working class settled in Lyari that laid the foundation for the establishment of Karachi. This class ran the port of Karachi. Not only this, champion boxers and famous football players were given. It became so politically prosperous that it became the vote bank of Pakistan People’s Party and was also the constituency of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto. That is why it is called the mother of Karachi.
However, drug gangs started emerging here in the 1960s. Drug smuggling started. Extortion reached its peak. Due to lack of water in the area, bloodshed started to take place to capture the tanker. In the 1990s, a new form of criminals emerged here in the form of dacoits. It is said that these dacoits also had the protection of Pakistan People’s Party. After all the efforts of the Government of Pakistan, from the year 2016-17, this area started getting freedom from criminal gangs to some extent.
Also read: Who gave weapons to Balochistan? Which was said to be worse than a crocodile in Dhurandhar