Muhajir people
Encyclopedia
Muhajir (Urdu: مہاجر) [literally – migrants] is a term commonly used especially by Pakistanis to describe the Muslim immigrants who chose to settle in Pakistan and shifted their domicile after partition
of British India into Pakistan and India. Some had participated in the movement for creation of Pakistan in 1947. They shifted from the Muslim minority provinces to Muslim majority provinces within of British India. Their principal language is Urdu.
. Subsequently, millions of Muslim families from various parts of Indian Sub-continent immigrated to Pakistan especially from East Punjab after its unfair partition. They settled in West Punjab Pakistan in huge majority. The millions of migrants from other provinces of sub-continent settled in Sindh especially in urban areas. They were later identified with the term muhajir in Pakistan. Unlike most Pakistani's for whom Urdu is an acquired language, Urdu is the first language of this community.
. For the vast majority however, fleeing to Pakistan was the only choice they had after suffering from communal riots in various parts of South Asia where the Muslim populations were small minorities and at the mercy of the majority community. Many had lost their properties and homes and arrived in Pakistan on foot especially from East Punjab after the Punjab was partitioned into two, and in result of the out-break of riots in Eastern part of that province. That resulted in harrowing tales of violence and atrocities that Punjab's muslims had to undergo. The movement to constitute a separate state comprising the Muslim majority provinces of South Asia, Pakistan movement
was pioneered by the Muslim elite of the region and many notables of the Aligarh Movement
. It was initiated in 19th century when Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
expounded the Two-Nation Theory
in Aligarh. Many Muslim nobles, Nawabs (aristocrats and landed gentry) supported the idea. As the idea spread it gained great support amongst the Muslim population of South Asia and in particular the rising middle and upper classes. The Muslims had launched the movement under the banner of the All India Muslim League and Delhi
was its main centre where the headquarters of All India Muslim League (the founding party of Pakistan) based since its creation in 1906 and remained there up to August 1947. The participation in the movement on ideological grounds and supporting its Muslim cause with approximately half of the entire mandate in 1945–46 elections.
had intermarried within the Muslim populations of South Asia. Often, foreign armies and migrants arrived without their womenfolk and as such intermarried within the local Muslim communities. It is estimated that a third Muhajirs, are of Pashtun
heritage. When Pashtuns (Afghans) migrated to India from Afghanistan or from the northern part of Pakistan, they settled in India and gradually lost their language and culture and adopted Urdu as their first language. During and after independence these Muhajirs or Urdu speakers of Pashtun origin were counted as Muhajirs as they have integrated with them over the years. One such example are The Rohilla Pashtun who have given their name to the Rohilkhand region in South Asia. Interestingly, despite having migrated to Pakistan which has a large Pashtun community, the Rohilla are considered as being Muhajir now. There are still millions of muslims in India who are of Pashtun origin.
Gujratis
, Burmese, Bengalis, Rajistani people
and Malwaris were and are also counted as Muhajirs in Pakistan due to the fact that they migrated to Pakistan after or during independence, despite the fact that they speak their own native languages and have their own distinct cultures.
A large percentage of those that have shifted to Pakistan have their ancestral roots in the Arab Shaikhs, Syeds, Hashmies
, Qureshis, Zuberis
, Siddiqui
s, Farooqi
s, Alvies
, etc. A large number of Ehl-e-Tashiaa from various clans of Fiqa-e-Jafaria also belong to Iraq and Arab regions as well as Iran; who had been settling in the regions of South Asia time to time during the last millennium. Additionally, various Urdu speakers also link ancestral roots to the several regions of central Asia.
Regions with significant populations: 150,000 120,000 80,000 50,000 25,000
In recent years a large numbers of muhajir businessman have migrated to malaysia,uae,qatar and canada mostly involved in shipping,textile,garment and real estate industry
Note: These figures are likely to include 2nd and 3rd generations who have been born overseas and are considered residents of their respective countries.
As previously mentioned, this situation changed by the 1970s when other ethnic groups began to assert themselves more strongly and demand more rights fuelled by the widespread introduction of education and rising literacy rates particularly amongst the countries two largest ethnic groups, the Panjabi and the Pashtuns. This included the right to use local languages rather than Urdu (leading to language riots in Sindh), and quotas in Pakistan
for underprivileged ethnic groups in government and educational institutions. Seeing their privileged status threatened, the Muhajirs also began to assert themselves as a separate ethnic group and began to organise themselves politically. The most notable manifestations of this were the creations of the All Pakistan Muhajir Student Organization and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement
(formerly the Muhajir National Movement) as a secular
progressive
ethnic movement. Since then, the MQM has dominated politics in the Muhajir areas of Karachi, Hyderabad, and other urban centres in Sindh. In saying this, it should be mentioned that not all Muhajir's support the MQM. Even though the MQM has sought to convert itself from an ethnic movement to a nationwide political movement, its political stronghold is still largely restricted to its Muhajir base.
