Ethnic groups in Pakistan
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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 Brahui-speaking peoples 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 (44.15%) 78.7 million
- Pashtuns (15.42%) 27.2 million
- Sindhis (14.1%) 24.8 million
- Seraikis (10.53%) 14.8 million
- Muhajirs (7.57%) 13.3 million
- Balochs is (3.57%) 6.3 million
- Others (4.66%) 11.1 million
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 the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) areas, with small numbers in the cities of Karachi and Quetta.[2] Around 2 million refugees from Bangladesh, Iran, Africa, and other places are also found in Pakistan.
Ethnic Groups of Pakistan by region
Punjabis
Punjabis in Pakistan are multi-ethnical group of people, and can be divided into sub-groups. They are natives of Greater Punjab. The region of Pakistani Punjab has been invaded in the past by Arabs, Turks, Persians, Afghans, thus many of the conquered clans that were enslaved claim origin from Arabs and Turks. One uniting factor among Punjabis is their Punjabi language. Punjabis have many different dialects and that depends in what region of Punjab they are from.
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. However, they can be found in cities all throughout Pakistan. The largest urban population of Pashtuns is interestingly found in the city of Karachi with a total estimated population of about 7 million[citation needed], this is then followed by Peshawer, Quetta, Lahore in descending order. There are more than double the number of Pashtuns in Pakistan than they are in Afghanistan, where they are the largest ethnic group in the country(Afghanistan). Pashtuns practice a unique code of conduct referred to as Pashtunwali and are known for their tribal structure. They're an indigenous to modern day Afghanistan and sometimes called the Ethnic Afghans but they do not carry Afghan nationality.
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 Balochis 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 35-40% of Pakistani Sindhis are of Baloch origin.
Balochis
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.
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 Total Population 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 Indian Muslims who had migrated to Pakistan after the partition. Muhajirs are not an ethnic group and when we refer to Muhajirs we usually mean the group of Muhajirs who mostly migrated to Sindh from India; although some have settled in other parts of Pakistan including Lahore and Multan the vast majority tended to settle in Karachi. The uniting factor in Muhajirs is Urdu and this is why Muhajir (Pakistan) are often referred to as Urdu-speaking people, Urdu is also the national language of Pakistan. Muhajirs emigrated from India after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. The Muslims who migrated to Pakistan during partition tended to be well educated and consisted of journalists, urban intellectuals, bureaucrats, military officers, lawyers, teachers etc... Although there were those that had migrated who were the petite bourgeoisie consisting of small merchants, labourers and artisans. Muhajirs also tended to be well qualified for administration and politics [3]. Even the first cabinet of Pakistan were dominated by Muhajirs. Current and past Muhajir politicians include Liaquat Ali Khan the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Abul Ala Maududi the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami and Syed Mustafa Kamal the current Nazim (mayor) of Karachi.
Saraikis
The Saraiki people or Multani people are an 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.
Minority 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 in Hazara and 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.
Hazara
The Hazara are a Persian-speaking people residing in Quetta and as refugees in the Islamabad area. 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. The Pakistani Hazaras estimate population believed to be more than 200,000.
Makranis
Makrani are the inhabitants of Makran coast of Balochistan in Iran and Pakistan. They are the Negroid people of Pakistan. They are the descendants of slaves first brought to Pakistan by Arab merchants in medieval times from the Bantu-speaking parts of eastern Africa.
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
see:Balti People
See also
References
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