Uzbeks in Pakistan
The Uzbeks (Uzbek: Oʻzbek, Ўзбек, اوزبک, plural: Oʻzbeklar, Ўзбеклар, اوزبکلر) are a turkic ethnic group native to Wider Central Asia living primarily in Uzbekistan but also found as a minority ethnic group in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan. They were one of the first Karluk Turks to arrive in the modern-day region of Pakistan, they ruled the area of Pakhli (modern-day Hazara) for over 200 years from 1472 to 1703.[1][2] Uzbeks are the largest Turkic ethnic group in Pakistan and form a significant minority group in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa province and FATA (Federaly administrated Tribal areas) of Pakistan.[3]
Oʻzbeklar Ўзбеклар | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Total population | |
| 1,650,000 (2019)[4][5] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Uyghurs Kyrgyz |
There are many Uzbek immigrants in Pakistan from Central Asian countries, mainly Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Around 2.3% of the Afghans residing in Pakistan are ethnic Uzbeks.[6] The Afghan War drove them to Pakistan.[7] In 1981, many Afghan Uzbek refugees in Pakistan moved to Turkey to join the existing communities based in Kayseri, Izmir, Ankara and Zeytinburnu.[8] The Uzbeks can be found mainly in north-west Pakistan, comprising the areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (in particular Peshawar), Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan. Additionally, Uzbek militants allied to al-Qaeda from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Islamic Jihad Union are believed to reside in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Their number at their height was predicted to be anywhere from 500 to 5,000.[9] Now, only a few hundred foreign militants of various nationalities are thought to remain in Pakistan[10] - the majority either having been killed by the Pakistani military's Zarb-e-Azb operation launched in 2014, or shifting to other theaters of jihadist conflict, such as Syria.
See also
References
- ^ Karlugh Turks. Jessie Russell, Ronald Cohn.
- ^ "Karlugh Turks".
- ^ "Pakistan's 'fanatical' Uzbek militants". BBC News. 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
- ^ "Uzbek, Southern".
- ^ "Uzbek, Northern".
- ^ Afghan Refugees: Current Status and Future Prospects
- ^ Audrey Shalinsky (1994). Long Years of Exile: Central Asian Refugees in Afghanistan and Pakistan. University Press of America. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-8191-9286-8.
- ^ Espace populations sociétés. Université des sciences et techniques de Lille, U.E.R. de géographie. 2006. p. 174.
- ^ "Islamist Uzbeks lead terrorists in Pakistan and Afghanistan - Generational Dynamics". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
- ^ "THE DEATH KNELL FOR FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN PAKISTAN?" by Raza Khan in the November/December 2014 edition of "CTC Sentinel Journal" published by the Combatting Terrorism Center at Westpoint University
Further reading
- "Uzbek militants are becoming very active in Waziristan- Senator Ibrahim Khan (Ferghana)". Kaswar Klasra. Ferghana News.
- Who are the Uzbeks launching terror strikes in Pakistan? Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- "The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan's Role in Attacks in Pakistan". Anne Stenerson. Combating Terrorism Center, July 2014, Volume 7, Issue 7.
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