Muhajir (Pakistan)
- For Urdu Speakers in India, see Urdu speakers.
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 Pakistan (urban areas) Especially Karachi | |
| Languages | |
| Urdu | |
| Religion | |
| Islam |
Muhajir (also known as Urdu-speaking people) (Template:Lang-ur}) is a term used by and for those people of Pakistan who are predominantly native Urdu speaking Muslims of British India, migrated to Pakistan following independence in 1947. Sometimes, the term is used broadly to also include Muslim Biharis (whose mother tongue is not Urdu but one of the Bihari languages such as Magahi, Bhojpuri, Maithili) and Muslim Gujaratis (whose mother tongue is Gujarati) who also speak Urdu beside their mother tongue. Thus, the terms 'Muhajir' or 'Urdu-speaking' do not exactly define an ethnic group as such, since many of these people came from diverse ethnicities as they migrated from various parts of Northern and Central South Asia at independence. Many in fact can trace their family roots further back to the Middle East, Persia, Afghanistan and Central Asia.[citation needed] The one uniting factor for them though regardless of their origin is that their mother tongue is Urdu. In broader terms it also includes Memons, Bohras, Ismailis that spoke Gujarati, Kutchi and Memoni languages and are now assimilating into Muhajir community. The Bengali and Rohingya refugees in Karachi are also assimilating into Muhajir community.
In Arabic, Muhajir refers to a person who has performed a Hijrat, meaning migration. There were other migrants into Pakistan like the Punjabi people (from East Punjab) but they did not need a separate new identity as these people already formed a large part of the population of the territory that became Pakistan at the time of independence.
Etymology
(Explanation:)
The indian independence act 1947, brought about the partition of India into two parts, resulting in the creation of Pakistan within the region of Subcontinent. The millions of muslim families immigrated from one part to the other one which is now called Pakistan, to settle permanently thereon and to obtain it`s citizenship, choicing it to be their homeland. Those; who shifted so; however, remained the native of the same region (i.e. subcontinent); have been identified with the term of mohajir so far.
Independence of British India
On 2 June 1947, the British government announced the plan to Independence of Pakistan and India. On 18 July 18 1947, the British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act that finalized the independence arrangement. The Government of India Act 1935 was adapted to provide a legal framework for the two new dominions.
Two self governing countries legally came into existence at the stroke of midnight on 15 August 1947. The ceremonies for the transfer of power were held on 14 August 1947 at 9:20 AM in Governor General House Karachi, so that the last British Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten of Burma, could attend both the ceremony in Karachi as well as the ceremony in Delhi.
Settling in Pakistan
After independence, a huge population exchange occurred between the two newly-formed states. About 14.5 million people crossed the borders: 7,226,000 Muslims came to the Dominion of Pakistan (including East Bengal, later East Pakistan and now Bangladesh) from the Union of India while 7,249,000 Hindus and Sikhs moved to India from Pakistan and Bangladesh. About 5.5 million Muslims settled in the Punjab and around 1.5 million settled in Sindh.
According to the 1951 Census, migrants made up 7 million people in Pakistan, 6.3 million in West Pakistan and 700,000 in East Pakistan. The majority were Punjabis who left East Punjab for West Punjab. Rest was made up of a 100,000 Biharis who settled in East Pakistan and a million from the United Provinces, Bombay Presidency and Hyderabad who migrated to West Pakistan.[2][3] At the time of partition, migrants from United Provinces made up only 2% of the migrants and 3% of Pakistan's total population.[4]
Most of the migrants who settled in the Pakistani Punjab came from the Indian Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan. Most of the migrants who arrived in Sindh came from northern and central urban centres of Indian states such as, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Hyderabad Deccan and Rajasthan via the Wagah and Munabao borders. In addition a limited number of 'Muhajirs' arrived by air or by sea.
The overwhelming majority of indians who migrated from what is now India were settled in the port city of Karachi, which was capital of Pakistan at that time, in southern Sindh. The remainder settled in other Sindh cities, notably Hyderabad, Sukkur, Nawabshah and Mirpur Khas as well as in Punjab cities such as Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi.
In Sindh two-thirds of the 1.5 million settled in urban areas in 1947. In the case of Karachi, an existing population of around 400,000 in 1947 turned into more than 1.3 million by 1953.
