Chowkandi’s plight

E-Paper | June 04, 2026

A RECENT description of Chowkandi, published in this paper on Tuesday, makes for depressing reading, for the necropolis on Karachi’s outskirts appears to be completely neglected by the state.

Some of the exquisitely carved tombs in the graveyard are centuries old, yet their historical and cultural worth seems to have no value in the eyes of the Sindh administration.

The site is threatened by the land mafia as well as unscrupulous tomb raiders, who have illegally made off with gravestones.

Also read: Chowkandi graveyard fast losing its authenticity

Additionally, fresh burials at Chowkandi are threatening the historical necropolis. Perhaps the biggest impediment to protecting the site is the fact that it has no defined boundary and a lack of security personnel, leaving the grounds vulnerable to the forays of grave robbers and other criminal elements.

The situation of Makli, a Unesco-designated World Heritage site in Thatta, is not much better. While that necropolis suffered damage during the 2010 floods when people took shelter on high ground on the premises, parts of the site have also been illegally occupied.

Surely the government’s apathy must be causing the dead to turn in their graves. Not only that, it is also allowing vandals and looters to permanently disfigure the graves and mausolea that populate Chowkandi and Makli.

Perhaps in more sensitive societies there would have been an uproar over this criminal neglect of history, but not so in Pakistan.

The voices calling for the preservation and protection of historical heritage are few and barely audible. This is strange, as many political and nationalist groups in Sindh take pains to highlight the cultural richness of the province, and yet there is barely anyone speaking up against the neglect of these historical treasures.

As a first step, the Sindh government needs to demarcate the boundaries of Chowkandi and deploy watchmen to save what is left of its relics from the clutches of grave robbers.

Moreover, those elements that damage the monuments or attempt to steal the relics — as well as encroachers — must be caught and punished.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2015

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Ahmed

Jul 22, 2015 02:10pm

"This is strange, as many political and nationalist groups in Sindh take pains to highlight the cultural richness of the province, and yet there is barely anyone speaking up against the neglect of these historical treasures." Rightly Commented by the Editor .. politicians are just doing lip service and nothing in actual to save this rich cultural heritage...Sorry to say but Ministry of Cultural heritage and all the funds should be handovered to any of the NGOs, then u will see the desired and required upkeep of the heritage.

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Farman

Jul 23, 2015 09:05am

Tomb-mafia is not a Sind based issue.It is also engrossed in other provinces.In KPK, their are many necropolis gangs who are implicitly protected by the state officials.Secondly open trade is being carried out of these relics across the county.

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Dr.GM baluch

Jul 23, 2015 03:05pm

1910, Sir Thomas Holdich described cemetery near Malir and also referred to several other cemeteries. He stated that local tradition ascribed these to the 'Kalmati' Baluchis, and he linked this name to the town of Kalmat on the Makran Coast.

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Dr.GM baluch

Jul 23, 2015 03:28pm

Chawkandi tombs were built between the 15th and 18th centuries, and the architectural techniques and designs were unique to the Islamic world of the time. Members of the Jokhio, Burfat, Kalmati and other Baloch tribes are buried in these intricately carved graves constructed from beautiful yellow stone taken from Thatta’s Jungshahi. Shah Latif, the great Sindhi poet and saint of international repute, eulogised the tales of these tribes’ bravery in his poetry. “Atmospheric degradation, rapid industrialisation in the vicinity and mushroom growth of development activity around the graveyard” as the major factors responsible for the decay and degradation of the site.

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