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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Sukkur District
Sukkur District (Sindhi: سکر ضلعو, Urdu: ضلع سکّھر) is a district in Sindh Province in Pakistan. Two districts have been split off from the territory of Sukkur: Shikarpur in 1977 and Ghotki in 1993. According to 2023 Pakistani census population of Sukkur District is 1,625,467 (1.6 million).

Administrative subdivisions

Tehsils, UCs and Villages in District Sukkur
Tehsil Population
(2023) 		Area
(km²) 		Union
Councils 		Villages
Sukkur City 266,940 150 11 25
New Sukkur 356,163 150 09 25
Rohri 421,500 1319 12 400
Saleh Pat 137,738 2339 03 250
Pano Aqil 443,126 1233 12 450
Total 1,625,467 5191 54 1150

History

A historic image of Rohri - Sukkur

By the 12th Century Rohri and Sukkur had been incorporated in dominion of the Bhati Rajputs. The East India Company occupied Sindh in 1843. They formed three districts in Sindh administratively: Hyderabad, Karachi and Shikarpur.


In 1883 British Government shifted the district headquarter from Shikarpur to Sukkur and in 1901 again British Government shifted the district status from Shikarpur to Sukkur.

In 1904, the Pano Akil mahal was converted into a taluka of Sukkur District.

At the time of Pakistan's independence in 1947, Sukkur district comprised approximately 200,000 inhabitants, mostly engaged in agricultural pursuits and fishing industry. Over time, Sukkur has seen a moderate rise in population (2 to 2.5% per annum) as compared to Pakistan's, except in late 1960s and early 70s, when population growth rate reached 4.43% (1972 census) due to internal migration and establishment of some large bridges on river Indus.

A drawing of Railway Bridge over Indus - Sukkur (Published in The Engineer)

Sukkur district is chiefly populated by Muslims that constitute 96% of the total population. The minorities include: Hindus 3.28% and Christians about 0.51%. Hindus are mostly settled in urban areas and are engaged in the trade and services sectors.

The independence of Pakistan in 1947 saw the influx of Muslims which include Urdu-speaking Muhajirs, Bandhani speaking Rajputs from Rajasthan, Memons from Bombay, Gujarat and Kathiawar were migrated from India and settled here, mostly in the aftermath of riots when Pakistan was carved out of India as the result of Muslim vote; the Muslim population of India voted for their separate homeland, the Pakistan.

While some of the Bandhani, Memons, and Punjabis were settled here before partition, i.e., the independence of Pakistan in 1947. Traditionally Memons were associated with trade and retail business but during last two decades they have ascended as an active social and economic front. Sukkur is noteworthy in Sindh and Pakistan generally for its comparative tolerance towards religious and ethnic minorities.

City is a multi-ethnic and has a mix of Sindhis, Punjabis, Brahuis, Balochis and Pakhtuns. Sindhis are native to the area and speak its various dialects, including, Utradi, Lari, Thari, Dadhki, etc. A large number of Punjabis were attracted to the city after the Indus treaty settlement and are settled around the downtown and chowk Ghantaghar in central part of the city.

Most Pakhtons are distinct and separately living near the railway station and its vicinity. The city therefore has cosmopolitan atmosphere with multiethnic and multicultural communities. Following are the demographic indicators of the district.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1951 222,848—    
1961 277,356+2.21%
1972 460,649+4.72%
1981 575,962+2.51%
1998 931,694+2.87%
2017 1,488,372+2.50%
2023 1,639,897+1.63%
source:
Religions in Sukkur district (2023)
Religion Percent
Islam
 
 95.9%
Hinduism
 
 3.63%
Christianity
 
 0.4%
Other
 
 0.07%

At the time of the 2017 census, Sukkur had a sex ratio of 917 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 54.73%: 65.62% for males and 42.75% for females. 720,806 (48.43%) lived in urban areas. 467,113 (31.38%) were under 10 years of age. In 2023, the district had 268,755 households and a population of 1,639,897.

Religion in present-day Sukkur district
Religion Population (1941) Percentage (1941) Population (2017) Percentage (2017) Population (2023) Percentage (2023)
Islam 185,249 63.46% 1,430,376 96.10% 1,558,888 95.9%
Hinduism 102,072 34.97% 52,902 3.55% 59,032 3.63%
Sikhism 3,794 1.30% --- --- 232 0.01%
Others 778 0.27% 5,094 0.35% 7,315 0.46%
Total Population 291,893 100% 1,488,372 100% 1,625,467 100%

The majority religion is Islam, with 95.9% of the population. Hinduism (including those from Scheduled Castes) is practiced by 3.63% of the population.

Languages of Sukkur district (2023)

  Sindhi (86.08%)
  Urdu (8.97%)
  Punjabi (1.74%)
  Others (3.21%)

At the time of the 2023 census, 86.06% of the population spoke Sindhi, 8.97% Urdu and 1.74% Punjabi as their first language.

List of Dehs

The following is a list of Sukkur District's dehs, organised by taluka:

References

  1. ^ PCO 1999, p. 1.
  2. ^ "TABLE 1 : HOUSEHOLDS, POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2023.
  3. ^ PCO 1999, p. 11.
  4. ^ "Pakistan: Tehsils and Talukas (Districts and Subdistricts) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
  5. ^ "Pakistan: Tehsils and Talukas (Districts and Subdistricts) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map".
  6. ^ Kothiyal, Tanuja (2016). Nomadic Narratives: A History of Mobility and Identity in the Great Indian. Cambridgre University Press. p. 72. ISBN 9781107080317.
  7. ^ "Pano Aqil Cantonment". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  8. ^ Umair, Bisma (13 July 2013). "Sukkur".
  9. ^ "Population of administrative units" (PDF). pbs.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 1998.
  10. ^ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2023)" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  11. ^ "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  12. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME XII SINDH PROVINCE".
  13. ^ "Pakistan Census 2023" (PDF).
  14. ^ "Pakistan Census 2023" (PDF).
  15. ^ "List of Dehs in Sindh" (PDF). Sindh Zameen. Retrieved 22 March 2021.

Notes

  1. ^ Pano Aqil, Rohri and Sukkur taluks of Sukkur district
  2. ^ Including Jainism, Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Ad-Dharmis, or not stated

Bibliography

  • 1998 District census report of Sukkur. Census publication. Vol. 41. Islamabad: Population Census Organization, Statistics Division, Government of Pakistan. 1999.
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