Ethnic groups in Pakistan
About 99% of languages spoken in Pakistan are Indo-Iranian (sub-branches: 75% Indo-Aryan and 24% 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. In addition, small groups of Dardic and Dravidian-speaking peoples live in isolated pockets, while numerous smaller groups are found in the extreme north. The major ethnic groups of Pakistan in numerical size include: Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Seraikis, Muhajirs, Balochis, Hindkowans, Chitralis and other smaller groups.
According to the latest census,[citation needed] the population comprises several main ethnic groups:
- Punjabis (44.15% of the population)
- Pashtuns (15.42%)
- Sindhis (14.1%)
- Seraikis (10.53%)
- Muhajirs (7.57%)
- Balochis (3.57%)
- Others (4.66%) including dispersed Kashmiris from Indian-held Kashmir, Iranians, Arabs.
Smaller ethnic groups, such as Turwalis, Kafiristanis, Burusho, Hindko, Brahui, Kashmiris, Khowar, and Shina, are mainly found in the northern parts of the country. Pakistan's census does not include the approximately 4-5 million Afghan refugees (registered in Pakistan as Afghan Citizens) from neighbouring Afghanistan, who are mainly found in the NWFP, Panjab, Balochistan and Sindh provinces.[1] The Afghans, including their children who were born in Pakistan, are expected to leave Pakistan by December 2009 back to Afghanistan. In addition, the people of the Potohar Plateau in Northern Punjab, (Potoharis) are sometimes listed seperatly from Punjabis. This would tend to decrease the Punjabs population further. A large number of Tajik's(from Tajikistan), Bengalis, Arabs, Burmese, and African Muslim refugees have also permanently settled in Karachi, whilst hundreds of thousands of Iranian migrants are scattered throughout the country. There are also communities of Arab descent, along with a growing British expatriate community numbered at 47,000.
