Shanti Nagar () is a neighborhood in the
Karachi East district of
Karachi
Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. It is part of the
Gulshan Town.
The several ethnic groups living in Shanti Nagar include
Kutchi,
Muhajirs,
Sindhis,
Kashmiris
Kashmiris () also known as Koshurs are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group speaking the Kashmiri language and originating from the Kashmir Valley, which is today located in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union terr ...
,
Seraikis,
Pakhtuns,
Balochis,
Memons,
Bohras,
Ismailis, etc. Over 85% of the population is
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
. The population of
Gulshan Town is estimated to be nearly one million. Shanti Nagar also has
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
and
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
population. The neighbourhood comprises 12 localities with a population of over 100,000 people.
Shanti Nagar massacre
On February 7, 1997, a mob estimated as large as 30,000 Muslim fundamentalists attacked the Christian-majority town during
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...
. The violence was triggered by a rumour that a Christian man had desecrated the
Quran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
. An investigation by the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan determined that 775 homes were burned, along with several churches and schools.
References
External linksu
Karachi Website
Gulberg Town
Neighbourhoods of Karachi
Gulshan Town
{{Karachi-geo-stub