Ethnic groups in Pakistan

About 99% of languages spoken in Pakistan are Indo-Iranian (sub-branches: 75% Indo-Aryan and 24% 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.

Major ethnic groups in Pakistan, 1973

Dominant Group by Region

Pakistan will have a national census by late 2008. According to the last census, the population comprises several main ethnic groups:

1. Punjabis (44.15%)
2. Pashtuns (15.42%)
3. Sindhis (14.1%)
4. Seraikis (10.53%)
5. Muhajirs (7.57%)
6. Balochis (3.57%)
7. Others (4.66%) including dispersed Kashmiris from Indian-held Kashmir.

Smaller ethnic groups, such as Turwalis, Kalash, Burusho, Hindkowans, Brahui, Kashmiris, Khowar, and Shina, 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 1.8 million Afghan refugees (registered in Pakistan as Afghan Citizens) from neighbouring Afghanistan, who are mainly found in the NWFP, Balochistan and Sindh provinces. A number of refugees from other countries may also be found in Pakistan.

Ethnic Groups of Pakistan by Residence

Ethnic Groups by Region

Ethnic Groups in Urban Pakistan

File:Ethnic Groups Rural Pakistan.jpg

Ethnic Groups in Rural Pakistan

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 giving a number of Punjabis diverse origin. 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) or Ethnic Afghans, 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 4 million, 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 major ethnic group in that country. Pashtuns practice a unique code of conduct referred to as Pashtunwali and are known for their tribal structure which ties them to a common progenitor, Qais Abdur Rashid.

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.

Balochs

Balochi's principally inhabit Pakistan's largest province of Balochistan and can also be found in significant numbers in the adjacent provinces of Sindh and Panjab where many Baloch have settled heavily. Balochis can be found in the whole Middle-east notably in Oman where they are believed to represent almost 30% of the population, and the Central Asian region (Merv, in Turkmenistan, southern Afghanistan. Baloch speak balochi and Brahui language. According to the new studies Baloch people are called to be from Iranic group of people and closely related to Kurdish people of Middle-East (Northern Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey).

Muhajirs

Muhajirs are a multi-ethnical group of people who claim descent from Arabs, Indian hindu, Afghans and Central Asians. One uniting factor in Muhajirs is Urdu, which is the national language of Pakistan. Muhajirs emigrated from India after the independence of Pakistan.

Saraikis

The Saraiki people or Multani people are 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.

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 is the area around Abbottabad, but some tiny population of mostly workers can be found in 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. Tajiks of Pakistan are often considered similar group of people as Dardic/Chitrali people of Pakistan.

See also

• Demography of Pakistan