Author Description

The book describes the political, geographical and ecological context within which migrations to and from Pakistan have taken place. These include migrations from India because of the establishment of the canal colonies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and because of the Kashmir Wars and from Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the 70's and 80's. The scale of rural-urban migration and emigration has also been dealt with along with its history, causes, repercussions (social, physical, economic and demographic both in the rural areas and in the small towns) and processes (both legal and illegal) and their actors such as emigrant organizations, state and private agencies and illegal operators. The book also deals with the effect of remittances on Pakistan's macro economy and the response of the state to the emigration phenomena along with the evolution of small towns in general and of Mithi, Uch and Chiniot in particular. The relationship between political power, land ownership, urban form and development in these three towns has also been researched and analysed. The text is supported by a number of boxes, statistical tables, maps and interviews of the actors in the migration and emigration drama.