It is estimated around 30 to 35% of Muhajirs are of Pashtun heritage. When the Pashtuns migrated to Muslim India from Afghanistan as well as the various areas of north-west regions which are now called Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in present day Pakistan. They settled in the Muslim majority areas. However the Pashtuns of India gradually lost their own language Pashto and culture and adopted Urdu (The language of Muslims in North India) as their mother tongue. The Rohilla Pashtun formed one of the largest Pashtun diaspora community in Uttar Pradesh, and have given their name to the Rohilkhand region. After independence they migrated to Pakistan, they were recognized as Muhajirs or Urdu speakers as they have integrated with them over the centuries.
Demographics and distribution within Pakistan
Currently in Pakistan, around 7.5% of the population, or about 13.5 million citizens identify themselves as 'indian'. Of this number over 8.5 million reside in Sindh and over 4 million reside in Punjab and Islamabad. The vast majority reside in urban areas. A large number of muhajirs are educated and earn decent income, thus muhajirs are among the most highly educated and richest.
Cities with the largest approximate 'Urdu Speaking' Populations are:
- Karachi, Sindh 6,500,000 (identifying themselves as Urdu Speakers)
- Lahore, Punjab 1,000,000
- Hyderabad, Sindh 700,000
- Multan, Punjab 225,000
- Rawalpindi, Punjab 175,000
- Sukkur, Sindh 150,000
- Bahawalpur, Punjab 125,000
- Mirpur Khas, Sindh 125,000
- Nawabshah, Sindh 100,000
- Islamabad, Capital Territory 100,000
- Sanghar, Sindh 75,000
Note: Figures are estimations based on the 1998 census of Pakistan and are rounded up to allow for slight population growth since the time of the report.
Muhajir diaspora
In addition to those in Pakistan, a significant number of 'hindustanis' have left Pakistan and settled outside.
Regions with significant populations:
United States 150,000
Saudi Arabia 120,000
Canada 80,000
United Arab Emirates 50,000
United Kingdom 25,000
Note: These figures are likely to include 2nd and 3rd generations who have been born overseas and are considered residents of their respective countries.
Culture and lifestyle
After independence, when the Muslims arrived in Pakistan, the values the migrants brought with them varied from region to region, depending on their origin. The rich heritage brought by migrants from the urban centres of India, such as Lucknow, Delhi, and Madras which had been seats of culture and learning for centuries, were to have a major influence on the cities of Pakistan, especially Karachi.
Politics
Upon arrival in Pakistan, the Muhajirs did not assert themselves as a separate ethnic identity but were at the forefront of trying to a construct a secular Pakistani identity, Muhajirs were a key vote-bank for the anti hardline elements. Along with Punjabis, Muhajirs dominated the bureaucracy of the early Pakistani state, largely due to their higher education levels.
This situation changed by the 1970s when other ethnic groups began to assert themselves more strongly and demand more rights. This included the right to use local languages rather than Urdu (leading to the Language Riots), and quotas for underprivileged ethnic groups in government and educational institutions. Seeing their privileged status threatened, the Muhajirs also began to assert themselves as a separate ethnic group and began to organize themselves politically. The most notable manifestations of this were the creations of the All Pakistan Muhajir Student Organization and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (formerly Muhajir National Movement) as a secular progressive ethnic movement. Since then the MQM has dominated politics in the Muhajir areas of Karachi, Hyderabad, and other urban centres in Sindh. Even though the MQM has sought to convert itself from an ethnic movement to a nationwide political movement, its political stronghold is still largely restricted to its Muhajir base.
There have also been claims that, at the height of Muhajir nationalism, Muhajirs sought to create an independent state to serve as a homeland for Muhajirs known as Jinnahpur, however these claims were later revealed to be fabricated. Former high ranking officials of the Pakistan Army, including Brigadier Imtiaz, and those of intelligence agencies have recently revealed that the allegations of planning Jinnahpur was drama and none of the raiding agencies (see Operation Clean-up) have ever found any such documents from the party's headquarters or elsewhere.[5][6]
Cuisine
Muhajirs clung to their old established habits and tastes, including a numberless variety of dishes and beverages. The Mughal and Indo-Iranian heritage played an influential role in the making of their cuisine, having taste vary from mild to spicy and is often associated with aroma. In comparison to other native Pakistani dishes, Muhajir cuisine tends to use stronger spices and flavors. Most of a dastarkhawan dining table include chapatti, rice, dal, vegetable and meat curry. Special dishes include biryani, qorma, kofta, seekh kabab, Nihari and Haleem, Nargisi Koftay, Kata-Kat, Rogani Naan, Naan, sheer-qurma (sweet), qourma, chai (sweet, milky tea), paan and Hyderabadi cuisine, and other delicacies associated with Muhajir culture.