The original language of the Mughals had been Turkish
, but after their arrival in South Asia, they came to adopt Persian
and later Urdu. Urdu is a Indo-European language, and in the Indo-Aryan
subdivision. The word Urdu is believed to be derived from the Turkish word 'Ordu', which means camp. It was initially called Zaban-e-Ordu or language of the army and later just Urdu. The word 'Ordu' was later Anglicised
as 'Horde'. Urdu, though of South Asian origin, came to be heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic and somewhat by Turkish however, its grammatical structure is based on old Parakrit or Sanskrit. Urdu speakers have
adopted this language as their mother tongue for several centuries having lost their own native tongues from the respective regions they originated from. Urdu has been the medium of the literature, history and journalism of South Asian Muslims during the last 200 years. Most of the work was complemented by ancestors of native Urdu speakers in South Asia. The Persian language, which was the official language during and after the reign of the Mughals, was then slowly starting to lose ground to Urdu during the reign of Aali Gohar Shah Alam II. Subsequently, Urdu developed rapidly as the medium of literature, history and journalism of South Asian Muslims. Most of the literatory and poetic work was complemented by various historic poets of mughal and subsequent era among which Mir Taqi Mir
, Khwaja Mir Dard
, Mir Amman
Dehalvi, Mirza Ghalib
, Bahadur Shah II
Sir Syed Khan and Maulana Hali
are the most notable ones. The Persian language which had its roots during the time of Moguls was then replaced later by Urdu to which Mogul kings like Shah Jahan rendered patronage as well as support. Many poets in Pakistan such as Zafar Iqbal, Sir Mohammed Iqbal, Faiz Ahmad Faraz, Munir Niazi and Saifuddin Saif contributed their efforts for the Urdu language.
Josh Malihabadi, Jigar Moradabadi, Akhtar Sheerani, Tabish Dehlvi, and Nasir Kazmi are a few of the noteworthy poets. Later, Jon Elia, Parveen Shakir, Mustafa Zaidi, Dilawar Figar, Iftikhar Arif, Rafi Uddin Raaz and Raees Warsi
became noted for their distinction.
. The country's first Urdu Conference took place in Karachi in April 1951, under the auspices of the Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu
. The Anjuman, headed by Maulvi Abdul Haq
not only published the scattered works of classical and modern writers, but also provided a platform for linguists, researchers and authors. Among them Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee
, Shahid Ahmed Dehlvi, Josh Malihabadi, Qudrat Naqvi, Mahir-ul-Qadri, Hasan Askari
, Jameel Jalibi
and Intizar Hussain
are significant names. Whereas Akhtar Hussain Raipuri, Sibte Hassan
and Sajjad Zaheer
were more inclined to produce left-winged literature. Among women writers, Qurratulain Hyder
, Khadija Mastoor, Altaf Fatima
and Fatima Surayya Bajia
became the pioneer female writers on feminist issues.
, Raziuddin Siddiqui
and Salimuzzaman Siddiqui
, gave birth to Pakistan Science and later built the integrated weapons program
, on request of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
. Muhahir later forwarded to developed the Pakistan's space program
and other scientific and strategic programs of Pakistan. Many prominent scientists come from the Muhajir class including Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan
, Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad
, Ghulam Murtaza
, Raziuddin Siddiqui
, Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy
, Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui
, and Atta ur Rahman
to name a few.
and more significantly, music. Some famous Muhajir Pakistani musicians include: Nazia Hassan
, Mehdi Hassan
, Munni Begum
, and Ahmed Jahanzeb
. Muhajirs contribution has not been limited to pop but has spanned various music genre
s, from traditional Ghazal
singing to rock. Muhajirs in Pakistan are also famous for their contribution towards the art of painting.
other than cricket muhajirs are playing hockey,tennis,squash,badminton
new craze for bodybuilding and weightlifting is paicking up amongst the youthfull members of muhajir coomunity
and Indo-Iranian
heritage played an influential role in the making of their cuisine. In comparison to other native Pakistani dishes, Muhajir cuisine tends to use traditional royal cuisine specific to the old royal dynasties of now defunct states of ancient India. Most of a dastarkhawan
dining table include chapatti
, rice, dal
, vegetable and meat curry
. Special dishes include biryani
, qorma
, kofta
, seekh kabab
, Nihari
and Haleem
, Nargisi Koftay
, Roghani Naan, Naan
, sheer-qurma
(sweet), qourma, chai (sweet, milky tea), paan
and Hyderabadi cuisine
, and other delicacies associated with Muhajir culture.
, Kashmiris
, Sindhis
, Balochs
, Seraikis, Brahuis
and Muhajirs. However majority of Muhajirs still prefer marriage within their communities.
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
of British India into Pakistan and India. Some had participated in the movement for creation of Pakistan in 1947. They shifted from the Muslim minority provinces to Muslim majority provinces within of British India. Their principal language is Urdu.
Etymology
The Urdu term muhajir comes from the Arabic muhājir , meaning "migrant". With the end of British colonial rule in South Asia, the colonies and states were granted independence but the process involved considerable violence and bloodshed especially in East PunjabEast Punjab
East Punjab was the part of the Punjab region that went to India following the Partition of the Punjab Province of British India between India and Pakistan in 1947...
