Burmese people in Pakistan
Encyclopedia
The Burmese people in Pakistan are a Muslim
community based in Karachi
, Sindh
, Pakistan
. They are Rohingya Muslim
s from western Burma, who claim to have fled their homeland of Arakan State under the persecution of Muslim citizens by the Burmese junta. According to varied Pakistani government sources and the Arakan Historical Society, there are some 200,000 Rohingya refugees residing in Pakistan. All of them have made a perilous journey across Bangladesh
and India
and have settled in Karachi
. A report on human trafficking stated that Burmese people make up fourteen percent of Karachi's undocumented immigrants. In the recent years, scores of Burmese women seeking employment have entered the country, and are active in the thriving slave trade. Different resources cite the number of these women to be in the thousands.
has enabled easier communication and interaction of the Burmese in Karachi with the Bengali community
. Their native Rohingya language
furthermore has dialect familiarities especially with the Bangladeshi natives hailing from Chittagong
, who speak a somewhat indistinct Chittagonian language
. As a result of the great inter-ethnic engagement, the Burmese people in Pakistan have a special reputation for being found in areas only that traditionally also contain a Bengali population.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community based in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, 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...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. They are Rohingya Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s from western Burma, who claim to have fled their homeland of Arakan State under the persecution of Muslim citizens by the Burmese junta. According to varied Pakistani government sources and the Arakan Historical Society, there are some 200,000 Rohingya refugees residing in Pakistan. All of them have made a perilous journey across Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and have settled in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
. A report on human trafficking stated that Burmese people make up fourteen percent of Karachi's undocumented immigrants. In the recent years, scores of Burmese women seeking employment have entered the country, and are active in the thriving slave trade. Different resources cite the number of these women to be in the thousands.
Rohingyas and Bengalis in Karachi
There are numerous Burmese housing colonies that can be found throughout Karachi. Traditionally, cultural similarities of the Rohingya people to those of BengalisBengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
has enabled easier communication and interaction of the Burmese in Karachi with the Bengali community
Bangladeshis in Pakistan
The 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...
. Their native Rohingya language
Rohingya language
Rohingya is a language spoken by the Rohingya people of Arakan , Burma . It is smiliar to the Chittagonian language spoken in the neighboring southeastern Chittagong Division of Bangladesh...
furthermore has dialect familiarities especially with the Bangladeshi natives hailing from Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
, who speak a somewhat indistinct Chittagonian language
Chittagonian language
Chittagonian is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the people of Chittagong in Bangladesh and in much of the southeast of the country. It is closely related to Bangla, but is normally considered by linguists to be a separate language rather than a dialect of Bangla. It is estimated to have 14...
. As a result of the great inter-ethnic engagement, the Burmese people in Pakistan have a special reputation for being found in areas only that traditionally also contain a Bengali population.
Notable people
- Eric G. HallEric G. HallAir Vice-Marshal Eric Gordan Hall , was a Pakistan Air Force bomber and fighter pilot, and former director general of the Civil Aviation Authority...
- Pakistan Air Force fighter pilot of Anglo-Burmese origin. - Ashraf TaiAshraf TaiMuhammad Ashraf Ali Tai is a martial artist and one of the most famous Grandmasters in Pakistan. As a pioneer of martial arts in Pakistan, he laid the foundation of Pakistan Karate Federation, and succeeded in having the body affiliated with the Pakistan Olympic Association as well as the Pakistan...
- Pioneer of Bando Karate in Pakistan.