Kunri Tehsil

Kunri
Tehsil Kunri highlighted in red
Country Pakistan
Province Sindh
DistrictUmerkot District
Government
 • BodyDistrict Government
 • ConstituensyNA-213 Umerkot
PS-51 Umerkot-III
Elevation
11 m (36 ft)
Highest elevation
14 m (46 ft)
Lowest elevation
7 m (23 ft)
Population
 • Total
237,063
 • Density405/km2 (1,050/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:00 (PKT)
 • Summer (DST)DST is not observed
ZIP Code
NWD (area) code238
ISO 3166 codePK-SD

Kunri (Urdu: کنری; Sindhi: ڪنري) is a Tehsil and town located in the Umarkot District, Sindh province in southern Pakistan. According to the 2023 Pakistani census, Kunri Tehsil had a population of 237,063.

Languages in Kunri Taluka (2023 Pakistani census)
  1. Sindhi (86.8%)
  2. Punjabi (5.75%)
  3. Urdu (3.45%)
  4. Others (3.99%)

Chilli Capital

Kunri is known as the chili capital of Asia due to the prolific cultivation and production of chili peppers.[2] The climatic conditions and soil of Kunri contribute to the chili quantity.[3] The dundicut chili variety grown here are known for its distinct flavour and is exported to Arab, European countries etc. The Chili cultivation started here in 1960, when seeds were bought from Radha Ram region near Lahore. And within a decade Kunri became the largest chili market of Asia. The Chili Research center under the Sindh Horticulture Research Institute is located here.[4]

Education

Kunri is host to several small-scale educational institutions, including government high schools named Qazi Sultan, Fazal e Umer, and Nusrat Jahan.

Religion

Religions in Kunri tehsil (2023)[5]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
56.37%
Islam
42.07%
Other or not stated
1.56%

Hinduism is followed by majority of the tehsil's population. Muslims form significant minority.[6] The tehsil has also reported multiple cases of forced conversions of minor Hindu girls.[7][8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "2023 Pakistan Census".
  2. ^ Shah. "Prevalence, Occurrence and Distribution of Chili Veinal Mottle Virus in Pakistan". Pakistan Journal of Botany.
  3. ^ "A Virtual Tour of Asia's Largest Chili Market: Kunri". https://artsandculture.google.com/
  4. ^ "Red hot chili peppers from small Pakistani town spice up the world". Arab News. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
  5. ^ "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 9" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  6. ^ "TABLE 9 - POPULATION BY SEX, RELIGION AND RURAL/URBAN" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  7. ^ Ali, Naziha Syed (2017-07-17). "The truth about forced conversions in Thar". Dawn. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
  8. ^ "Another Day, Another Hindu Woman In Sindh Abducted". The Friday Times. 2021-11-15. Retrieved 2026-03-15.