. Subsequently, millions of Muslim families from various parts of Indian Sub-continent immigrated to Pakistan especially from East Punjab after its unfair partition. They settled in West Punjab Pakistan in huge majority. The millions of migrants from other provinces of sub-continent settled in Sindh especially in urban areas. They were later identified with the term muhajir in Pakistan. Unlike most Pakistani's for whom Urdu is an acquired language, Urdu is the first language of this community.
Reasons for immigration
The reasons for immigration of Urdu speaking people toward Pakistan needs to be put in context with the occurrences of the time. While for many Muhajirs, particularly the noble and aristocratic class, settling in Pakistan was strongly associated with the independence movement based on the Two-Nation TheoryTwo-Nation Theory
The Two-Nation Theory proposed by Allama Iqbal is the ideology that the primary identity of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent is their religion, rather than their language or ethnicity, and therefore Indian Hindus and Muslims are two distinct nationalities, regardless of ethnic or other...
. For the vast majority however, fleeing to Pakistan was the only choice they had after suffering from communal riots in various parts of South Asia where the Muslim populations were small minorities and at the mercy of the majority community. Many had lost their properties and homes and arrived in Pakistan on foot especially from East Punjab after the Punjab was partitioned into two, and in result of the out-break of riots in Eastern part of that province. That resulted in harrowing tales of violence and atrocities that Punjab's muslims had to undergo. The movement to constitute a separate state comprising the Muslim majority provinces of South Asia, Pakistan movement
Pakistan Movement
The Pakistan Movement or Tehrik-e-Pakistan refers to the historical movement to have an independent Muslim state named Pakistan created from the separation of the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, partitioned within or outside the British Indian Empire. It had its origins in the...
was pioneered by the Muslim elite of the region and many notables of the Aligarh Movement
Aligarh Movement
Aligarh Movement was the movement led by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, to educate the Muslims of the South Asia after the defeat of the rebels in the Indian rebellion of 1857. It had enormous success and had a profound impact on the future of the subcontinent...
. It was initiated in 19th century when Sir Syed Ahmed Khan
Syed Ahmed Khan
Javad-ud Daula, Arif Jang, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, KCSI , commonly known as Sir Syed, was an Indian educator and politician, and an Islamic reformer and modernist...
expounded the Two-Nation Theory
Two-Nation Theory
The Two-Nation Theory proposed by Allama Iqbal is the ideology that the primary identity of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent is their religion, rather than their language or ethnicity, and therefore Indian Hindus and Muslims are two distinct nationalities, regardless of ethnic or other...
in Aligarh. Many Muslim nobles, Nawabs (aristocrats and landed gentry) supported the idea. As the idea spread it gained great support amongst the Muslim population of South Asia and in particular the rising middle and upper classes. The Muslims had launched the movement under the banner of the All India Muslim League and Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
was its main centre where the headquarters of All India Muslim League (the founding party of Pakistan) based since its creation in 1906 and remained there up to August 1947. The participation in the movement on ideological grounds and supporting its Muslim cause with approximately half of the entire mandate in 1945–46 elections.
Origin and ancestral roots
Muhajirs are a heterogeneous, multi-ethnic group of people which can be sub-divided into smaller more specific groups but who bound by the Urdu language. Furthermore, they share in common a 'specific purpose' migration, having spent their lives in British India and then arriving in Pakistan on or after 1947. While previously quite similar and representing indian muslims culturally, many from the Muhajir community of Pakistan are decendents of various immigrants who arrived to the region to establish Islamic empires and represent mixed South Asian and Foreign heritages. For example, the Muslim nobility from Hyderabad often have mixed Telugu Indian, Arab and/or Central Asian bloodlines. Still others share heritage with Afghans, Levantine Arabs, Central Asians and Persians. Historically, many migrants from Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries during the various Muslim dynasties that ruled South Asia including Mughal EmpireMughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
had intermarried within the Muslim populations of South Asia. Often, foreign armies and migrants arrived without their womenfolk and as such intermarried within the local Muslim communities. It is estimated that a third Muhajirs, are of Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
heritage. When Pashtuns (Afghans) migrated to India from Afghanistan or from the northern part of Pakistan, they settled in India and gradually lost their language and culture and adopted Urdu as their first language. During and after independence these Muhajirs or Urdu speakers of Pashtun origin were counted as Muhajirs as they have integrated with them over the years. One such example are The Rohilla Pashtun who have given their name to the Rohilkhand region in South Asia. Interestingly, despite having migrated to Pakistan which has a large Pashtun community, the Rohilla are considered as being Muhajir now. There are still millions of muslims in India who are of Pashtun origin.
Gujratis
Gujarati people
Gujarati people , or Gujaratis are an ethnic group that is traditionally Gujarati-speaking and can trace their ancestry to the state of Gujarat in western India...
, Burmese, Bengalis, Rajistani people
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
and Malwaris were and are also counted as Muhajirs in Pakistan due to the fact that they migrated to Pakistan after or during independence, despite the fact that they speak their own native languages and have their own distinct cultures.
