~ Karachi ~

Karachi (Urdu: كراچى), (Sindhi: ڪراچي) is the largest city in Pakistan and the capital of the province of Sindh. A native of Karachi is referred to as a Karachiite. The city is the financial and commercial hub of Pakistan and an important regional port. It is located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, northwest of the Indus River delta. Karachi accounts for the largest share of Pakistan's gross domestic product and generates about 65% of the national revenue.[citation needed] Karachi claims the highest per capita income in South Asia[citation needed] and is the nucleus of regional business and technological activities. The city has one of the highest literacy rates in Pakistan and is the home of several important academic and research institutions. With an estimated population of approximately 12 million, Karachi is the third largest city in the world.

The history of Karachi prior to the nineteenth century is brief. According to legend, Krokola was settled when an old fisherwoman by the name of Mai Kolachi settled near the delta of the Indus River to start a community.[citation needed] At Krokola, Alexander the Great camped and built a fleet for the voyage back to Babylonia. Alexander's admiral Nearchus sailed back to Mesopotamia from 'Morontobara' port, which is probably the modern Manora Island at Karachi harbor. When Muhammad bin Qasim conquered modern Pakistan in 712, the area was called Debal (or Debul) which may have been the ancestral village of present-day Karachi. According to the British historian Eliot, parts of city of Karachi and the island of Manora at port of Karachi constituted the city of Debal.

It was in 1772 that the village Kolachi-jo-Goth was changed from a fishing village to a trading post when it was selected as a port for trade with Muscat and Bahrain. In the following years, a fort was built and cannons brought in from Muscat were mounted on it. The fort had two doorways, one facing the sea called the Kharo Dar (in Sindhi), Khara Dar (in Urdu) or Brackish Gate and one facing the River Lyari called the Mitho Dar (in Sindhi), Meetha Dar (in Urdu) or Sweet Gate. Currently, the site of those gates corresponds to the location of the neighborhoods of Kharodar and Mithodar. In 1795 the city passed from the Khan of Kalat to the rulers of Sindh.

Karachi gained in position as a port which led to its importance being recognized by the British, and consequently led to the conquering of the town on the February 3, 1839. Three years later, it was annexed into British India as a district. The British recognized the importance of Karachi as a natural harbor and port for the produce of the Indus basin, and the city was rapidly developed into a bustling port city. A famous quote about Karachi attributed to Charles Napier is: Would that I could come again to see you in your grandeur!. Napier's quote proved almost prophetic as it was under the British Raj that Karachi would grow rapidly as its harbor was developed. When the First Indian War for Independence broke out in 1857, the 21st Native Infantry stationed in Karachi declared allegiance to the rebellion and joined the cause of the war on September 10, 1857. The British quickly reasserted control over Karachi and defeated the uprising.

In 1876, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was born in the city, and he would later be buried there. By this time Karachi was a developed city with railroads, churches, mosques, paved streets, courts and many commercial centers as well as a magnificent harbor built by the British. Many of the buildings were built in classical British colonial style, contrasting significantly with the "Mughal Gothic" of Lahore. Many of these old buildings exist today and provide interesting destinations for visitors. Karachi continued to grow in size as well as importance due to its position as a major port. A railroad connected Karachi to the rest of British India in the 1880s. Population grew from 73,500 (1881), to 105,199 (1891), to 115,407 (1901) (Britannica 1911 ed.). In 1899 Karachi was said to be the largest wheat exporting port in the East (Feldman 1970:57). In 1911 when the capital was shifted to Delhi, Karachi became closer to being a Gateway to India. Karachi was declared the capital of the newly formed Sindh province in 1936, chosen over the traditional capital city, Hyderabad.

