Commercial Activity: Intera-Regional Trade & Commerce between Sind and Multan in Colonial period (1849-1901)

This research deals with the trade relations between two major towns of Karachi and Multan in the colonial period. The aim of this article is to develop a general narrative of the commercialization of crops that led to the growth of intra-regional trade and economy-addressing the issues of how these two centers contributed to the new economic development of South Asia as well as marinating their historical trade relations? Tracing the journey of agricultural production from the village mandis to the international markets, we examine the commercial network and the nature of the interaction. It will also saw the increasing and decreasing trends of trade in the following years. The research aims to draw a conclusion by using qualitative and quantitative methods for assessing its historical importance and analyze these towns as case studies. Karachi and Multan have been the two most populous and largest economies in South Asia. Being the prominent constituents of colonial India, both have a great potential for intra-regional commerce through three channels of rail, road and ports. This research is based on original, unpublished official administrative reports of British Indian Library London and Punjab Civil Secretariat Lahore.