Tharparkar District

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Tharparkar (Urdu: تھرپارکر) district is located in Sindh, Pakistan. It had a population of 955,812 of which only 4.54% were urban in 1998. [1] It is thus the most backward district in Sindh.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Tribes
4 Society and culture
5 Local governments

[edit] Geography

The district derives its name from Thar and Parkar. The name Thar is from Thul, the general term for the region sand ridges and Parkar literary means "to cross over". It was earlier known as Thar and Parkar district, but later became one word Tharparkar. Until 1990, the present district of Tharparkar, Umerkot and MirpurKhas comprised one district with MirpurKhas its headquarters. The division into two separate districts on 31st October, 1990, i.e. Mirpurkhas and Thar established the town of Mithi as the new headquarters of the Tharparkar district, while Umerkot was bifurcated on 17th April 1993.

The district lies between 24° 10' to 25°45' north latitudes and 69' 04' to 71°06' east longitude. It is bounded on the north by Mirpurkhas and Umerkot districts, on east by Barmer and Jaisselmir districts of India, on west by district Badin and on south by Rann of Kutch. The total area of the district is 19,638. square kilometers.

[edit] History

The history of this district is similar to that of other districts of the lower Sindh region. The major portion of Thar desert was in occupation of Parmar Rajputs named Sodha and portion from east Chachro to Gadra and some area of Taluka Umerkot and Taluka Khipro of Sanghar District known as Khaorwas ruled by Rathors. Sumras, a branch of Parmar Rajputs, possessed a portion of Mithi and Diplo talukas west of Chachro known as Deirak Pargna. When Mehmood Ghaznavi led expeditions on Somnath, it is believed that he passed through this desert a number of times.

In 1053, the Sumras embraced Islam taking advantage of the weak control of the Ghaznavid EmpireGhazni]] rule, broke off their allegiance and succeeded in establishing a chief of their own as an independent ruler of the eastern delta. Sumras of desert also acted similarly, claimed to be independent and captured Umerkot making it their capital. They then extended their rule practically to the entire desert. But it appears that the Sultans at Delhi continued to reassert their authority and Sumras were punished by Ghiyas-uddin and then by his son Muhammad Shah. In 13th or 14th century another Rajput tribe named Samma con- verted to Islam. In 1353 Sammas set up Jam Umer at Thatta as their ruler. The line ended with Jam Feroze who was defeated by Shah Baig Arghun in 1529.

In 1558 the Kalhora family rose into prominence. In the times of Noor Muhammad Kalhora a Baloch tribe of Talpur came into prominence in 1778. The struggle for power en- sued between Kalhoras and Talpurs and in 1783 Mir Fateh Ali Khan first of the Talpur line established himselfas Rais ofSindh and obtained afarman from the Afghan King Shah Zaman for his Government.

It was in 1843 when Sir Charles Napier became Victor of Sindh and this part was merged into katch Political Agency and Hyderabad Collectorate. Sindh was divided into provinces and was assigned a Zamindar's to collect taxes for British, Zamindar's were also known as 'Wadara'.Wadara of "Shikarpur" was Lord Wadra Bhagwandas Golani (1861 - 1931) a merchant born in the royal family of the Golani's . After his death in his eldest son Shobraj Bhagwandas Golani (1885 - 1978) took over as the Landlord of Shikarpur, Digri, Jamrao, Kachhelo, Tando Jan Mohammed, Ratnabad, Roshanabad and Khayrpur. Shobraj Bhagwandas Golani was also invited to Great Britain by the King along with all the Nawab's and Rajah's of India in 1901 to discuss the participation of their respective provinces in Expansion of British Empire in Middle East. Shobraj along with his eldest son Shri Hashmatrai S Golani (1918 - 1979) moved to Bombay in 1948 after Partition of India and Pakistan. Sindh was later made part of British India's Bombay Presidency, and became a separate province in 1935. Later on in 1858 the entire area became part of Hyderabad. Subsequently in 1860 it was renamed as "Eastern Sindh Frontier" with its Head Quarters at Umerkot handled by Political Superintendent. In 1882 it was renamed as District and its administrative head was Deputy Commissioner. Lastly in 1906 Head Quarters of the District was shifted to Mirpurkhas. Now in recent arrangements i.e. in December, 1990 district Tharparkar was bifurcated into two districts - Mirpurkhas and Thar - with its Head Quarters at Mithi. In October, 1993 the name of present district was again notified as Tharparkar. Tharparkar is considered as the capital of human inequality, untouchability and caste discrimination in Pakistan as the ugly practices are openly committed in the desert of the Pakistan despite the fact that the ideology of Pakistan and Islam, the religion of majority of the people disown it. General Musharraf appointed the Chief Minister for Sindh from the Arbab family of Thar which is the patron of the human inequality and untouchability in Tharparkar. The Arbab's are related to the Thakurs through marrying from latter tribe thus diminishing Islam's spiritual power to eliminate the human inequality.