In 1947, Karachi was made the capital of the new nation of Pakistan. At that time Karachi was a city of only 400,000 people, and its growth accelerated as a result of its new status. Being the capital, Karachi became a focal point for the new nation and this added to its status as a cultural centre in this part of the world. Although the capital later moved to Rawalpindi and then Islamabad, Karachi remains the economic centre of Pakistan, accounting for a large portion of the GDP of the country and large chunk of the nation's white collar workers. In the 1960s, Karachi was seen as an economic role model around the area and there was much praise for the way its economy was progressing, but in the 1990s, the city was wracked with sectarian violence. In the last 20 years, Karachi has continued to grow, passing the 12 million mark. The current economic boom in Pakistan has created a sudden growth spurt in Karachi as jobs and infrastructure projects are increasing with time.

Geography and Climate
Karachi is located in southern Pakistan, directly north of the Arabian Sea. The city covers 591 square kilometers (228 square miles) while the metropolitan area covers 1450 km² (560 mi²).[1] Karachi mostly comprises flat or rolling plains with hills on the western and northern boundaries of the urban sprawl. Two rivers pass through the city: the Malir River (north east to centre) and the Lyari River (north to south). Many other smaller rivers pass through the city as well with general drainage being from the western and northern areas towards the south. The Karachi Harbor is a protected bay to the south west of the city. The harbor is protected from storms by Kiamari Island, Manora Island and Oyster Rocks, which together block the greater part of the harbor entrance in the west. The southern limit of the city is the Arabian Sea and forms a chain of warm water beaches that are rich in natural beauty.

Karachi is located on the coast and as a result has a relatively mild climate. The level of precipitation is low for most of the year (approximately 10 inches per annum). However, due to the city's proximity to the sea, humidity levels usually remain high throughout the year. The city enjoys mild winters and hot summers. Karachi also receives the tail end of the monsoon rains. Since summer temperatures are quite high (the end of April through mid-July are approximately 33 to 37 degrees Celsius), the winter months (November through March) are the best time to visit Karachi. December, which is the most popular month for social events such as weddings, fundraisers and charity balls, is frequently the time when most visitors, tourists and expatriates come to Karachi.

Government
The City of Karachi Municipal Act was promulgated in 1933. Initially the Municipal Corporation comprised the mayor and deputy mayor as well as 57 councilors. In 1976, the Karachi Municipal Corporation was changed to a Metropolitan Corporation. In order to decentralize the political, administrative and financial resources and responsibilities, the government of Pakistan designed a new devolution plan in 2000. The Local Government Plan 2000 and the Local Government Ordinance 2001 provided the legal roadmap to the aforesaid system that allows public participation in decision-making up to the grass-root level. According to this plan, Karachi has a three-tier federated system, formed by:

City District Government (CDG)
Town Municipal Administration
Union Council Administration
The City-District of Karachi is divided into eighteen towns governed by elected municipal administrations, responsible for infrastructure and spatial planning, development facilitation, and municipal services (water, sanitation, solid waste, repairing roads, parks, street lights, and traffic engineering), with some functions retained by the CDG.

The towns are sub-divided into 178 localities governed by elected union councils (UC's), which are the core element of the local government system. Each UC is a body of thirteen directly elected members including a Nazim (mayor) and a Naib Nazim (deputy mayor). The UC Nazim heads the union administration and is responsible for facilitating the CDG to plan and execute municipal services, as well as for informing higher authorities about public concerns and complaints.

In the local body elections of 2005, Syed Mustafa Kamal was elected City Nazim of Karachi to succeed Naimatullah Khan & Nasreen Jalil was elected as the City Naib Nazim. Mustafa Kamal took the oath on October 17, 2005 at Bagh-e-Jinnah. [2] Mustafa Kamal was the provincial minister for information technology in Sindh before assuming office as the city's mayor. His predecessor, Naimatullah Khan was chosen as one of the best mayors of 2004-05 in Asia. [3]

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CDGK plans two five-star hotels: Kamal
As Karachi has grown more attractive for investment due to development over several months, the city government’s revenue has climbed 38 percent, said City Nazim Mustafa Kamal adding that two five-star hotels will soon be opened for foreigners.