Ethnic Groups in Pakistan

Ethnic groups in Pakistan
The major ethnic groups of Pakistan in numerical size

include: Punjabis, Pakhtuns, Sindhis, Saraikis, Muhajirs, Balochis, Hindkowans, Chitralis, Gujarati an
d other smaller groups. Smaller ethnic groups, such
as Kashmiris, Hindkowans, Kalash, Burusho, Brahui, Khowar, Hazara, Shina, and Balti are mainly
found in the northern parts of the country.
Pakistan's census does not include the registered 1.7 million Afghan refugees from
neighbouring Afghanistan, who are mainly found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) areas, with small numbers in the cities of Karachi and Quetta.
[1]
Many of them were born inside Pakistan in the last 30 years and are counted as citizens, and most
of them are ethnic Pakhtuns from southeastern Afghanistan.[2]
About 99% of languages spoken in Pakistan are of the Indo-Iranian branch (sub-branches: 75% of
the Indo-Aryan branch and 20% of the Iranian branch), a branch of the Indo-European family of
languages.[citation needed]
About 99% of the ethnic groups are part of the Indo-Iranian group.[citation needed] The majority of these
belong to the Iranic and Indo-Aryan subgroupings of peoples. The Nuristanis constitute another
subgrouping amongst the Indo-Iranian peoples but are not indigenous to Pakistan. Although
the Dardic peoples and their languages are often miscategorized as another branch of Indo-Iranian
peoples and linguistics, they are actually determined to be a subgrouping within Indo-Aryan;
speaking individual archaic Indo-Aryan languages that are derived from proto-Indo-Aryan and
not Sanskrit as in the case of most modern-day Indo-Aryan languages.[citation needed]
Major ethnic groups
Punjabis[edit]
Punjabis in Pakistan are an Indo-Aryan group of people, and can be divided into sub-clans. Punjabis
speak the language called Punjabi, a northwestern Indo-Aryan language. Punjabis have many
different dialects and that depends in what region of Punjab they are from. They make up 78.7
million (45%) of Pakistan's total population.[citation needed]
Pashtuns[edit]
Pashtuns or Pukhtuns (sometimes Pathans), an eastern Iranic peoples are Pakistan's second
largest ethnic group that are native to the land principally northwest of the Indus River but can also
be found in many major cities of Pakistan. They speak Pashto (or Pashtun), an eastern Iranic
language. They make up an estimated 27.7 million (15%) of Pakistan's total population. [3] The largest
urban population of Pashtuns is interestingly found in the southern coastal city of Karachi with a
fluctuating population estimated up to 7 million. This is then followed
by Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Lahore in descending order. They make up the
largest ethnic group in neighboring Afghanistan, forming anywhere between 42 and 60% there.
Pashtuns practice a unique code of conduct referred to as Pashtunwali and are known for their tribal
structure.[citation needed] They are an indigenous group from the land south of the Hindu Kush in
Afghanistan and west of the Indus River in Pakistan.[citation needed]
Sindhis[edit]
Sindhis are multi-clan groups of people principally inhabiting the province of Sindh, Pakistan from
where the river Indus (in ancient times revered to as Sindhus) runs and subsequently, from which
they derive the name Sindh from. Despite being a northwestern Indo-Aryan people, both culturally
and genetically, Sindhis are heavily influenced by the adjacent Balochs in Pakistan. Sindhis can also
be found in the southern part of Punjab, and there is significant Punjabi influence in the Sindhi
population.[citation needed] Sindhis played an influential role in the development of Pakistan, by joining
government services specifically in Sindh, however a large number of Sindhis clung to agricultural
fields, land owning, politics and establishment.[citation needed]
Muhajirs[edit]
Muhajirs are a multi-ethnic group of primarily Indo-Aryan peoples.[4] They are also called "Urdu
Speaking". Muhajirs is a collective ethnic group, which emerged by the migration of Indian Muslims
from various parts of India to Pakistan starting in 1947, as a result of world's largest mass migration.
[5][6]
Majority of Muhajirs are settled in Urban areas of Sindh mainly in Karachi, Hyderabad,
Sindh, Sukkur and Mirpur Khas. But there are other parts of Pakistan, including cities
like Lahore, Multan, Islamabad, Peshawar where Muhajirs have sizable community. Muhajirs held
official offices during the early years of Pakistani nation-building. Most of the politicians of India who
took part in the Pakistan movement were Muhajir.
Baloch[edit]
The Baloch as an ethnic group are principally found in the east of Balochistan province of Pakistan.
[7]
Despite living south towards the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian sea for centuries, they are
classified as a northwestern Iranic people in accordance to their language which belongs to the
northwestern subgroup of Iranic languages.[8] They have also settled in the adjacent provinces
of Sindh and Punjab where their historical chief Mir Chakar Khan Rind lies buried in Satghara, Okara
District in Central Punjab. The Baloch also inhabit the Iranian Baluchistan as a small ethnic
minority and have settled in other areas of the Middle East, notably in Oman, Yemen, and the UAE.
These Arabised Baloches are mostly descendants of the Baloches who were sold as slaves and
were forced to migrate as labourers during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries A.D. [citation needed] With
the abolition of slavery, they are now free citizens of the countries they have "settled" in. [citation needed] The
Arabised Baloches, are now believed to represent almost 30% of the local population of Oman. [citation
needed]
According to Dr. Akhtar Baloch, Professor at University of Karachi, the Balochis migrated
from Balochistan during the Little Ice Age and settled in Sindh and Punjab. The Little Ice Age is
conventionally defined as a period extending from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, [9][10][11] or
alternatively, from about 1300[12] to about 1850.[13][14][15] Although climatologists and historians working
with local records no longer expect to agree on either the start or end dates of this period, which
varied according to local conditions. According to Professor Baloch, the climate of Balochistan was
very cold and the region was inhabitable during the winter so the Baloch people migrated in waves
and settled in Sindh and Punjab.[16]
Kashmiris[edit]
Kashmiri are ethnic group are native to the Kashmir Valley and Azad Kashmir. The majority of
Kashmiri Muslims are Sunni.[17] They refer to themselves as "Kashur" in their mother language.
Kashmiri Muslims are descended from Kashmiri Hindus and are also known as 'Sheikhs'.[18][19][20]
[21]
Presently, the Kashmiri Muslim population is predominantly found in Kashmir Valley. Smaller
Kashmiri communities also live in other regions of the Jammu and Kashmir state. One significant
population of Kashmiris is in the Chenab valley region, which comprises
the Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar districts of Jammu. There are also ethnic Kashmiri populations
inhabiting Neelam Valley and Leepa Valley of Azad Kashmir. Since 1947, many ethnic Kashmiri
Muslims also live in Pakistan.[22] Many ethnic Kashmiri Muslims from the Kashmir
Valley also migrated to the Punjab region during Dogra and Sikh rule. Kashmiri language, or Kashur,
belongs to the Dardic group and is the most widely spoken dardic language. [23][24]
Brahuis[edit]
The Brahui or Brahvi people are a Pakistani ethnic group of about 2.2 million people with the vast
majority found in Baluchistan, Pakistan. They are a small minority group in Afghanistan, where they
are native, but they are also found through their diaspora in Middle Eastern states.[25] They mainly
occupy the area in Balochistan from Bolan Pass through the Bolan Hills to Ras Muari (Cape Monze)
on the Arabian sea, separating the Baloch people living to the east and west.[26][27] The Brahuis are
almost entirely Sunni Muslims.[28]
Saraikis[edit]
The Saraikis also known as Multanis,[29] are an ethnolinguistic group in central and
southeastern Pakistan, primarily southern Punjab. Their language is Saraiki.[30]
Minor ethnic groups[edit]

