the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.

there are many different ethnicities of pakistan

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 Persian, Turkish language (the
language Urdu was derived by Turkish kings) well as those Arabic words found
in Persian. As such the pronunciation of all such Arabic words in native
languages of Pakistan, follow the Persian model and not that of pristine Arabic
of Arabia. Urdu language has a high vocabulary of Turkish words even more
than Arabic and Persian.Punjabi (Shahmukhi), Saraiki, Sindhi, Pashto, Urdu,
Balochi, Kashmiri (Koshur) are the general languages spoken within
Pakistan. The majority of Pakistanis belong to various Indo-Aryan-speaking
ethnic groups, while large minorities are from various Iranian peoples and
Dardic language groups. In addition, small groups of language isolates such as
Burusho and Dravidian Speakers like the Brahui people also live in the country.
The major ethnic groups of Pakistan in numerical size include: Punjabis,
Pashtuns, Sindhis, Saraikis, Muhajirs, Balochis, Hindkowans, Chitralis
and other smaller groups.
Smaller ethnic groups, such as Kashmiris, Hindkowans, Kalash, Burusho,
Brahui, Khowar, Shina, Balti and Turwalis are mainly found in the northern parts
of the country. The people of the Potohar Plateau in Northern Punjab and
Western Azad Kashmir (called Potoharis), were historically distinct from
Punjabis because of the difference in language. However, over time both
Punjabi and Potohari have been largely replaced by the national Urdu language
and consequently Potohari's are seen as Punjabi by the Punjabi community.
Pakistan's census does not include the registered 1.7 million Afghan refugees
from neighbouring Afghanistan, who are mainly found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) areas, with small numbers
in the cities of Karachi and Quetta.[1] Many of them were born inside Pakistan
in the last 30 years and are counted as citizens of Afghanistan, and most of
them are ethnic Pakhtuns from southeastern Afghanistan.[2] In 1995, there
were more than 1.6 million Bengalis, 650,000 Afghans, 200,000 Burmese,
2,320 Iranians and Filipinos, and hundreds of Nepalis, Sri Lankans and Indians
reported to be living in Karachi.[3]
Contents [hide]
1 Ethnic groups of Pakistan by region
1.1 Punjabis
1.2 Pashtuns
1.3 Sindhis
1.4 Balochs
1.5 Urdu speaking/Muhajirs
1.6 Saraikis
2 Minor ethnic groups
2.1 Hindkowans
2.2 Ranghar and Meo
2.3 Hazara
2.4 Pamiris
2.5 Baltis
2.6 Chitralis
2.7 Kalash
3 See also
4 References

Ethnic Groups by Region

Ethnic Groups in Urban Pakistan

Punjabis[edit source | editbeta]
Punjabis in Pakistan are multi-ethnical group of people, and can be
divided into sub-groups. Punjabis speak the language called Punjabi.
Punjabis have many different dialects and that depends in what region
of Punjab they are from. They make up 78.7 million (45%) of Pakistan's total
population.
Pashtuns[edit source | editbeta]
Pashtuns or Pakhtuns (sometimes Pathans) are Pakistan's second
largest ethnic group that are native to the land principally west of the
Indus River but can also be found in many major cities of Pakistan. They
make up an estimated 27.7 million (15%) of Pakistan's total population.[4] The
largest urban population of Pashtuns is interestingly found in the southern
coastal city of Karachi with a fluctuating population estimated up to 7 million.
This is then followed by Peshawer, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Lahore
in descending order. They make up the largest ethnic group in neighboring
Afghanistan, forming anywhere between 42 to 60% there. Pashtuns practice a
unique code of conduct referred to as Pashtunwali and are known for their tribal
structure. They are an indigenous group from the land south of the Hindu Kush
in Afghanistan and west of the Indus River in Pakistan.
Sindhis[edit source | editbeta]
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 Balochs in Pakistan and have considerable Arabic and Persian
influence. Sindhis can also be found in the southern part of Punjab, and there is
significant Punjabi influence in the Sindhi population. It is estimated 40-45% of
Pakistani Sindhis are of Baloch origin. Sindhis played an influential role in the
development of Pakistan, by joining government services specifically in Sindh,
however a large number of Sindhis clung to agricultural fields, land owning,
politics and establishment. The prominent personalities of Pakistan that
hail from Sindh are Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Pir Sahib Pagara, Benazir
Bhutto, Muhammed Khan Junijo (late), and current President Asif Ali
Zardari.
Balochs[edit source | editbeta]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this
article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (February 2013)
The Baloch as an ethnic group are principally found in the east of
Baluchistan province of Pakistan.[5] They have also settled in the
adjacent provinces of Sindh and Punjab where their historical chief Mir
Chakar Khan Rind lies buried in Sahiwal in Central Punjab. Baluchs also
inhabit the Iranian Baluchistan as an ethnic minority and have settled in areas
of the Middle east, notably in Oman, Yemen, and the UAE. These Arabised
Baluchs are mostly descendants of the Baluchs who were sold as slaves and
were forced to migrate as labourers during the 18th, 19th and early 20th
centuries A.D.. With the abolition of slavery, they are now free citizens of the
countries they have "settled" in. The Arabised Baluchs, are now believed to
represent almost 30% of the local population of Oman.
Urdu speaking/Muhajirs[edit source | editbeta]
Muhajirs are a multi-ethnic group of Muslims who immigrated from the
southeastern part of the undivided India sub-continent to the region
now known as Sindh during the creation of Pakistan. Although the term
Muhajirs can also refer to the diaspora of Urdu speakers, Muhajir
typically refers to the ethnic group of people who immigrated to this
region of the sub-continent because they opted for it to be their
ideological homeland on the basis of the Two-nation theory. Although
some have settled in other parts of Pakistan, including cities like Lahore
and Multan, the vast majority tended to settle in Karachi where more
than any other group Mujahirs held official offices during the early
years of Pakistani nation-building. Muhajirs are generally united by
language, Urdu, hence their being known in Pakistan as Urdu people
who established their tongue as Pakistan's national language. They are
credited with founding several governmental organizations, such as the
State Bank of Pakistan, the Atomic Energy Commission, Kanup, as well
as several other institutions and continue to hold influential positions in
administration and politics.
Saraikis[edit source | editbeta]
The [Saraiki people] are a 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. It is mostly spoken in the
southern and western districts of Punjab, which comprises Multan,
Lodhran, Bahawalpur, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan,
Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, southern and western parts of
Khanewal, southern parts of Bahawalnagar and western parts of
Khushab districts. It is also spoken by the majority of the population of
Dera Ismail Khan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(خیبر
پښتونخو&#1575
province, kachi plain of Balochistan, northern parts of Sindh, and the cities
of Hyderabad and Karachi. Saraiki, belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of Indo-
European language groups.
Minor ethnic groups[edit source | editbeta]

