Ethnic groups in Pakistan

Major ethnic groups in Pakistan, 1973

About 98% of languages spoken in Pakistan are Indo-Iranian (sub-branches: 75% Indo-Aryan and 20% pure Iranian), a branch of Indo-European family of languages. Most languages of Pakistan are written in the Perso-Arabic script, with significant vocabulary derived from Arabic and Persian. Punjabi (Shahmukhi), Seraiki, Sindhi, Pashto, Urdu, Balochi, Kashmiri (Koshur), etc. are the general languages spoken within Pakistan. The majority of Pakistanis belong to various Indo-Aryan-speaking ethnic groups, while a large minority are various Iranic peoples and Dardic language groups. In addition, small groups language isolates such as Burusho and Dravidian Speakers like the Brahui people also live in the country. The major ethnic groups of Pakistan in numerical size include: Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Seraikis, Muhajirs, Balochis, Hindkowans, Chitralis and other smaller groups.

The population comprises several main ethnic groups (2009):

1. Punjabis = 78.7 million (45%)
2. Pashtuns = 27.2 million (15%)
3. Sindhis = 24.8 million (14%)
4. Seraikis = 14.8 million (8.4%)
5. Muhajirs = 13.3 million (7.6%)
6. Baloch = 6.3 million (3.5%)
7. Others = 11.1 million (4.66%)

Smaller ethnic groups, such as Kashmiris, Hindkowans, Kalash, Burusho, Brahui, Khowar, Shina, and Turwalis are mainly found in the northern parts of the country. The people of the Potohar Plateau in Northern Punjab, (Potoharis) are sometimes listed separately from Punjabis. This would tend to decrease the Punjabs population further.

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. Many of them were born inside Pakistan in the last 30 years and are counted as citizens of Afghanistan, and most of them are ethnic Pakhtuns from southeastern Afghanistan. In 1995, there were more than 1.6 million Bengalis, 650,000 Afghans, 200,000 Burmese, 2,320 Iranians and Filipinos and hundreds of Nepalese, Sri Lankans and Indians reported to be living in Karachi.

Ethnic groups of Pakistan by region

Biggest Group by Region

Languages spoken in Pakistan

Ethnic Groups by Region

Ethnic Groups in Urban Pakistan

Ethnic Groups in Rural Pakistan

Punjabis

Punjabis in Pakistan are multi-ethnical group of people, and can be divided into sub-groups. Punjabis speak the language called Punjabi. 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.

Pashtuns

Pashtuns or Pakhtuns (sometimes Pathans) are Pakistan's second largest ethnic group that are native to the land principally west of the Indus River but can also be found in many major cities of Pakistan. They make up an estimated 27.7 million (15%) of Pakistan's total population. 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 by some. This is then followed by Peshawer, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Lahore in descending order. They make up the largest ethnic group in neighboring Afghanistan, forming anywhere between 42 to 60% there. Pashtuns practice a unique code of conduct referred to as Pashtunwali and are known for their tribal structure. They are an indigenous group from the land south of the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan and west of the Indus River in Pakistan.

Sindhis

Sindhis are ancient 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. Believed to be the inheritors of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, Sindhis are heavily influenced by the adjacent Balochs in Pakistan. Sindh also has considerable Arabic and Persian influence. Sindhis can be also be found in the southern part of Punjab, and there is significant Punjabi influence in the Sindhi population. It is estimated 40-45% of Pakistani Sindhis are of Baloch origin. Sindhis also played an influential role in the development of Pakistan, by joining especially government services specifically in Sindh, however a large number of Sindhis cling to agricultural fields, land owning, politics and establishment. The prominent personalities of Pakistan that hail from Sindh are Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Pir Sahib Pagara, Benazir Bhutto, Muhammed Khan Junijo (late), and current President Asif Ali Zardari.

Balochs

The Baloch, as an ethnic group, are principally, scattered almost all over Pakistan's Areawise largest: about 44%, and Populationwise, the smallest, about 6%, of Pakistan's National Population; Province: Baluchistan. The Baluchs, sparsely inhabit the south-western and the Central north-eastern parts, of Baluchistan Province. They are too, found in civil services of Pakistan and specially in Balochistan in considerable number.

Eversince Pakistan's Independence, there has been an upsurge in the Baluchs, towards a Settled life, due, new Irrigation Schemes, Roads and Canals Networking, Airports, Education, Health, and Sea Ports, Mining, Housing, offshore Fishing etc. etc. Activities, Introduced, by the Government of Pakistan, in an otherwise totally Backward Area and Society.

But due the opposition of the Conservative Tribals and their Post Partition Educated sardars, with the collusion of Corrupt government officials, the Social and Economic Sector Activities and development of the Province of Baluchistan, has lagged behind the country's other Provinces.

