Human Security and Insecurity Factors in Framing Migration from Rural to Urban Sindh: A Case Study of Karachi

Abstract This article examines the security and insecurity factors shaping Sindhi migration to Karachi. In 1981, Sindhis accounted for 6.29 percent of the city’s population, rising only slightly to 10.67 percent by 2017. Unlike residents of other provincial capitals in Pakistan, Karachi’s residents predominantly do not speak the dominant language of the region in which their city is located. This raises questions about why Sindhis are, and remain, a minority in Sindh’s provincial capital. Research suggests that both security and insecurity factors play a crucial role in Sindhi migration to Karachi, including ethnic tensions, political stereotypes, and lack of support in the city, which discouraged Sindhi migration from rural areas to Karachi. Many hesitated to leave their comfort zones, such as the village and agriculture, where social networks, proximity, and women (whose cultural honor is believed to be at stake) are located, despite numerous nerve-shattering sources of insecurity in rural areas.