A People of Migrants: Ethnicity, State, and Religion in Karachi

Since Pakistan was established in the name of Islam, religion has always played a major role in the construction of a national ideology. This ideology has been challenged by several ethnic groups ever since the day of independence. Most fascinating in this respect are the mohakirs, migrants from India, who for several decades championed the national ideology, but are recently involved in a process of becoming an ethnic group. Using a historical actor-oriented approach, Verkaaik discusses how this change of identity had altered mohajirs' interpretation of both pre- and post-independence history of Pakistan. Their claim to be a separate people calls for a new culture, a new set of traditions, symbols, heroes, as well as a revised reading of religion. He argues that this construction of a culture is an eclectic process that can only be understood by taking into account the modern, political context of Karachi and Pakistan.