Language
The original language of the Muhajirs varied depending on the states from which they originated. The Urdu language was enforced by the elite Muslim minority who counted as less than 1% of Indian Muslims' population. It is of Indo-European origin and is similar to Hindi, albeit written with Arabic script. Urdu has historically, and in present times, only been the medium of the literature, history and journalism of South Asian Muslims living in the north of present-day India (mainly Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the Hindi-speaking belt). It has always been resisted along with Hindi in south Indian states and Bengal by all regardless of religion. At the present day it is only really spoken in the Hindi-speaking belt of India and urban areas of Pakistan. Urdu was brought to Pakistan by Urdu-speaking migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who settled in the urban areas of Sindh after partition. They formed a sizeable proportion of the Muhajir population in Pakistan. Muhajirs lobbied with success to make Urdu the official language of the whole of Pakistan, with the native languages of different states being the de facto official state languages of Pakistan. Punjabi is still by far the most widely language spoken by the majority of Pakistanis, signifying Muhajir influence on the political and cultural landscape of the country.
Contribution in literature
Poetry
Muhajirs brought their rich poetic culture along with them. After independence of Pakistan, many notable Urdu poets migrated to Pakistan, besides a large number of unknown and amateur poets. Consequently, Mushaira and Bait Bazi became a part of the culture among Muhajirs in Pakistan.
Josh Malihabadi, Jigar Moradabadi, Akhtar Sheerani, Tabish Dehlvi, and Nasir Kazmi are a few of the noteworthy poets. Later, Jon Elia, Parveen Shakir, Mustafa Zaidi, Dilawar Figar and Iftikhar Arif become noted for their distinction.
Prose
With the emergence of Muhajirs in urban areas of Pakistan, Urdu virtually became the lingua franca. The country's first Urdu Conference took place in Karachi in April 1951, under the auspices of the Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu. The Anjuman, headed by Maulvi Abdul Haq not only published the scattered works of classical and modern writers, but also provided a platform for linguists, researchers and authors. Among them Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee, Shahid Ahmed Dehlvi, Josh Malihabadi, Qudrat Naqvi, Mahir-ul-Qadri, Hasan Askari, Jameel Jalibi and Intizar Hussain are significant names. Whereas Akhtar Hussain Raipuri, Sibte Hassan and Sajjad Zaheer were more inclined to produce left-winged literature. Among women writers, Qurratulain Hyder, Khadija Mastoor, Altaf Fatima and Fatima Surayya Bajia became the pioneer female writers on feminist issues.
Contribution in science and technology
Muhajirs have played an extremely important and influential role in science and technology in Pakistan. Muhajir people contributed not only in Pakistan's atomic program but also become a primary instrument in Pakistan's space program and other scientific and strategic programs of Pakistan. The vast majority of Muhajirs are highly-educated. Many prominent scientists come from the Muhajir class including Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad, Riazuddin, Ghulam Murtaza, Raziuddin Siddiqui, Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, and Atta ur Rahman to name a few.
Contribution in art and music
The Muhajir community brings a rich culture with it. Muhajirs have and continue to play an essential role in defining and enriching Pakistani culture and more significantly, music. Some famous Muhajir Pakistani musicians include: Nazia Hassan, Mehdi Hassan, Munni Begum, and Ahmed Jahanzeb. Muhajirs contribution has not been limited to pop but has spanned various music genres, from traditional Ghazal singing to rock. Muhajirs in Pakistan are also famous for their contribution towards the art of painting.
Intermarriages
Since Pakistan's independence in 1947, there has been a steady rise in intermarriages that have taken place between Punjabis, Kashmiri, Pashtuns, Sindhi and Muhajirs.
Well-known Muhajirs
References
- Pakistan (Archived 2009-11-01) at Encarta
- Pakistan: The Sindhi-Mohajir confliict
Notes
- ^ Taken from The World Factbook figures based upon the 1998 census of Pakistan.
- ^ Pakistan: nationalism without a nation? by Christophe Jaffrelot. ISBN 978-1842771174
- ^ A history of Pakistan and its origins by Christophe Jaffrelot. ISBN 978-1843311492
- ^ Pakistan: The Roots of Failure - Part 1: Authoritarianism & Islamization
- ^ Retired army officers absolve MQM of Jinnahpur plot: Altaf calls for truth and reconciliation commission, Dawn.com, 25 August 2009
- ^ The MQM of Pakistan: Between Political Party and Ethnic Movement, Mohammad Waseem, in Political parties in South Asia, ed. Mitra, Enskat & Spiess, pp185