Shikarpur, Sindh: History
Shikarpur was founded in 1677 as the hunting ground of Mahars.
Shikarpur, the seat of civilisation, culture, trade and commerce acquired political and economic importance because of its strategic location on the map of Sindh, being directly accessible to those who came from Central and West Asia through the Bolan Pass.
In the early 17th century this emerald city in the northern Sindh province of Pakistan became the nucleus of a historical trade center on a caravan route through the Bolan Pass into Afghanistan. Shikarpur became the core of manufacturing including brass and metal goods, carpets, cotton cloth, and embroidery. Its great bazaar (covered because of the summer heat) is famous throughout Turkistan and southern Asia. The city's economic prosperity was underpinned by the concentration of several Shikarpuri Bania communities known as the Multanis (though not all of them actually hail from Multan). They were instrumental in increasing the importance of Shikarpur in the 18th century as the financial capital of the Durrani Empire.
Like many urban areas in Sindh, the city of Shikarpur was predominantly populated by Hindus prior to the partition of India. However, the predominantly Muslim population of Sindh supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the Sindhi Hindu minority migrated to India while the Muslims from India, called the Muhajirs, settled down in the Shikarpur District.