Refugees on Race Course

Millions of refugees moved between the new states of India and Pakistan in 1947, and Johnny Stores, run by the photographer Janki das since about the 1920s, was one of the rare photographers of both sides. His Wharf, Karachi actually shows Hindus leaving the city in late 1947 or early 1948, while this postcard shows Muslim refugees arriving from India at the city's racecourse. Karachi grew from about 435,000 residents to over a million between 1941 and 1951 because of refugees primarily from U.P and Bihar.