Tharparkar District
| ضلعو ٿرپارڪر | |
|---|---|
| District | |
| Tharparkar District | |
| Country |
 Pakistan |
| Province | Sindh |
| Headquarters | Mithi |
| Area | |
| • Total | 19,638 km2 (7,582 sq mi) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 1,299,735 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| Website | Tharparker District |
Tharparkar District (Sindhi: ضلعو ٿرپارڪر,Urdu: ضِلع تهرپاركر), is one of the twenty nine districts of Sindh province in Pakistan. It is headquartered at Mithi. It has the lowest Human Development Index of all the districts in Sindh.
Languages and demography
Dhatki also known as Thari, which is a Rajasthani language, is common language, which is also the majority language of the neighboring Umerkot district. However, Sindhi and Urdu are also widely spoken. One of the main tribes in Tharparkar district is the Kolhi followed by Bhils and Meghwars. Second of the main tribes in Tharparkar district is the Nohria The population can be divided into three main classes: Firstly, the Rajputs, which include Muslim and Hindus. Thakurs mostly left Tharparkar and migrated to India after independence of Pakistan. Muslims and Hindus of district Tharparkar live there brotherly, celebrate their festivals (Dewali,Holi, Eid) together, they are peaceful. This is the only district where Hindus live with a large number and are most vulnerable as well.
Religion
According to the 1998 census, Muslims constitute 64.42% of the population and Hindus 35.58%[1] At the time of the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the Hindus were 80% while the Muslims were 20% of the population. In the 1965 war, Pakistan captured a large area of the Indian part of the Thar desert, and in 1971 India captured a large part of the Thar desert in Pakistan. Many UCs in Pakistani Thar were Hindu majority areas, and Pakistani Thar as a whole was dominated by the Hindu upper caste who controlled most of the productive land and livestock. They also dominated the politics of Thar and strictly enforced caste divisions, making upward social and economic mobility almost impossible for the Hindu lower castes. Their control over the caste system also ensured the maintenance of agriculture-related infrastructure through baigar (forced labour) and the protection of forests and pasture lands. Following the 1965 and 1971 wars, the Hindu upper castes and their retainers fled to India. As a result, the feudal institutions that managed agricultural production and the maintenance of infrastructure collapsed. This has had severe repercussions on the natural environment of Thar. In addition, the lower castes were freed from serfdom and to some extent from discrimination. Many of their members, as a result, have acquired education and are important professionals and NGO leaders. Apart from the migration of Hindus to India, in the aftermath of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, 3,500 Muslim families moved from Indian Thar to Pakistani Thar.[2] 400 families were settled in Nagar after the 1965 war and an additional 3000 in the Chachro taluka.[3] They were given 12 acres of land per family from government wasteland. As per government records this land amounted to 42,000 acres.[3]
Administration
It is divided into 6 Talukas[4] (tehsils):
Mithi
Mithi is a tehsil of Tharparkar District, and the town Mithi is a district headquarter as well as the commercial hub of the district. Agriculture, handicrafts and live stocks are also key business activities. The population of Mithi town is increasing rapidly because of its commercial attraction.
Nagarparkar
Nagarparkar is a tehsil of the district Tharparkar that borders Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat from three sides. The area was part of the historical Jain and Hindu mythologies and has around twenty archeological sites.
The beauty of Nagarparkar is due to its pink granite Karronjhar hills and rich flora and fauna. Various environmentalists have been demanding the national park status for the Nagarparkar.[5]
Towns
See also
References
- ↑ Tharparkar District Official Website - District Profile - Demography Archived March 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Hasan, Arif; Mansoor, Raza (2009). Migration and Small Towns in Pakistan; Volume 15 of Rural-urban interactions and livelihood strategies working paper. IIED. p. 16. ISBN 9781843697343.
- 1 2 Hasan, Arif (December 30, 1987). "Comprehensive assessment of drought and famine in Sind arid ones leading to a realistic short and long-term emergency intervention plan" (PDF). p. 25. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
- ↑ "District Government Tharparkar".
- ↑ "Temples of Peace". The Friday Times. 2005.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates: 24°44′24″N 69°48′00″E / 24.74000°N 69.80000°E