Hindkowans[edit source | editbeta]

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 Hazara division including
Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur .
Ranghar and Meo[edit source | editbeta]
The Ranghar and related Meo are immigrants from Eastern part of the
Punjab and Rajhastan. The Ranghar, though being part of the Punjabi
diaspora in the undivided Punjab, speak the different dialects of East
Punjab with the Punjabi accent and share common traditions, heritage
and culture together with punjabis. They belonged to the Lahore
Legislative Council in the pre-partition era and were forced to leave
their homeland along with other punjabis during the riots of East
Punjab in consequence of the partition of India. The renowned
nationalities in the Ranghars are Rao, Rana, Abbasi, Behleem and
Ghouri. The most well known Ranghars are; Khan Liaquat Ali Khan from
Karnal (Ex Prime Minister and founding father of Pakistan), Akhtar
Hussain from Gurgaon (Ex-Governor of earst while West Pakistan)
General Rao Farman Ali, General Rao Umrao Khan, Syed Qasim
Mahmood, Rao Sikandar Iqbal and Rao Abdul Rasheed (Ex I. G. Punjab).
The Ranghar communities that settled in Karachi and Hyderabad during
initiating days of Pakistan have adopted dialects of Urdu and now form
a sub-group within the Muhajir ethnic group.
Hazara[edit source | editbeta]
The Hazara people, natives to central Afghanistan, are a Persian-
speaking people mostly residing in Quetta. Some are citizens of
Pakistan while others are refugees. Genetically, the Hazara are a
mixture of East Asian people and those of Middle East and Central Asia.
The genetic research suggests that they are closely related to the
Mongols and the Uygurs. The Pakistani Hazaras estimated population is
believed to be more than 550,000.[citation needed]
Pamiris[edit source | editbeta]
The Pamiri peoples are a diverse group of inter-related people who are
often and erroneously called Tajiks by negligence. They are speakers of
many Northeast Iranian languages, which includes Wakhi, Sarikuli,
Yidgha and Munji. The traditional homeland of the Pamiris is in eastern
Afghanistan, eastern Tajikistan, western China (western highlands of
Xinjiang) and northern Pakistan. The Pakistani Pamiris are estimated to
be over 1 million.[citation needed]
Baltis[edit source | editbeta]
The Balti are an ethnic group of Tibetan descent with some Dardic
admixture located in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and Ladakh. In Pakistan
they mainly live in the major urban centres of Lahore, Karachi and
Islamabad/Rawalpindi. The Balti language belongs to the Tibetan
language family and is a sub-dialect of Ladakhi.
Chitralis[edit source | editbeta]
The people of Chitral the northernmost part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
belong mostly to the Khow ethnic group, but there are more than ten
other ethnic groups represented in Chitral. Despite their diverse ethnic,
religious and linguistic backgrounds they have a strong sense of being
Chitrali and they share a common culture and use Khowar as a lingua
franca. The State of Chitral used to be a Princely State until its
amalgamation into Pakistan in 1969.
Kalash[edit source | editbeta]
The Kalash or Kalasha, are an ethnic group of the Hindu Kush, settling
in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. They speak the Kalash
language, a member of the Dardic family. The culture of Kalash people
is unique and differs drastically from the various ethnic groups
surrounding them. They are polytheists and nature plays a highly
significant and spiritual role in their daily life. As part of their religious
tradition, sacrifices are offered and festivals held to give thanks for the
abundant resources of their three valleys. The Kalash pantheon is the
last untouched, living representative of Indo-European mythology.