Historically, the Balochs, in very large numbers, have settled in the adjacent provinces of Sindh and Punjab, where their historical chief, Mir Chakar Khan Rind, lies buried in Sahiwal, earlier known as District Montgomery, in Central Punjab.

Baluchs also inhabit, as a minority, the Iranian Baluchistan, hence, an Ethnic Minority inhabiting south-eastern Iran.

Balochs are also settled; as Baloch/Arab Assimilated, Groups, in the whole of Middle-east, notably, in Oman, the Yemen, and the UAE. These Arabised Baluchs are mostly descendents of the Baluchs, who were sold as slaves, and thus, forced to migrate, as prized labourers, during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries A.D. to Oman. With the Abolishion of Slavery, they are now free Citizens of the Countries, they had "Settled" in.

The Arabised Baluchs, are now believed to represent almost 30% of the local population of Oman, just like the almost 50% 'Watanees' of UAE, belonging to the Assimilated Arab Iranians Groups, and comprising the ruling families; the Arabic and Persian Speaking Watanees of the Arab Emirates.

The Baluch, mainly because of the utter Barrenness of their Terrain, and poverty, had often Immigrated in the past, sometimes willingly and at other times, unwillingly. Such Migrations perhaps includes, a Willing Migration to the Central Asian region (Merv, in Turkmenistan, and to southern Afghanistan.

The People of Pakistani Balochistan, speak many ethnic languages, Balochi, Brahui, Pushto, Sindhi, Mekrani, Persian, and Turkoman Dialects. Besides these, the Tajiks, speak Central Asian versions of Persian Dialet, the Punjabis, who settled in Baluchistan, well over a century ago, and the Urdu speaking Mohajirs, who migrated to Baluchistan, over half a century ago and settled in Baluchistan, as the Seraiki speaking people of Jacobabad and Sibbi etc. All these Baluchistanis, speak their Native and the Local Tribal Languages.

Records, show, that almost the entire Administrative Machinery of Baluchistan's Princely States, such as Kalat, Lasbela, Mekran and Kharan... and the British's Political offices at Quetta, and Sibbi and elsewhere, their Revenue and Railways, were all being managed, as early as the 19th century, by an assortment of no-locals, managing with a Local Levi's based System for Conducting the Affairs of Baluchistan, they did so while serving their Baluch, and Brahvi etc. Sardars, or their British Colononialist Masters.

Among other smaller groups inhabiting Baluchistan, are the Kurds, who still use the Kurd suffix to their names, and the Parsis, and Muslim Iranians, such as the Bakhtiaris, who still speak pure Persian.

According, to some recent studies, the Balochs are supposed to hail from Iranic people, and are also closely related to the Kurdish, spread all over the Middle-East (Northern Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey).

The Larger of Baluch and Brahvi Tribes, are the Marris, Bugtis, and Mengals. There are also a large number of other; smaller, area-specific and Local, sub-brances of the Larger Tribes. The number of purely Baluch and Brahvi Tribals remains under 2.2 million (2009), and the rest of Baluchistan's total population, of 11.6 million; around 10 million, are of the above mentioned Ethnic Groups, inhabiting Pakistan's Province of Baluchistan.

Muhajirs

Muhajirs are a multi-ethnic group of the Muslims immigrated after the partition from South-eastern part of undivided India sub-continent to North-western part of the same region (renamed Pakistan. Muhajirs also referred as the Urdu speaking diaspora; are not an ethnic group and when we refer to Muhajirs we usually mean the group of Muhajirs who mostly migrated to Sindh from South-eastern part of sub-continent which is now called India. Although some have settled in other parts of Pakistan including Lahore and Multan the vast majority tended to settle in Karachi, as the major portion of establishment consisted mostly of Muhajirs in the initiating years of Pakistan. The uniting factor in Muhajirs is their language, Urdu, and this is why they in Pakistan are often referred to as Urdu-speaking people, Urdu is also the national language of Pakistan. Muhajirs emigrated in this region of the sub-continent only because they opted for it to be their ideological Homeland on the basis of Two-nation theory. After the partition of South Asia in 1947 by the then British Government through Indian Independence Act 1947; the Muslims who immigrated to Pakistan were well educated and consisted of journalists, urban intellectuals, professors, bureaucrats, lawyers, teachers, academics and scholers etc. Although there were those that had migrated who were the bourgeoisie consisting of merchants, industrialists or capitalists, a large number of those who immigrated from the rural areas and villages also consisted of labourers and artisans. The eminent business groups that shifted from India to Pakistan were Habib Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank, Orient Airways, among others. Other businesses were established in Pakistan by some of the notable figures as United Bank Limited, Hamdard Pakistan Limited, Schon group. It is also known that besides founding several Governmental organizations like State Bank of Pakistan, they played an influential role in initiating the Atomic Energy Commission, Kanup, and several other institutions. Muhajirs were also found in administration, establishment and politics. Even the first cabinet of Pakistan was dominated by Muhajirs. Current and past Muhajir politicians include Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, and Abul Ala Maududi, the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami.

