Welcome Rohri City! Forms of Administration

THE CHANGING FORMS OF ADMINISTRATION

On conquering Sindh in 1843, Sir Charles Napier inherited from the Talpurs a system of administration which was particularly suited to the state of semi-isolation into which Sindh had fallen since the decline of the Mughal Empire. In the workings of this system in its revenue and judicial administration could be discerned traces of the earlier Mughal system, the sharp outlines of which had become blurred by the patriarchal and tribal nature of the Kalhora, and particularly, the Talpur regimes which succeeded it.

* Mughal Period Under the Mughals (1592-1737), Sindh was divided into the Sarkars (Divisions) of Bakhar (Upper Sindh) and Thatta (Lower Sindh) in the Suba (province) of Multan. In the Sarkar of Bakhar were the important towns of Shikarpur, Sukkur, Rohri, and Sehwan. Thatta was the most important town of Lower Sindh; it controlled the ports of Shahbunder, Lahribunder, and Aurangbunder. Kathora Period Mian Yar Muhammad was made the first Governor of Sindh de jure, though not de facto, in AD 1701 by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and the title ‘Khuda Yar Khan’ was conferred upon him. He may be regarded as the real founder of the dynasty. Sindh was united under the Kalhora dynasty, the first dynasty since the fall of the Sammas in 1521.The Kaihoras were in power for eighty- two years. During that period a permanent change was made in the centre of gravity of Sindh.From very early times, the two natural centres of government had been Thatta and the fortress of Bakhar, and of these Thatta had always been completely free from foreign influence.At Umerkot and Kakrala, and some other, minor, places, Hindu rulers had continued to hold more or less independent power, and the Muslim rulers, forming matrimonial alliances with Sodha and Rajput chiefs, had become ‘Hinduized’ to some extent. The transformation was completed under the Talpurs. The administration system was based partly on the theory of the Koran and partly on the system which the Mughals had perfected. The Kalhoras had a great reputation as builders of canals.

Talpur Period (1783-1843).To facilitate the collection of revenue, Sindh was divided into parganas or provinces and again into tapas or Districts. The principal parganas in Lower Sindh were Thatta, Chachgam, Kakralo, Dhareja, Sindra, and Imamwah; in Upper Sindh, Sundra, Shahdadpur, Khairpur, Gambat, Halani, Bahlani, Lahri, Sehwan, Chandko, Mogalli, Rupar, Kacha, and Chappa. Over each pargana was a sazwalkar, or head collector of revenue, with a small establishment of munshis and others to administer its revenue affairs; over each tapa was a kardar with a smaller establishment. ‘Where a town was divided amongst several Mirs, (up to six or seven), each had a representative to watch over his interests. (The office of sazwalkar which existed under the Mirs was abolished by the British Government and the incumbents were made kardars receiving one-fifth of their former pay. The salary of the original kardars was also reduced by half.)poujdars and daroghas were in charge of large towns and kotwalS were in charge of the smaller towns. The administration of the countryside was entrusted to kardars who held assured positions as both revenue and judicial officers.