Bharuchi Vahora Patel – In Pakistan

In 1947, India became independent but, at the same time, the country was divided into three parts i.e. India, West Pakistan and East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh. With the partition, there was a cross border wave of migration of Hindus and Muslims who wanted to change their country of residence. Some Bharuchi Vahora Patel families left India to settle in Pakistan. Those who migrated, settled in Karachi. The information obtained from the directory of The Muslim Patel Welfare Association, Karachi indicates that there were 80 Bharuchi Vahora Patel families. They were from Tankaria, Kantharia, Dahegam, Sarod, Nabipur, Zanghar, Karmad and Manubar. Today the number of Bharuchi Vahora Patel families has increased to around 200.

Among those who migrated during the early years of independence were: Ismail Bagas (Kalidas) of Dahegam who held a high position in the Post Office in Karachi; Ibrahim Patel Mohamed Bux, also of Dahegam, who also held a high post in Karachi.  Dr Ali Dadabhai Patel of Tankaria was the President of the Bharuch District Muslim League. In 1947, he migrated to Karachi, where he started a pharmacy called Pakistan Drug House Ltd. He was the leader of the Bharuchi Vahora Patel community in Karachi. Ahmed Umarji Rokad of Nabipur, who had a milk dairy business in Mumbai and had migrated to Karachi, owned Dil Pazeer Hotel on the main Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road in Karachi. Later on, the Rokad family developed a milk supply business in Karachi.

Yusuf Matliwala of Karmad owned the Yusuf Brothers store in Sadar Bazar. Adam Gaurwala of Palej too had a shop in this area. Adam Ibrahim Patel of Ikher was a lawyer and was appointed as a trade mark advocate. He was associated with the Muslim Commercial Bank of Pakistan and Muslim Sunni Jamat.

Some Bharuchi Vahora Patels held high positions in the Government departments. Yakub Patel of Sarod was Chief Engineer in Karachi. Ibrahim M Munshi of Manubar and Ismail Patel of Varedia were teachers at the Pakistan National High School. Ahmed Y Munshi of Kavi was a sorting inspector at the General Post Office in Karachi.

Muhammad Yusuf Patel of Khanpurdeh was a wholesaler of hosiery. Munshi Ibrahim Israr of Kavi also owned a hosiery shop in Karachi.

In 1960, when there was a shortage of textile workers in Britain, many Bharuchi Vahora families from Karachi migrated to the UK and settled there.

Note: This chapter on Bharuchi Vahora Patels in Pakistan is rather sketchy and does not contain detailed information. If any member of our community living in Pakistan could collect information through a proper survey and pass it on to us, we will include it in the second edition of this book.