Arabs in Pakistan

Arabs in Pakistan (Urdu: پاکستان میں عرب‎) consist of migrants from different countries of the Arab world, especially Egypt, Oman, Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jordan and Yemen and have a long history. The first form of contact between the Arab people and modern-day Pakistan originally came in 711 to Sindh, when Muhammad bin Qasim, an Arab military general, was on a quest to free Muslims and their families who had apparently been arrested by Raja Dahir's soldiers while they were returning in a merchant ship to their homes in Iraq's city of Basra from Sri Lanka.[1]

Arabs in Pakistan
العرب في باكستان
پاکستان میں عرب
Regions with significant populations
Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Languages
Arabic, Sindhi, Balochi, Pashto, Punjabi, Urdu
Religion
Islam (Sunni, Shia)

Migrants

The total number of Arabs in Pakistan, both legal and non-legal residents, number in the thousands, and reside in the country.[2]

Egyptians

There were 1,500 Egyptians living in Pakistan during the 1990s. Following the 1995 attack on the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan by Egyptian radicals, the Egyptian government renewed its security focus and collaborated with the Pakistani government to remove Egyptians from the country whom it deemed as shady elements; consequently, many Egyptians living in Pakistan were expelled or faced a discriminate crackdown. An extradition treaty was signed between the two countries, ensuring that any wanted Egyptians apprehended in Pakistan could be more efficiently mainlined back to Cairo.[3]

Emiratis

Emirati nationals and royalty periodically visit Pakistan for hunting falcons, especially Macqueen's bustards (or Asian houbara). In Rahim Yar Khan, Sheikh Zayed built his own summer palace and an airport for his personal use whenever he visited Pakistan for hunting and recreation. The tradition has been revived by many other royal figures, amid rage by ecologists over the declining population of falcons.[4]

Jordanians

Jordanians in Pakistan are mostly students.[5]

Syrians

There are about 200 Syrians in Pakistan. There are also students from Syria studying in Pakistani institutions.[6] In May 2011, Syrian expatriates in Pakistan were seen protesting outside the Syrian embassy in Islamabad and condemning Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and his regime, amid the Syrian protests back home.[7]

Syeds, Tamim, Arains and Awans

There are numerous Syeds (descendants of Muhammad) in Pakistan, who are yet another clear example of Pakistanis with Arabic heritage. Some of these Syeds first migrated to Bukhara and then to the South Asia. Others reportedly settled in Sindh to protect their lives against the atrocities of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs of Arabia. The Syed people of Pakistan are figured as the most prominent and well-established people of the country, with a number of them having become popular and well-known religious icons, political leaders and professionals.[8]

The Syeds, Thahim or Al-Tamimi, Abbaasi, Mashwanis, Arain Al-Raee, Awan, Alvi, Ansari, Osmani, Poswal, and Farooqi all claim Arab ancestry.[9]

See also

References
  1. "Arab rule of Pakistan". Archived from the original on 2009-10-25.
  2. Gargan, Edward A. (1993-04-08). "Radical Arabs Use Pakistan as Base for Holy War". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  3. Al-Qa`ida’s Changing Outlook on Pakistan
  4. Rage soars over Arab falcon hunting
  5. Antoun†, Richard T. (July 2005). DOCUMENTING TRANSNATIONAL MIGRATION Jordanian Men Working and Studying in Europe, Asia and North America. ISBN 9780857455376.
  6. Syrian nationals stages protest against detention of female blogger Archived October 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Syrians in Pakistan protest against Bashar, Dawn
  8. People of India by Herbert Risely
  9. Punjab castes by Denzil Ibbetson
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