A large percentage of those that have shifted to Pakistan have their ancestral roots in the Arab Shaikhs, Syeds, Hashmies
Hashemite
Hashemite is the Latinate version of the , transliteration: Hāšimī, and traditionally refers to those belonging to the Banu Hashim, or "clan of Hashim", a clan within the larger Quraish tribe...
, Qureshis, Zuberis
Zubairi
Zubairi or Zubayri or Zuberi or Zebari is a family name in Middle East and South Asia. In Arabic Zubair means Superior...
, Siddiqui
Siddiqui
Siddiqui, is a Muslim family name, found in the South Asia and the Middle East. Shaikh is an additional title used occasionally by Siddiqui/Siddique to signify their Arab heritage...
s, Farooqi
Farooqi
Farooqui , is a distinctt name or surname or last name.- Origin :...
s, Alvies
Alevi
The Alevi are a religious and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, constituting probably more than 15 million people....
, etc. A large number of Ehl-e-Tashiaa from various clans of Fiqa-e-Jafaria also belong to Iraq and Arab regions as well as Iran; who had been settling in the regions of South Asia time to time during the last millennium. Additionally, various Urdu speakers also link ancestral roots to the several regions of central Asia.
Demographics and distribution within Pakistan
| Year | Population of Pakistan | Percentage | Urdu Speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 33,740,167 | 7.05% | 2,378,681 |
| 1961 | 42,880,378 | 7.56% | 3,246,044 |
| 1972 | 65,309,340 | 7.60% | 4,963,509 |
| 1981 | 84,253,644 | 7.51% | 6,369,575 |
| 1998 | 132,352,279 | 7.57% | 9,939,656 |
| Rank | Division | Urdu speakers | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| – | Pakistan | 9,939,656 | 7.57% |
| 1 | Sindh Sindh Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can... |
6,407,596 | 21.05% |
| 2 | Punjab Punjab (Pakistan) Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the... |
3,320,320 | 4.51% |
| 3 | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | 138,400 | 0.78% |
| 4 | Islamabad Capital Territory Islamabad Capital Territory The Islamabad Capital Territory is one of the two federal territories of Pakistan. It includes Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, and covers an area of 1,165.5 km² of which 906 km² is Islamabad proper... |
81,409 | 10.11% |
| 5 | Balochistan Balochistan (Pakistan) Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of... |
63,032 | 0.96% |
| 6 | Federally Administered Tribal Areas Federally Administered Tribal Areas The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semi-autonomous tribal region in the northwest of Pakistan, lying between the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the neighboring country of Afghanistan. The FATA comprise seven Agencies and six FRs... |
5,717 | 0.18% |
Muhajir diaspora
In addition to those in Pakistan, a significant number of Muhajirs have left Pakistan and settled outside.Regions with significant populations: 150,000 120,000 80,000 50,000 25,000
In recent years a large numbers of muhajir businessman have migrated to malaysia,uae,qatar and canada mostly involved in shipping,textile,garment and real estate industry
Note: These figures are likely to include 2nd and 3rd generations who have been born overseas and are considered residents of their respective countries.
Culture and lifestyle
After independence, when the Muslims arrived in Pakistan, the values the migrants brought with them varied from region to region, depending on their origin. The rich heritage brought by migrants from the urban centres of India, such as Lucknow, Delhi, and Madras and Hyderabad which had been seats of Islamic culture and learning for centuries, were to have a major influence on the cities of Pakistan, especially Karachi. The notable 20th century Islamic scholar/author Muhammad Hammidullah who was involved in formulating the first constitution of Pakistan, left because he did not find the life and values in Pakistanis conducive to his background from Hyderabad Deccan, settling in Paris as a refugee.Politics
Upon arrival in Pakistan, the Muhajirs did not assert themselves as a separate ethnic identity but were at the forefront of trying to a construct an Islamic Pakistani identity, Muhajirs were a key vote-bank for the anti-hardline elements. Muhajirs dominated the bureaucracy of the early Pakistani state, largely due to their higher levels of educational attainment, gradually as education became more widespread, Panjabi's and Pashtuns as well as other native Pakistani's started to take their fair share of the pool and all groups are more balanced as per their national percentage. However, the critical early years was facilitated by the experience many Muhajir had both in politics and in higher education and was appreciated by all Pakistani's especially during the tenious early years after independence.As previously mentioned, this situation changed by the 1970s when other ethnic groups began to assert themselves more strongly and demand more rights fuelled by the widespread introduction of education and rising literacy rates particularly amongst the countries two largest ethnic groups, the Panjabi and the Pashtuns. This included the right to use local languages rather than Urdu (leading to language riots in Sindh), and quotas in Pakistan
Quotas in Pakistan
Quotas in Pakistan were introduced in order to give equal opportunity for jobs, representation in assemblies and educational institutions to women, non-Muslims and people from under developed rural areas. Quotas are also called reservations in Pakistan....
for underprivileged ethnic groups in government and educational institutions. Seeing their privileged status threatened, the Muhajirs also began to assert themselves as a separate ethnic group and began to organise themselves politically. The most notable manifestations of this were the creations of the All Pakistan Muhajir Student Organization and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Muttahida Qaumi Movement
Muttahida Qaumi Movement generally known as MQM, is a liberal-secular political party of Pakistan. It is generally known as a party which holds immense mobilizing potential in province of Sindh...