Saraikis

The Saraiki people or Multani people are a linguistic group and not an ethnic group from the south-eastern areas of Pakistan. The Seraikis maintain that they have a separate language and culture, but their language is often viewed as a dialect of Sindhi or Punjabi depending on what area of saraikis they are. Ethnically they are all the same as the natives of Sindh and Punjab namely that they are Jats and Rajputs. The famous personalities of Pakistan are the Ex-president Sardar Farooque Ahmed Khan Leghari, Ghulam Mustufa Khar.Saraikis are also found in Armed forces, Pakistan's bureaucracy, and business fields.

Minor ethnic groups

Hindkowans

Hindkowans are believed to be the transitional group of people between Punjabis and Pashtuns. They are also known as Punjabi Pathans. Their traditional homeland are areas around Abbottabad, Haripur, Mianwali, Dera Ismail Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan, in Punjab and Kohat, Peshawar in the Frontier Province. Peshawar's "City" population is composed of indigenous people who speaks Hindko and Pathans who one or more generation back start migrating to Peshawar.

Ranghar and Meo

The Ranghar and related Meo are immigrants from Eastern part of the Punjab and Rajhastan. The Ranghar, though being part of the Punjabi diaspora in the undivided Punjab, speak the different dialect of East punjab with the Punjabi accent and share the common traditions, heritage and culture together with punjabis. They belonged to the Lahore Legislative Council in the pre-partition era. They were forced to leave their homeland along with other punjabis during the riots of East Punjab in consequence of the partition of India. The renowned nationalities in the Ranghars are Rao, Rana, Abbasi, Behleem and Ghouri. There have been so many famous personalities from Ranghar diaspora in Pakistan that hailed from East Punjab. The most prominent ones among them are Khan Liaquat Ali Khan from Karnal (Ex Prime Minister and founding father of Pakistan), Akhtar Hussain from Gurgaon (Ex-Governor of earst while West Pakistan) General Rao Farman Ali, General Rao Umrao Khan, Syed Qasim Mahmood, Rao Sikandar Iqbal and Rao Abdul Rasheed (Ex I. G. Punjab). Some of them who settled in Karachi; have integrated with Muhajirs. The part of both the Meo and Ranghar communities that settled in Karachi and Hyderabad during initiating days of Pakistan; have adopted dialects of Urdu, and now form a sub-group within the Muhajir ethnic group. Meo is an ancient tribe of Indo Pak subcontinent. It is interesting to note that 49% Sindhies DNA and genealogy resembles with Meos.Sindhi Sipahi (Junejo,Samma,Panno,Mangrio and Mahar)are the direct descendents of Meos. Similar is the case with Ranghar and Rajputs. Meos and Ranghars almost belongs to the same stocks of Kshatriya. In undivided Punjab Ch. Yasin Hussain was the prominent figure among the Meos. He was elected MLA many times from Gurgaon Constituency Haryana/Punjab. Ch. Hanif Khan (Late) was elected MNA from Kasur Pakistan. Sardar Tufail Khan was elected MNA from Kasur. Rao Shafat Ahmad Khan was MNA from Pattoki. Ch. Abdul Ghafor Minister for Food Punjab also belongs to Meo/Ranghar tribe. All the Meos come of major stocks of Kshatriya i.e. Tanwar, Kachwaha, Rathores, Jadoo, Bda Gujars, Nirban Chuahan etc.

Hazara

The Hazara people, natives to central Afghanistan, are a Persian-speaking people mostly residing in Quetta. Some are citizens of Pakistan while others are refugees. Genetically, the Hazara are primarily a mixture of eastern Eurasian and western Eurasian peoples. The genetic research suggests that they are closely related to the Mongols and the Uygurs. Hazaras are mostly in business and have high education levels. The Pakistani Hazaras estimated population is believed to be more than 550,000.^{[citation needed]}

Tajiks

Tajiks are a Persian-speaking people, with traditional homelands in present-day Afghanistan, Tajikistan, southern Uzbekistan, northern Pakistan and western China. The Pakistani Tajiks are estimated to be over 1 million.^{[citation needed]} Tajiks of Pakistan are often considered similar group of people as Dardic/Chitrali people of Pakistan.

Baltis

The Balti are an ethnic group of Tibetan descent with some Dardic admixture located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and Ladakh. In Pakistan they mainly live in major urban centres of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad/Rawalpindi. The Balti language belongs to the Tibetan language family and is a sub-dialect of Ladakhi.

See also

• Demographics of Pakistan