Hazara[edit]
The Hazara people, natives to the present day Bamyan Province, are a Persian-speaking people
mostly residing in all Pakistan and specially in Quetta. Some are citizens of Pakistan while others
are refugees. Genetically, the Hazara are a mixture of Turko-Mongols and Iranian-speaking peoples,
and those of Middle East and Central Asia. The genetic research suggests that they are closely
related to the Eurasian and the Uygurs. The Pakistani Hazaras estimated population is believed to
be more than 1,550,000.[31][32]
Burusho people[edit]
The Burusho or Brusho people live in the Hunza and Yasin valleys of GilgitBaltistan in
northern Pakistan.[33] They are predominantly Muslims. Their language, Burushki, has not been
shown to be related to any other language.[34] The Hunzakuts or Hunza people, are an ethnically
Burusho people indigenous to the Hunza Valley, in the Karakorum Mountains of northern Pakistan.
They are descended from inhabitants of the former principality of Hunza. The Hunzas are
predominantly Shia Muslims, with many of them Ismaili.[35]

Ethnic Groups in Pakistan

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ethnic Groups in Pakistan

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ethnic Groups in Pakistan

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Ethnic groups in Pakistan

The major ethnic groups of Pakistan in numerical size

Major ethnic groups

Minor ethnic groups[edit]

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.