Ranchore Line ( ur, رنچھور لائن), officially named as Gazdarabad ( ur, گزدر آباد ), is a neighbourhood in the
Karachi South
Karachi South District ( ur, ) is an administrative district of Karachi Division in Sindh, Pakistan.
History
Karachi South District is the economic backbone of the country. It has Head Offices of many Corporations, Companies and Banks. Chie ...
district of
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...
, Pakistan. The neighborhood is one of the oldest in Karachi, and has a predominantly
Muslim Marwaris population who hailed from
Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a ...
in
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
from 19th century. Gazadarabad is also home to Karachi's largest Hindu-dominated neighborhood,
Narayan Pura.
History
Gazdarabad was formerly called
Ranchore Line until around the 1950s. The name of the area was associated with a Hindu named Ranchor. The area was first built in the early days of the British Raj. With time, it became one of the most densely populated areas in the city. Before the
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the s ...
of Pakistan, the area was home to a majority of Hindus.
After the independence of Pakistan, the Karachi population increased dramatically when hundreds of thousands of
Muslim refugees (
Muhajirs) from India moved to Pakistan and settled in the city. The minority
Hindus and
Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ' ...
s
migrated to India while many
Muslims refugees from India settled in the Karachi.
The name was changed in the honour of
Muhammad Hashim Gazdar
Muhammad Hashim Gazdar ( ur, محمد ہاشم گذدر; 1 February 1893 – 19 February 1968) was one of the three representatives from Sindh to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, and the second Deputy Speaker of the National Assembl ...
, who belonged to the
Muslim Marwaris community and resided in the locality. Mr. Gazdar had been
Mayor of Karachi
Mayor of Karachi (Urdu: ) is the executive of the Karachi metropolitan corporation and the Karachi local government system of the city of Karachi which is the third tier of governance in Pakistan after Federal and provincial governments.
Pre ...
and one time deputy speaker of the Constitutional Assembly. Gazdarabad is home of
Muslim Marwari Community who migrated from
Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a ...
in
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
at and around the beginning of British Raj.
These people perfected the art of yellow stone masonry. Their artistic skills can be seen in all the British era buildings in Karachi.
See also
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Silawat
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Muhammad Hashim Gazdar
Muhammad Hashim Gazdar ( ur, محمد ہاشم گذدر; 1 February 1893 – 19 February 1968) was one of the three representatives from Sindh to the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, and the second Deputy Speaker of the National Assembl ...
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Ranchore Line
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Ramswami
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Jubilee Market Area
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Nabi Bux Area
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Garden Police
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Preedy Street Quarters
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Fikri Compound
Saghir shah Bhojani old Kmc contractor Bhojani builders & Developers
External links
Karachi Website
{{coord missing, Karachi
Neighbourhoods of Karachi
Saddar Town