The major ethnic groups of Pakistan in numerical size

include: Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Siddis, Saraikis, Muhajirs, Balochis, Hindkowans, Chitralis, Guj
arati and other smaller groups. Smaller ethnic groups, such
as Kashmiris, Kalash, Burusho, Brahui, Khowar, Hazara, Shina, Kalyu and Balti are mainly found in
the northern parts of the country.
Pakistan's census does not include the registered 1.7 million Afghan refugees from
neighbouring Afghanistan, who are mainly found in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) areas, with small numbers in the cities
of Karachi and Quetta.[1] Many of them were born inside Pakistan in the last 30 years and are
counted as citizens, and most of them are ethnic Pakhtuns from southeastern Afghanistan.[2]
About 99% of languages spoken in Pakistan are of the Indo-Iranian branch (sub-branches: 75% of
the Indo-Aryan branch and 20% of the Iranian branch), a branch of the Indo-European family of
languages.[citation needed]
About 99% of the ethnic groups are part of the Indo-Iranian group.[citation needed] The majority of these
belong to the Iranic and Indo-Aryan subgroupings of peoples. The Nuristanis constitute another
subgrouping amongst the Indo-Iranian peoples but are not indigenous to Pakistan. Although
the Dardic peoples and their languages are often miscategorized as another branch of Indo-Iranian
peoples and linguistics, they are actually determined to be a subgrouping within Indo-Aryan;
speaking individual archaic Indo-Aryan languages that are derived from proto-Indo-Aryan and
not Sanskrit as in the case of most modern-day Indo-Aryan languages.[citation needed]

Major ethnic groups[edit]

Ethnic Groups by Region

Ethnic Groups in Urban Pakistan

Punjabis[edit]
Punjabis in Pakistan are an Indo-Aryan group of people, and can be divided into sub-clans. Punjabis
speak the language called Punjabi, a northwestern Indo-Aryan language. Punjabis have many
different dialects and that depends in what region of Punjab they are from. They make up 78.7
million (45%) of Pakistan's total population.[citation needed]

Pashtuns[edit]
Pashtuns or Pukhtuns (sometimes Pathans), an eastern Iranic peoples are Pakistan's second
largest ethnic group that are native to the land principally northwest of the Indus River but can also
be found in many major cities of Pakistan. They speak Pashto (or Pashtun), an eastern Iranic
language. They make up an estimated 27.7 million (15%) of Pakistan's total population.[3] The largest
urban population of Pashtuns is interestingly found in the southern coastal city of Karachi with a
fluctuating population estimated up to 7 million. This is then followed
by Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Lahore in descending order. They make up the
largest ethnic group in neighboring Afghanistan, forming anywhere between 42 and 60% there.
Pashtuns practice a unique code of conduct referred to as Pashtunwali and are known for their tribal
structure.[citation needed] They are an indigenous group from the land south of the Hindu Kush in
Afghanistan and west of the Indus River in Pakistan.[citation needed]

Sindhis[edit]
Sindhis are multi-clan groups of 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. Despite being a northwestern Indo-Aryan people, both culturally
and genetically, Sindhis are heavily influenced by the adjacent Balochs in Pakistan. Sindhis can also
be found in the southern part of Punjab, and there is significant Punjabi influence in the Sindhi
population.[citation needed] Sindhis played an influential role in the development of Pakistan, by joining
government services specifically in Sindh, however a large number of Sindhis clung to agricultural
fields, land owning, politics and establishment.[citation needed]

Muhajirs[edit]
Muhajirs are also called "Urdu Speaking". Muhajirs is a collective ethnic group, which emerged by
the migration of Indian Muslims from various parts of India to Pakistan starting in 1947, as a result of
world's largest mass migration.[4][5] Majority of Muhajirs are settled in Urban areas of Sindh mainly
in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sindh, Sukkur and Mirpur Khas. But there are other parts of Pakistan,
including cities like Lahore, Multan, Islamabad, Peshawar where Muhajirs have sizable community.
Muhajirs held official offices during the early years of Pakistani nation-building. Most of the politicians
of India who took part in the Pakistan movement were Muhajir.

