Muhajir (Pakistan) facts for kids
مہاجر | |
---|---|
Total population | |
approx. 30 million (2004 estimate) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Karachi, Hyderabad and in many other large cities in Pakistan | |
Languages | |
Urdu and other languages of Pakistan and India | |
Religion | |
Islam (mostly Sunni, minority Shia) |
Mohajirs (مہاجر) constitute about 8 percent of the population. They are Muslims who settled in Pakistan after the partition of British India in 1947. Unlike other cultural ethnic groups of Pakistan, they do not have a tribe-based cultural identity. They are the only people in the country for whom Urdu, the official language, is their native tongue. Mohajirs were the vanguard of the Pakistan Movement, which advocated the partition of British India in order to create the independent nation of Pakistan for Indian Muslims. After the partition, a large number of Muslims migrated from various urban centers of India to live in the new nation of Pakistan. These migrants later identified themselves as mohajirs. A large number of Mohajirs settled in the cities of Sind Province, particularly Karāchi and Hyderābād. They were better educated than most indigenous Pakistanis and assumed positions of leadership in business, finance, and administration. Today they remain mostly urban.
Images for kids
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The photo monument depicting a couple migrating from India To Pakistan with their household stuff and cattle during Partition of India.
See also
In Spanish: Mojayir para niños