[edit] Tribes

Tharparkar has a highly heterogeneous population. Until 1965 majority of the population was Hindu, but in the 1965 and 1971 wars between Pakistan and India, when large areas of Tharparkar was occupied by the Indian army, many Hindus took the opportunity and migrated to India giving Tharparkar a Muslim predominance..^{[citation needed]},

The population can be divided into 'three main classes, Rajputs, which include Muslim and Hindu tribes, Baloch and aboriginal Dravidian tribes. The large number of aboriginal Bhils are also settled in Tharparkar district.

Of the ruling class, the Rajputs are related to the warrior lords of Rajasthan, In Thar they are represented by their descendants the Sodhas and Thakurs the larger towns as landowners.

The Balochs are mainly from the Khosa tribe who turned to brigandage in Tharparkar late in the eighteenth century when their Kalhora leaders were supplanted as rulers of Sindh by another Baloch tribe, the Talpur. When the British conquered the Talpur in 1843 they converted the war like Khosa into police and through them established law and order in a region of endemic fending and looting.

Among non-Baloch mostly are Samats and its sub-tribes like Sama and Soomras. Besides, there are Syed, Panwahar, Halepota, Junejo, Theba, Langa, Sand, Sameja, Rahama, Neharia, etc.

The urban middle class of Tharparkar consists of Hindu Lohana and Bania, castes devoted to business and commerce. Their Muslim counterparts, the Memon community, have established themselves at provincial level in business and the professions. They (Lohana and Banias) retain a dominant hold over the lower classes of Muslim and Hindu alike through debt bondage.

Among the labouring classes the Muslim woodworkers, the Kasuthar, and the Hindu Lohar, or metalworkers enjoy a privileged position and would not consider themselves working class at all. Likewise Bajeer and Khaskeli Muslims pride themselves on their personal service to former rulers Bajeer is a degeneration of Wazir (Minister), used euphemistically to disguise bondage. From the Dalits Meghwal are most populated in District Tharparker, especially in taluka Mithi and Diplo. In all the cities or town of district Tharparker the Meghwals are post populated community. These artisans are set apart from the Hindu outcastes, most prominent among whom in Thar are the Meghwal, descendants of Jat nomadic herders of Sindh who settled as leather workers and landless farm labourers for the rulers. The Meghwal have largely abandoned leather work, and have devoted themselves to less demeaning skills such as weaving. Meghwal have taken special advantage of the spread of education in Thar and are increasingly repre- sented in the professions as well as in clerical positions in the developing district administration.

The Bhils in Thar have retained the nomadic instincts of their Jat forebears; they regularly migrate with their herds and families to the irrigated areas for seasonal labour, occupying their villages in Thar during the short planting season. Finally the Kohlis, descendants of the hunting and gathering population once subsisted on Thar's abundant fauna, fruit and wild products such as honey. Although the only original inhabitants of Thar (all the remainder have coronised in historical times), the Kohlis are now the poorest and least established. They enjoyed a period of respect as soldier for the pre-British rulers, but now with the disappearance of game, are reduced to making the painful adjustment to herding and farming.

According to the 1998 census Hindus were 40.47% of the population and Muslims more than 59%.

[edit] Society and culture

Shah Latif portrayed whatever he searched out in the passionate lyricism with seven characters, all women symbolizing the determination for upholding 'truth' in an antagonistic status-quo largely directed by ever changing tide of time.

Tharparkar is the central theme of this classical text consummated by the fascinating lyric and rhythm, Marvi a local Thari girl symbolizes the human attachment and relation ship with the institutions and traditions. The history of Tharparkar, in letter and spirit, is the account of this sentimental humanoid attachment and its reaction towards the changing nature of social fabric.

The indigenous myth and measures to cope with calamities like draught and dearth were losing their potential in the wake ofstrong influence of cash economy. The fascinating colour of grazing lands and the romantic instinct of tending the flocks of cattle are diffusing in the mushrooming needs of daily life.

The tribes and castes in Tharparkar adopt a kaleidoscopic settlement pattern rather than territorial segregation. Successive waves of invasion have therefore created a mosaic of cultures and ethnic groups in Thar. But all have, in time, bowed to similar means of producion and to a common material culture.

The Tharis are honest, hard-working people and are very generous in hospitality. The gatherings between castes is largely restricted to men. The locale for such interactions being the "autak". Each hamlet will have at least one "autak" situated a discrete distance beyond the thorn hedge of the family quarters. Failing an "autak" the nearest shady tree is designated for meetings with outsiders.

Women largely communicate within their own caste, within which they marry exclusively. Opportunities for meeting women ofother castes become more restricted with higher status. Rajput women observe strickpurdah (seclusion) while poorer Bajeer, Bheel, Menghwar and Kohli are freer to undertake their field tasks.