Baloch[edit]
The Baloch as an ethnic group are principally found in the east of Balochistan province of
Pakistan.[6] Despite living south towards the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian sea for centuries, they are
classified as a northwestern Iranic people in accordance to their language which belongs to the
northwestern subgroup of Iranic languages.[7] They have also settled in the adjacent provinces
of Sindh and Punjab where their historical chief Mir Chakar Khan Rind lies buried in Satghara, Okara
District in Central Punjab. The Baloch also inhabit the Iranian Baluchistan as a small ethnic
minority and have settled in other areas of the Middle East, notably in Oman, Yemen, and the UAE.
The Arabised Baloches, are now believed to represent almost 30% of the local population of
Oman.[citation needed] According to Dr. Akhtar Baloch, Professor at University of Karachi, the Balochis
migrated from Balochistan during the Little Ice Age and settled in Sindh and Punjab. The Little Ice
Age is conventionally defined as a period extending from the sixteenth to the nineteenth
centuries,[8][9][10] or alternatively, from about 1300[11] to about 1850.[12][13][14] Although climatologists and
historians working with local records no longer expect to agree on either the start or end dates of this
period, which varied according to local conditions. According to Professor Baloch, the climate of
Balochistan was very cold and the region was inhabitable during the winter so the Baloch people
migrated in waves and settled in Sindh and Punjab.[15]

Kashmiris[edit]
Kashmiri are ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley and Azad Kashmir(Majority of people living in
Azad Kashmir are not real kashmiris). The majority of Kashmiri Muslims are Sunni.[16] They refer to
themselves as "Kashur" in their mother language. Kashmiri Muslims are descended from Kashmiri
Hindus and are also known as 'Sheikhs'.[17][18][19][20]Presently, the Kashmiri Muslim population is
predominantly found in Kashmir Valley. Smaller Kashmiri communities also live in other regions of
the Jammu and Kashmir state. One significant population of Kashmiris is in the Chenab
valley region, which comprises the Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar districts of Jammu. There are also
ethnic Kashmiri populations inhabiting Neelam Valley and Leepa Valley of Azad Kashmir. Since
1947, many ethnic Kashmiri Muslims also live in Pakistan.[21] Many ethnic Kashmiri Muslims from
the Kashmir Valley also migrated to the Punjab region during Dogra and Sikh rule and they also
adopted the Punjabi language .Castes of Kashmiri living in Punjab include
Dar(Dhar),Butt(Bhat),lone,Mir,Khuwaja,Wain(Wani),Sheikh,Chisthi etc people belonging to other
castes like jutt,Khan,Malik,rathore,Shah etc are not considered Kashmiris whether they are born in
Kashmir or not because they don't belong to the ethnic group of real kashmiris. Kashmiri language,
or Kashur, belongs to the Dardic group and is the most widely spoken dardic language.[22][23]

Srinagar Khanqah - one of the oldest masjid in Kashmir.

Brahuis[edit]
The Brahui or Brahvi people are a Pakistani ethnic group of about 2.2 million people with the vast
majority found in Baluchistan, Pakistan. They are a small minority group in Afghanistan, where they
are native, but they are also found through their diaspora in Middle Eastern states.[24] They mainly
occupy the area in Balochistan from Bolan Pass through the Bolan Hills to Ras Muari (Cape Monze)
on the Arabian sea, separating the Baloch people living to the east and west.[25][26] The Brahuis are
almost entirely Sunni Muslims.[27]
Saraikis[edit]
The Saraikis also known as Multanis,[28] are an ethnolinguistic group in central and
southeastern Pakistan, primarily southern Punjab. Their language is Saraiki.[29]

Minor ethnic groups[edit]

Hazara[edit]
The Hazara people, natives to the present day Bamyan Province, are a Persian-speaking people
mostly residing in all Pakistan and specially in Quetta. Some are citizens of Pakistan while others
are refugees. Genetically, the Hazara are a mixture of Turko-Mongols and Iranian-speaking peoples,
and those of Middle East and Central Asia. The genetic research suggests that they are closely
related to the Eurasian and the Uygurs. The Pakistani Hazaras estimated population is believed to
be more than 1,550,000.[30][31]

Burusho people[edit]
The Burusho or Brusho people live in the Hunza and Yasin valleys of GilgitBaltistan in
northern Pakistan.[32] They are predominantly Muslims. Their language, Burushki, has not been
shown to be related to any other language.[33] The Hunzakuts or Hunza people, are an ethnically
Burusho people indigenous to the Hunza Valley, in the Karakorum Mountains of northern Pakistan.
They are descended from inhabitants of the former principality of Hunza. The Hunzas are
predominantly Shia Muslims, with many of them Ismaili.[34]