“Interior Sindh” a misnomer or derogatory term?

Apparently, the term “Interior Sindh” was coined when Karachi was made the capital of Pakistan (1947–1959). Later, it was popularized by a nationalist political party, the MQM, during ethnic riots in Karachi, and was widely spread by mainstream media. The term has been adopted into common usage by opinion-makers, lawmakers, media, and politicians, often leading to racial discrimination and hatred. In 2009, the Speaker of the Sindh Assembly ruled that:

“These terms are misleading and against the unity of Sindh. Hence these should not be used by any Member of the Sindh Assembly.”[1]
(Dawn Newspaper June 26, 2009)

The bitter irony is that most Sindhi-speaking people use the terms “interior Sindh” and “Androon-e-Sindh” without realizing the derogatory implications — especially when a certain political party uses them to give the impression of wanting to carve out a separate province. It’s not the same for other provinces: no one talks about “interior Punjab” or “interior KP” when discussing cities other than Lahore or Malakand, Mardan and Swat respectively. But when talking about Sindh, any region other than Karachi is immediately labelled as “interior”.

The term interior is used more as a racial or ethnic divider than as a geographical one, with cities other than Karachi labelled as “interior,” and the inhabitants of those cities referred to as “Sain log, gaon-goth walay.” This has nothing to do with the urban/rural divide, as coastal districts such as Sujawal and Thatto are still termed as “interior.”

There will be hardly any Sindhi in Karachi who has not been asked this question at some point: “Ah, you’re from the interior of Sindh?”

In conclusion, the term ‘interior Sindh’ is a derogatory and racist slur that needs to be removed from our collective vocabulary. It is a term that perpetuates inequality and further divides the people of Sindh. It is important to refer to the different regions of Sindh by their actual names, in order to show respect for their unique cultures and identities. It is time we recognize that there is no ‘interior’ and ‘exterior’ Sindh, but simply a unified and diverse Sindh.

Source: [1] Dawn Newspaper June 26, 2009: https://www.dawn.com/news/862004/term-interior-sindh-a-misnomer