Religions in Karachi include Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and others. According to a 2023 census of Pakistan, the religious breakdown of the city is as follows: Muslim (96.52%), Christian (2.14%), Hindu (1.17%), other (0.17%). Other religious groups include Parsis, Sikhs, Baháʼí, Jews and Buddhists.

Of the Muslims, approximately 66% are Sunnis and 34% are Shia. The Sunnis follow Hanafi fiqh while Shi'ites are predominantly Ithnā‘Ashariyyah fiqh, with significant minority groups who follow Ismaili Fiqh, which is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra and Sulaymani fiqhs.

History

Early Till by the end of 16the century Karachi was a small fishing village of Sindhi and Balochi people when Hindu merchants from Thatta established a trading port there in the early 18th century. When the British seized control of the offshore, strategically located island of Manora in 1839, Karachi had about 10,000 inhabitants.Karachi in 1889 Thereafter, authorities of the British Raj embarked on a large-scale modernisation of the city in the 19th century with the intention of establishing a major and modern port which could serve as a gateway to Punjab, the western parts of British India, and Afghanistan.

Britain's competition with imperial Russia during the Great Game also heightened the need for a modern port near Central Asia, and so Karachi prospered as a major centre of commerce and industry during the Raj, attracting communities of: Africans, Arabs, Armenians, Catholics from Goa, Jewish, Lebanese, Malays, Konkani people from Maharashtra, Kuchhi from Kuchh, Gujarat in India, and ZoroastriansThe Parsi Community in Karachi, Pakistan PRI's The World (also known as Parsees) - in addition to the large number of British businessmen and colonial administrators who established the city's poshest locales, such as Clifton.

As a result, this mass migration changed the religious and cultural mosaic of Karachi; 104 years of British rule changed the demographic profile of Karachi from a collection of small predominantly Muslim fishing villages to a multicultural city.

1947 Partition At the time of independence, the population of the city of Karachi was 51.1% Hindu, 42.3% Muslim, with the remaining 7% primarily Christians (both British and native), Sikhs, Jains, with a small number of Jews.

The Independence of Pakistan in 1947 saw an influx of Muslim refugees from India fleeing to settle. While the original Hindu inhabitants who had stayed in Karachi since prehistoric times were persecuted or killed. Ultimately most of the Hindu population migrated to India to save their faith. Many of the Urdu-speaking and other non-Punjabi Muslim refugees that fled from various states of India settled in Karachi, wiping out the original Sindhi Hindu culture of Karachi.

Religious groups in Karachi City (1941 & 1951) % (1941)% (1951) Hindu 51.1% 1.7% Muslim 42.3% 96.1% Christian 2.3% 1.6% Sikh 1.3% N/A Jain 0.9% N/A Parsi N/A 0.5% Other 1.9% 0.1% Total 100% 100%

Statistics + Religious groups in Karachi City (1872−2023)Religiousgroup1872188118911901191119211931194120172023 Islam 33,018 38,946 52,957 60,003 74,075 100,436 122,847 162,447 14,382,744 18,189,474 Hinduism 23,157 24,617 44,503 48,169 66,038 100,683 120,595 192,831 156,452 211,138 Christianity 2,223 4,161 5,986 6,098 7,936 9,649 12,765 17,466 329,702 416,309 Zoroastrianism 748 937 1,375 1,823 2,165 2,702 3,334 3,700 1,435 Judaism 7 128 349 535 645 943 1,051 Jainism 4 9 99 125 647 1,118 629 3,214 Tribal 0 32 0 0 4 135 Sikhism 0 0 0 1,425 2,254 5,835 2,299 Buddhism 0 0 0 41 53 75 Ahmadiyya 8,751 7,948 Others 0 4,890 119 96 507 180 10 36 6,753 15,241 Total population 59,157 73,560 105,199 116,663 151,903 216,883 263,565 386,655 14,884,402 18,843,844

Islam

The state religion in Pakistan is Islam, which is practiced by about 96.52% of the city's population. Muslims are divided into two major sects: the majority of them practice Sunni Islam, while the Shias comprise an estimated 10-20%. Nearly all Pakistani Sunni Muslims belong to the Hanafi Fiqh Islamic law school. The majority of Pakistani Shia Muslims belong to the Ithnā‘Ashariyyah Islamic law school, with significant minority groups who practice Ismailism, which is composed of Nizari (Aga Khanis), Mustaali, Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaymani, and others.

There is also a small Zikri Muslim community in Karachi mostly in Lyari area.

Hinduism

Most Hindus of Karachi migrated to India during the 1947 partition and from 1948 onwards - after the establishment of Pakistan. Currently Hindus are concentrated particularly in Naraianpura, Lyari, Clifton and Saddar.

Prominent temples include the Sri Swami Narayan temple on MA Jinnah Road, Daryalal Temple in Kharadar, and numerous temples in Narainpura. Soldier Bazaar is home to a functioning Shri Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple, and Ganesh temple. Two temples function in Clifton: the Samadha Dham and Sri Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple. In Civil Lines, the Sant Satram Dham functions on School Road near Karachi Cantonment Station. Mithadar is home to the Bhagnari Shiv Temple and Devi Mata Temple. Manora is home to the Sri Varun Dev Temple.

As of the 2023 census, some 211,138 Hindus remain in Karachi, forming approximately 1.12% of the total city population. However, despite most Hindus having left Karachi, a large number of streets continue to bear Hindu names, particularly in Aram Bagh, Mithadar, and Ramswamy.

Christianity

The largest religious minority in Karachi are the Christians. The two major Christian ethnic groups are Goan Catholics and Punjabi Christians.What was the past of Punjabi Christians? The Punjabi Christians are converts from the Hindu Churas caste to Christianity during the British Raj.Alter, J.P and J. Alter (1986) In the Doab and Rohilkhand: north Indian Christianity, 1815-1915. I.S.P.C.K publishing p196

See also Demographics of Karachi Culture of Karachi Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi

Notes

References

Further reading The Political Ethnicity and the State of Pakistan "DHA wants SHC to shut down temple built on residential plot", The Express Tribune, 12 June 2014