(formerly the Muhajir National Movement) as a secular
Secularity
Secularity is the state of being separate from religion.For instance, eating and bathing may be regarded as examples of secular activities, because there may not be anything inherently religious about them...
progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
ethnic movement. Since then, the MQM has dominated politics in the Muhajir areas of Karachi, Hyderabad, and other urban centres in Sindh. In saying this, it should be mentioned that not all Muhajir's support the MQM. Even though the MQM has sought to convert itself from an ethnic movement to a nationwide political movement, its political stronghold is still largely restricted to its Muhajir base.
Language
Chagatai language
The Chagatai language is an extinct Turkic language which was once widely spoken in Central Asia, and remained the shared literary language there until the early twentieth century...
, but after their arrival in South Asia, they came to adopt Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and later Urdu. Urdu is a Indo-European language, and in the Indo-Aryan
Indo-Aryans
Indo-Aryan is an ethno-linguistic term referring to the wide collection of peoples united as native speakers of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-Iranian family of Indo-European languages...
subdivision. The word Urdu is believed to be derived from the Turkish word 'Ordu', which means camp. It was initially called Zaban-e-Ordu or language of the army and later just Urdu. The word 'Ordu' was later Anglicised
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
as 'Horde'. Urdu, though of South Asian origin, came to be heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic and somewhat by Turkish however, its grammatical structure is based on old Parakrit or Sanskrit. Urdu speakers have
Mir Taqi Mir
Khuda-e-sukhan Mir Taqi Mir , whose real name was Muhammad Taqi and takhallus was Mir , was the leading Urdu poet of the 18th century, and one of the pioneers who gave shape to the Urdu language itself...
, Khwaja Mir Dard
Khwaja Mir Dard
Khwaja Mir Dard was born in 1721 and died in 1785. He is one of the three major poets of the Delhi School—the other two being Mir Taqi Mir and 'Sauda'—who could be called the pillars of the classical Urdu ghazal.-Philosophy:...
, Mir Amman
Mir Amman
Mir Amman was an employee of Fort William College at Calcutta, variously also known as Mir Amman of Delhi, Mir Amman of Dilhi, Mir Amman Dihlavi, and Meer Ummun....
Dehalvi, Mirza Ghalib
Mirza Ghalib
Dabir-ul-Mulk, Najm-ud-Daula Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan , pen-name Ghalib and Asad , was a classical Urdu and Persian poet from India during British colonial rule...
, Bahadur Shah II
Bahadur Shah II
His Royal Highness Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar , also known as Bahadur Shah or Bahadur Shah II was the last of the Mughal emperors in India, as well as the last ruler of the Timurid Dynasty.He was the son of Akbar Shah II and Lalbai, who was a Hindu Rajput...
Sir Syed Khan and Maulana Hali
Maulana Hali
Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali was an Urdu poet, and Writer. Hali occupies a special position in the history of Urdu literature. He was a poet, a critic, a teacher, a reformer and an impressive prose-writer...
are the most notable ones. The Persian language which had its roots during the time of Moguls was then replaced later by Urdu to which Mogul kings like Shah Jahan rendered patronage as well as support. Many poets in Pakistan such as Zafar Iqbal, Sir Mohammed Iqbal, Faiz Ahmad Faraz, Munir Niazi and Saifuddin Saif contributed their efforts for the Urdu language.
Contribution in literature
Poetry
Muhajirs brought their rich poetic culture along with them which they held in their original states centuries ago prior to independence. Some of the most notable ones historic poets are Mirza Ghalib, Mir Taqi Mir, Mir Aman Dehalwi, Khawaja Mir Dard, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Jigar Muradabad etc. Subsequent to independence, many notable Urdu poets migrated to Pakistan, besides a large number of less famous poets, authors, linguists and amateurs. Consequently, Mushaira and Bait Bazi became a part of the national culture in Pakistan.Josh Malihabadi, Jigar Moradabadi, Akhtar Sheerani, Tabish Dehlvi, and Nasir Kazmi are a few of the noteworthy poets. Later, Jon Elia, Parveen Shakir, Mustafa Zaidi, Dilawar Figar, Iftikhar Arif, Rafi Uddin Raaz and Raees Warsi
Raees Warsi
Raees Warsi is an Urdu poet, writer and lyricist from Pakistan. He has blended contemporary issues into classic rhyme. Where Urdu poetry was confined to the issues of love, romance and its tragedies till the early 20th century, Warsi and some other notable contemporary poetry have expanded Urdu...
became noted for their distinction.
Prose
With the emergence of Muhajirs in urban areas of Pakistan, Urdu virtually became the lingua francaLingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
. The country's first Urdu Conference took place in Karachi in April 1951, under the auspices of the Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu
Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu
Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu is an organisation founded by Maulvi Abdul Haq in 1903 in Aligarh for the promotion of Urdu language, Urdu literature and Indian Muslim cultural heritage. The organisation publishes many journals and books, and supports research and creative work in Urdu linguistics and...
