Migration, Causes and Impact

Habib University, Tuesday October 14, 2014

Mansoor Raza; mansooraza@gmail.com

“If you wish to converse with

me,” said Voltaire, “define your

terms.”

Migration is the movement of a person or a group of persons, either across an international border, or within a State. It is a population movement, encompassing any kind of movement of people, whatever its length, composition and causes; it includes migration of refugees, displaced persons, economic migrants, and persons moving for other purposes, including family reunification http://www.iom.int/cms/en/sites/iom/home/about-migration/key-migration-terms-1.html

Excuse me---why to discuss ‘migration’ • Pakistan has been the

designation of cross-border migrants and refugees

• Mechanization and modernization of agriculture displaces people in rural areas

• Pakistani citizens have sought work abroad

So what. Isn’t Migration natural?

May be, but some reasons are painful

Reasons for Migration

• Economic Freedom (curious case of students)

• Freedom to express political and religious views (Pakistan 1980s)

• To avoid persecution (Christians Ahmadis and Hazara Shias)

• To avoid climate related hardships (Koochis and Pawandas from Afghanistan)

Typology of

Migration

• Out migration (emigration) – From South to

North

• Immigration (2.0 million aliens reported in Karachi)

• In –land Migration – From rural to urban – From small towns

to cities

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

• In year 2010, 63 million people were out of the Country – out migrants

• So, out of every 100, 3 persons are not in the Country. – ‘Aa Aah’ – Remittances (August 2014,

USD1,489 million- 37.8 percent of national budget of USD 39.3 Billion

– But Social issues – ‘Buddy’ splitted families – Empty Nest syndrome

115,508

1,206,297

199,945 35,000

1,773,413

2,991,108

Africa

USA

Asia and Far East

Australia and Newzealand Europe

Middle East

From the Past –

Has the World not changed much?

• “The causes of this (in-migration) movement are complex, but drives mainly from the fact that Karachi is the only modern and progressive place in Sind. Higher education in these days tends to produce dissatisfaction with an old fashioned environment and these is a strong centralizing tendency in modern business. The advantage of a mild climate are now a days appreciated more than they used to be.

• These and other influences noticed below have attracted upcoming Hindus (in particular), to make their homes in the city.”

H.T. Lambrick, ICS Officer and Superintendent of Census Operation Sind (earlier it was written as Sindh), in the explanatory notes of 1941 Census Report

Karachi – The Great Host • Karachi in the last 56

years braved three major waves of migrants from various parts of the region.

• All three had definite social and political effects and played their respective roles in bringing the city to what it is now

First Wave

Table: Karachi's Demographic Change due to Partition (1947 and the resulting Migration)

1941 1951

Population 450,000 1,137,000

Sindhi spoken as mother tongue (percent) 61.2 8.6

Urdu spoken as mother tongue (percent) 6.3 50.0

Hindu Population (percent) 51.0 2.0

Muslim Population (percent) 42.0 96.0

Migration 1947

• In 1947, some 600,000 refugees from India settled in Karachi, raised the population figure from 4,50,000 in 1947 to 11,37,667 in 1951 and inter-censal growth rate from 3.70 percent (1941-31) to 11.50 percent (1951-41)

• The urban population of Sind was 11.85 percent of the total population and in 1951 it went up to 29.2 percent.

• The migrants were quick and developed enough to take up the opportunities and fill up the gap, created by migrating Hindus to India, mostly in the urban centers.

• An urban-rural divide followed this settlement and functional pattern. The migrants due to their religio-political orientation favored strong center, while the rural native population was asking for more political autonomy.

• The most important effect is the culmination of multi religious and multi culturalism, as the migrants were predominantly Urdu speaking Muslims (though there exists shades between those who migrated from Dehli, Rampur and Lucknow).

Second Wave - Migration From 1971

• Between 1972 and 1978, some 350,000 refugees from Bangladesh (former East Pakistan) moved into Karachi.

• Though, spread to low and middle income settlement, nevertheless gave enormous expansion to one of the largest Katchi Abadi of Asia, namely Orangi Town.

• Unlike other ‘regular’ in-migrants to the city, mostly from NWFP and Punjab, who find their job market niche (first generation) mostly in earth works, shoe shining, milk and transport business, these migrants from Bangladesh were urbanized, educated and monetized and by and large had the same political orientations and hence expectations from the state In terms of the provision of jobs and services as of those who migrated in 1947. The two groups exhibited their common interests in a major political union in 80s and afterwards.

From late 70s and early 80s • Between 1978 and 1998 some 600,000 Afghan refugees were

registered, in Karachi, by National Alien Registration Authority (NARA).

• Unlike earlier two groups, intercity mobility was also observed in the case of these Afghan migrants, as these first settled in refugee camps or with some relatives in Balochistan and NWFP Province and then came to Karachi, due to various push and pull factors.

• Their advent strengthened religious factions and promoted the gun culture. Enterprising and hard working these soon grabbed the opportunities and quickly established themselves in trading, business, transport, earth works and scavenging.