. The Anjuman, headed by Maulvi Abdul Haq
Maulvi Abdul Haq
Maulvi Abdul Haq was a scholar and linguist, who is also regarded as Baba-e-Urdu . He was a champion of the Urdu language and the demand for it to be made the national language of Pakistan.-Early life:...
not only published the scattered works of classical and modern writers, but also provided a platform for linguists, researchers and authors. Among them Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee
Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee
Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee , Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Quaid-i-Azam, was a notable Urdu poet, writer, journalist, broadcaster, translator, critic, researcher, linguist and lexicographer of Pakistan....
, Shahid Ahmed Dehlvi, Josh Malihabadi, Qudrat Naqvi, Mahir-ul-Qadri, Hasan Askari
Hasan Askari
Muhammad Hasan Askari was one of the most respected name among scholars, critics, writers and linguists of modern Urdu. He was an important voice within the modernist movement....
, Jameel Jalibi
Jameel Jalibi
Muhammad Jameel Khan commonly known as Prof. Dr. Jameel Jalibi Ph.D., D.Litt, SI, HI, is a noted linguist, critic, writer, researcher, educationist and scholar of Urdu literature and linguistics from Pakistan...
and Intizar Hussain
Intizar Hussain
Intizar Hussain, SI, is eminent living Urdu fiction writer.- Biography :Intizar Hussain was born on December 7, 1923 in Dibai, Bulandshahr India but migrated to Pakistan in 1947. He did his masters in Urdu and later on in English literature. He writes short stories and novels in Urdu, and also...
are significant names. Whereas Akhtar Hussain Raipuri, Sibte Hassan
Sibte Hassan
Syed Sibt-e-Hasan was an eminent scholar, journalist and activist of Pakistan. He is regarded as the pioneer of Socialism and Marxism in Pakistan, as well as the moving spirit behind the Progressive Writers Association.- Life :Sibte Hasan was born on July 31, 1916 in Ambari Azamgarh Uttar...
and Sajjad Zaheer
Sajjad Zaheer
Syed Sajjad Zaheer was a renowned Urdu writer, Marxist thinker and revolutionary.- Life :...
were more inclined to produce left-winged literature. Among women writers, Qurratulain Hyder
Qurratulain Hyder
Qurrat-ul-Ain Haider was an influential Urdu novelist and short story writer, an academic, and a journalist. One of the most outstanding literary names in Urdu literature, she is most known for her magnum opus, Aag Ka Darya , a novel first published in Urdu in 1959, from Lahore, Pakistan, that...
, Khadija Mastoor, Altaf Fatima
Altaf Fatima
Altaf Fatima is an Urdu novelist. Her novel Dastak Na Do has enjoyed a lot of success and is widely regarded as one of the defining works in the Urdu language...
and Fatima Surayya Bajia
Fatima Surayya Bajia
Fatima Surayya Bajia PP , is a renowned Urdu novelist, playwright and drama writer of Pakistan. She has been awarded various awards at home and abroad including Japan's highest civil award in recognition of her works...
became the pioneer female writers on feminist issues.
Contribution in science and technology
Muhajirs have played an extremely important and influential role in science and technology in Pakistan. Scientists such as Ziauddin AhmedZiauddin Ahmed
Sir Ziauddin Ahmed or Ziauddin Ahmed Zuberi or Dr. Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ziauddin Ahmed was a Indian mathematician, logician, natural philosopher, politician, political theorist, versatile educationist and an eminent scholar who was the Rector of Aligarh Muslim University, India.-Early years:He...
, Raziuddin Siddiqui
Raziuddin Siddiqui
Dr. Professor Muhammad Raziuddin Siddiqui , , also known as Dr. Razi, was an eminent Pakistani theoretical physicist and a renowned mathematician who played an instrumental and an influential role in Pakistan's education system and Pakistan's integrated nuclear detterence development...
and Salimuzzaman Siddiqui
Salimuzzaman Siddiqui
Salimuzzaman Siddiqui , HI, MBE, SI, D.Phil., FPAS, FRS. was a leading Pakistani scientist in Natural Product Chemistry. He is credited for pioneering the isolation of unique chemical compounds from the Neem , Rauwolfia, and various other flora. As the founder director of H.E.J...
, gave birth to Pakistan Science and later built the integrated weapons program
Pakistan and weapons of mass destruction
Pakistan began focusing on nuclear weapons development in January 1972 under the leadership of Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who delegated the program to the Chairman of PAEC Munir Ahmad Khan...
, on request of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
. Muhahir later forwarded to developed the Pakistan's space program
Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission
The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission , is an executive agency of the Government of Pakistan, responsible for nation's public and civil space program and aeronautics and aerospace research...
and other scientific and strategic programs of Pakistan. Many prominent scientists come from the Muhajir class including Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan
Abdul Qadeer Khan
Abdul Qadeer Khan , also known in Pakistan as Mohsin-e-Pakistan , D.Eng, Sc.D, HI, NI , FPAS; more widely known as Dr. A. Q...
, Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad
Ishfaq Ahmad
Ishfaq Ahmad , D.Sc., Minister of State, SI, HI, NI, FPAS, is a Pakistani nuclear physicist, and well-known educationist and academic from Pakistan...
, Ghulam Murtaza
Ghulam Murtaza
Ghulam Murtaza Urdu: غلام مرتضى, , , is a Pakistani plasma physicist and mathematician. He is the Professor of Theoretical and Plasma physics, and the director of the Physics research institute, known as the Abdus Salam Chair in Physics, at the Government College University...
, Raziuddin Siddiqui
Raziuddin Siddiqui
Dr. Professor Muhammad Raziuddin Siddiqui , , also known as Dr. Razi, was an eminent Pakistani theoretical physicist and a renowned mathematician who played an instrumental and an influential role in Pakistan's education system and Pakistan's integrated nuclear detterence development...
, Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy
Pervez Hoodbhoy
Dr. Prof. Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy , is a Pakistani nuclear physicist, essayist and political-defence analyst. He is the professor of nuclear and high-energy physics, and the head of the Physics Department at the Quaid-e-Azam University . He graduated and also received PhD from MIT and continues to...
, Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui
Salimuzzaman Siddiqui
Salimuzzaman Siddiqui , HI, MBE, SI, D.Phil., FPAS, FRS. was a leading Pakistani scientist in Natural Product Chemistry. He is credited for pioneering the isolation of unique chemical compounds from the Neem , Rauwolfia, and various other flora. As the founder director of H.E.J...
, and Atta ur Rahman
Atta ur Rahman
Atta-ur-Rahman, D.Phil., TI, SI HI, NI, is a leading scientist and scholar in the field of organic chemistry from Pakistan, especially renowned for his research in the various areas relating to natural product chemistry...
to name a few.
Contribution in art and music
The Muhajir community brings a rich culture with it. Muhajirs have and continue to play an essential role in defining and enriching Pakistani cultureCulture of Pakistan
The society and culture of Pakistan comprises numerous diverse cultures and ethnic groups: the Punjabis, Kashmiris, Sindhis in east, Muhajirs, Makrani in the south; Baloch and Pashtun in the west; and the ancient Dardic, Wakhi and Burusho communities in the north...
and more significantly, music. Some famous Muhajir Pakistani musicians include: Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan was an iconic Pakistani pop singer. Her song "Aap Jaisa Koi" from the Indian film Qurbani made her a legend and pop icon in Pakistan and all of South Asia in the 1980s, where she is admired and loved even today, years after her death...
, Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan is a Pakistani ghazal singer and a former playback singer for Lollywood. He is famously known as the 'King of ghazal' . He has ruled the Pakistan film industry along with Ahmed Rushdi...
, Munni Begum
Munni Begum
Munni Begum is a famous Pakistani ghazal Singer. Her real name is Nadira . She is based in Chicago, IL, USA.-Early life:Munni Begum was born in Murshidabad, West Bengal, India. The youngest child of seven children, she first started taking music lessons from the famous singer Ustad Khwaja Ghulam...
, and Ahmed Jahanzeb
Ahmed Jahanzeb
Ahmed Jahanzeb Usmani is a Pakistani pop singer and composer. Famously known as AJ, he was born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Jahanzeb is one of the few singers of the country, who have been trained in classical music and that is why he mostly sings soul stirring slow songs...
. Muhajirs contribution has not been limited to pop but has spanned various music genre
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
s, from traditional Ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
singing to rock. Muhajirs in Pakistan are also famous for their contribution towards the art of painting.
Contribution in business and industry
The intial business elites of pakistan were muhajirs. Some of the prominent ones are Habib Bank Limited, Hyesons, Isphani group, Schon group etc. Nationalization proved to be catastrphpic for muhajir business and final blow to it was given by the dictatorship of zia ul haq. But in recent years many muhajirs have established there business in pakistan contributing in textile, garment, leather, food prodcts, cosmetics and personal goods industry. Few of pakistan's biggest financial institution were founded or headed by muhajirs State bank of pakistan, EOBI, PIDC, United Bank Of Pakistan, First Women Bank etc, were established by muhajir bankers.Contribution in sports
muhajir are active in sports in pakistan many muhajir are palying in pakistani cricket team with legend like javed miandad, saeed anwar,mohsin khan,sikhander bakht and moin khan and now with younger players like asad shafiq,fawad alam,khurram manzoor playing for the international sideother than cricket muhajirs are playing hockey,tennis,squash,badminton
new craze for bodybuilding and weightlifting is paicking up amongst the youthfull members of muhajir coomunity
Cuisine
Muhajirs clung to their old established habits and tastes, including a numerous desserts, savoury dishes and beverages. The MughalMughlai cuisine
Mughlai cuisine is a style of cookery developed in the Indian Subcontinent by the imperial kitchens of the Mughal Empire. It represents the cooking style used in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Pakistan and in parts of Dhaka in Bangladesh and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh...
and Indo-Iranian
Indo-Iranians
Indo-Iranian peoples are a linguistic group consisting of the Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Dardic and Nuristani peoples; that is, speakers of Indo-Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family....
heritage played an influential role in the making of their cuisine. In comparison to other native Pakistani dishes, Muhajir cuisine tends to use traditional royal cuisine specific to the old royal dynasties of now defunct states of ancient India. Most of a dastarkhawan
Dastarkhān
A dastarkhan is the name applied across Central Asia to the traditional space where food is eaten. The term may refer to the tablecloth which is spread on the ground, floor, or table and is used as a sanitary surface to use for food, but it is also used more broadly to refer to the entire meal...
dining table include chapatti
Chapati
Chapati or Chapatti or Chapathi is an unleavened flatbread from the Indian subcontinent. Versions of it are found in Turkmenistan and in East African countries Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania...