• Corrupt administrative practices helped them to make valid National Identity Cards and Passports. Before the establishing of NADRA, it cost Rs. 300 to Rs. 500 to make NIC.

So, the figures say… • If we treat official census figures as authentic (though researchers and

political parties contested against the 1998 census results), then between 1972 and 1998, some 3.8 million migrants were added to the city, 40 percent of the total reported population of 1998.

• Of the 2.15 million migrants between 1981 and 1998, 40 percent were from Punjab and NWFP.

• Also of the total migrant population 43 percent were illiterates and 58 percent of the migrants were males.

• 91 percent of those who migrated between the two census periods of 1981 and 1998 settled in urban Karachi.

• District Malir and West cumulatively accommodated 55 percent of the migrant population. Sindhi and Pashto are the dominant languages of Malir, while Urdu and Pashto are the dominant languages of District West.

Total In Country Migration 1998 Place of Previous Residence

Present Residence Total Migrant population NWFP FATA Punjab Sindh Balochistan Islamabad AK/NA Other Countries Not Reported

All Areas 10,829,264 1,207,920 114,197 4,263,301 834,200 215,656 22,025 230,258 2,597,528 1,344,179 11.15% 9.45% 39.37% 7.70% 1.99% 0.20% 2.13% 23.99% 12.41% NWFP 647,725 357,761 75,952 64,249 12,393 1,308 4,035 5,266 24,659 102,102 55.23% 11.73% 9.92% 1.91% 0.20% 0.62% 0.81% 3.81% 15.76% Punjab 6,701,256 324,070 14,730 3,302,164 161,803 30,317 14,433 150,664 1,831,509 871,566 4.84% 0.22% 49.28% 2.41% 0.45% 0.22% 2.25% 27.33% 13.01% Sindh 2,833,227 430,848 20,696 635,765 615,769 76,599 3,292 46,310 684,457 319,491 15.21% 0.73% 22.44% 21.73% 2.70% 0.12% 1.63% 24.16% 11.28% Balochistan 249,615 27,337 524 51,158 22,901 104,067 265 5,426 10,165 27,772 10.95% 0.21% 20.49% 9.17% 41.69% 0.11% 2.17% 4.07% 11.13% Islamabad 397,731 67,904 2,295 209,965 21,424 3,565 22,592 46,738 23,248 17.07% 0.58% 52.79% 5.39% 0.90% 0.00% 5.68% 11.75% 5.85%

People on Wheels

•1/13th or 7.7 percent of the population is continuously on move. • •8, (approx) out of 100 people are migrants

Reminder However, people do not tend to move

someplace at random- they tend to go where they believe opportunity exist.

The tendency to migrate cities is because cities provides centralized and organized economic activities

1. One, remittances from abroad have had a positive impact on Pakistan’s economy

• These remittances have not had much of an impact on the local economy and have been used mainly for building real estate, improving lifestyles, purchasing gadgetry and for better education purposes.

• Pakistanis from abroad have invested in the social sectors but this has not made any substantial difference to the provision of social sector facilities in the areas from where people have migrated

2. Remittances in Crisis, are much desired

• Remittances the connections that the migrants have created in the urban areas, help them out in times of crisis such as floods, earthquakes and droughts.

• Kashmir Earthquake, IDP Crisis 2009, Floods 2010 and others

3. Education and Values • Emigration and migration has promoted

education, more liberal values, emancipation of women and promotion of NGO activity.

• At the same time, they have led to the break-up

of the extended family and clan institutions, promoted a rich and poor divide at the local level and also an immense desire in the population to go abroad since migrants and their families have become role models for the rest of society.

4. Spatial Preferences Emerges

• With the inculcation of education and better lifestyles, the younger generation of families whose members have migrated or emigrated, wish to live in the larger cities because of the better physical and social environment over there. As a result, the areas from where they move lose political power, future civil society leadership and professionals

ergence of Informal Settlements

• Emergence of informal settlements along main corridors and other areas of Karachi

• Civic facilities under tremendous pressure

Impact at Donor Places

• Migrant families have improved their homes or purchase more land

• Lobbied for pipe water • Caste system and feudal order under

pressure • Artisan products being replaced by

industrial goods • Attire, language, crockery transformed

Conclusion • The capitalist mode of production functions together with

residues of traditional economy.

• Besides major political upheavals in the region, that trigger various categories of migration, the continuous migration of people from rural to urban should be seen in this context.

• The migrant population is aggressive, opportunist, fiercely upwardly mobile and value cash value of time more than human relationships.

• The phenomenon has definite socio-political repercussions both on rural as well as on urban side. Brain and skills drain from rural, pressure on civic amenities in urban, identity crisis and exploitation of feelings of being alone and alienation is often used aptly by religious and political forces.

Axiom from Badin, Sindh

Afrad, nazaria aur quome’n, hijrat mae’n hee parwan chartey haen (People, ideology and nations,

progress with/during migration)