, rice, dal
Dal
Dal is a preparation of pulses which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split. It also refers to the thick stew prepared from these, an important part of Indian, Nepali, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi cuisine...
, vegetable and meat curry
Curry
Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
. Special dishes include biryani
Biryani
Biryani, biriani, or beriani is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā which means "fried" or "roasted"....
, qorma
Korma
Korma is a dish originating in South Asia or Central Asia which can be made with yoghurt, cream, nut and seed pastes or coconut milk; it is usually considered a type of curry...
, kofta
Kofta
Kofta is a Middle Eastern and South Asian meatball or meatloaf.In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced or ground meat—usually beef or lamb—mixed with spices and/or onions...
, seekh kabab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
, Nihari
Nihari
Nihari is a popular meat dish of Pakistanis of South Asia. Its roots lie in the Nawab kitchens having achieved fame via the storied royal kitchens of Lucknow in present-day Uttar Pradesh, long the seat of the Nawab of Avadh and is also relished in India by Muslims and non-Muslim foodies...
and Haleem
Haleem
Haleem is a thick Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and South Asian dish. In Anatolia, Iran, the Caucasus region and northern Iraq, types of haleem are Keşkek and Harisa. Harisa is also a popular version in Pakistan. Although the dish varies from region to region, it always includes wheat, lentils and meat...
, Nargisi Koftay
Kofta
Kofta is a Middle Eastern and South Asian meatball or meatloaf.In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced or ground meat—usually beef or lamb—mixed with spices and/or onions...
, Roghani Naan, Naan
Naan
Naan is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread. It is typical of and popular in South and Central Asia, in Iran, and in South Asian restaurants abroad. Influenced by the large influx of South Asian labour, naan has also become popular in Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states.Originally, naan is a...
, sheer-qurma
Sheer korma
Sheer korma or Sheer Khurma is a festival vermicelli pudding prepared by Muslims on Eid ul-Fitr in South Asian countries especially Pakistan. It is a traditional Muslim festive breakfast, and a dessert for celebrations...
(sweet), qourma, chai (sweet, milky tea), paan
Paan
Paan, from the word pān is an Indian, Pakistani, Uttarvarshi and Southeast Asian tradition of chewing betel leaf with areca nut and slaked lime paste, and katha brown powder paste, with many regional and local variations...
and Hyderabadi cuisine
Hyderabadi cuisine
Hyderabadi cuisine is a princely legacy of the Nizams of Hyderabad, India. The city was founded by the Sultan's of Golconda, who has developed its own cuisine over the centuries...
, and other delicacies associated with Muhajir culture.
Intermarriages
Since Pakistan's independence in 1947, there has been a steady rise in intermarriages that have taken place between PunjabisPunjabi people
The Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
, Kashmiris
Kashmiri people
The Kashmiri people are a Dardic linguistic group living in Kashmir Valley in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir who speak the Kashmiri language...
, Sindhis
Sindhi people
Sindhis are a Sindhi speaking socio-ethnic group of people originating from Sindh, a province Formerly of British India, now in Pakistan. Today Sindhis that live in Pakistan belong to various religious denominations including Islam, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity...
, Balochs
Baloch people
The Baloch or Baluch are an ethnic group that belong to the larger Iranian peoples. Baluch people mainly inhabit the Balochistan region and Sistan and Baluchestan Province in the southeast corner of the Iranian plateau in Western Asia....
, Seraikis, Brahuis
Brahui people
The Brahui or Brohi are ethnic Baloch group of about 2.2 million people with the majority found in Kalat, Baluchistan, Pakistan, but they are also found in smaller numbers in neighboring Afghanistan and Iran. The Brahuis are almost entirely Sunni Muslims.-Origins:The ethnonym "Brahui" is a very...
and Muhajirs. However majority of Muhajirs still prefer marriage within their communities.
See also
- List of Muhajirs in Pakistan
- Bangladeshis in PakistanBangladeshis in PakistanThe population of Bengalis and Bangladeshis in Pakistan is said to be in millions however there is no exact figure. Different sources dub as much as between 1 - 3 million immigrants in Karachi with Bengali origin...
- Burmese people in PakistanBurmese people in PakistanThe Burmese people in Pakistan are a Muslim community based in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. They are Rohingya Muslims from western Burma, who claim to have fled their homeland of Arakan State under the persecution of Muslim citizens by the Burmese junta...