Hinduism in Pakistan
Encyclopedia
Hinduism is the indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent
, including Pakistan
. However since the independence of Pakistan
in 1947 as a Muslim majority nation, Hindus have had a much smaller numerical presence there. Nonetheless Hindus have played a major role in the history, culture and politics of the country.
The term Hindu is etymologically
derived from the Sindhu (Indus River
) of ancient India. The Sindhu is one of the holy rivers of Hinduism
. Thus, in many ways, the land which is today's predominantly Muslim
was an important part in the original Hindustan. In terms of population, Pakistan now has the fifth largest population
of Hindus.
Today, the Hindu population of Pakistan is in great peril. On average, 25-35 reports of kidnapping of young Hindu girls on religious grounds are filed in Pakistan. Only 26 out of the 428 temples are functional now. The last crematorium of Sindh was broken down in Rawalpindi on 19 July, 2010 to make homes for the locals.
, Indus Valley Civilization
, Vedic civilisation
Hinduism, once a major religion in present day Pakistan along with Buddhism, has endured many invasions, migrations, conquests and settlement of many tribes and ethnic groups.
symbol, yogic postures, what appears to be like a "Pasupati" image that was found on the seals of the people of Mohenjo-daro
, in Sindh
, point to early influences that may have shaped Hinduism. A group of people known as Aryans are thought to have migrated from regions like Central Asia, Tibet, Iran, Eastern Europe or Russia, crossed the river Sindhu, and mingled with the Dravidians, the indigenous people. (However, the migration theory is rejected by a school of archaeologists who believe the aryans to have been indigenous.) The religious beliefs and folklore of the Indus valley people have become a major part of the Hindu faith that evolved in this part of the South Asia.
The Sindh
kingdom and its rulers play an important role in the Indian epic story of the Mahabharata
. In addition, there is the legend that the Pakistani city of Lahore
was first founded by Lava
, while Kasur
was founded by his twin Kusha
, both of whome were the sons of Rama
of the Ramayana
. The Gandhara
kingdom of the northwest, and the legendary Gandhara
peoples are also a major part of Hindu literature such as the Ramayana
and the Mahabharata
. Most Pakistani city names (such as Peshawar
, Multan
) can be traced back to Sanskrit
roots.
, the population percentage of Hindus in what is today in Pakistan was perhaps as high as 15-20%, but would drop to its current total of less than 2% in the years since independence. According to the 1998 Pakistan Census, caste Hindus constitute about 1.6 percent of the total population of Pakistan and about 6.6% in province of Sindh. The Pakistan Census separates Schedule Castes from the main body of Hindus who make up a further 0.25% of national population
(now Bangladesh
) and Pakistan's Punjab
, Sindh
and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwas were forced to leave this new state for India, and a similar number of Muslims chose the other way. The reasons for this incredible exodus was the heavily charged communal atmosphere in British India, deep distrust of each other, the brutality of violent mobs and the antagonism between the religious communities. The fact that over 1 million people lost their lives in the bloody violence of 1947, should attest to the fear and hate that filled the hearts of millions of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs who had to leave ancestral homes during hastily arranged partition.
Many Hindus who attained great success in the public eye in India, like the filmstars Dev Anand
, Raj Kapoor
, and Sunil Dutt
trace their birthplaces and ancestral homes to the towns of Pakistan. Independent India's first Test cricket
captain, Lala Amarnath
hailed from Lahore, prime ministers I K Gujral and Manmohan Singh
are also from the part of the Punjab
which became part of Pakistan, and former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani
was born in Karachi
. Nearly all of these individuals left their homes due to the violence and turmoil of independence.
For more information about Hindus in East Pakistan - Bangladesh, see Hinduism in Bangladesh
.
, Christian
and Sikh
communities. Cultural marginalization, discrimination, economic hardships and religious persecution have resulted in many Hindus converting to other religions (Islam, Christianity), and today Hindus constitute barely 1.8% of Pakistan's population. Because Hindus are not "People of the Book
" like Christians, they have generally been given fewer rights informally (de facto) by the Muslim majority than the country's Christians (see Dhimmi
), even if de jure Hindus have equal rights under the law.Pakistan's total population of Hindu's is less than 3%.
The communal violence of the 1940s and the subsequent persecutions have resulted in the destruction of thousands of Hindu temples in Pakistan, although the Hindu community and the Pakistani government have preserved and protected many prominent ones. The Hindu Gymkhana in Karachi
has tried to promote social development for Hindus in the city. One of the few temples remaining in Karachi today is the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Karachi
.
Hindus are allotted separate electorates to vote by, but their political importance is virtually nil. The Pakistan Hindu Panchayat
and the Pakistani Hindu Welfare Association are the primary civic organizations that represent and organise Hindu communities on social, economic, religious and political issues. There are minority commissions and for a while, a Ministry of Minority Affairs in the Government of Pakistan
looked after specific issues concerning Pakistani religious minorities.
, cultural and political has swept the country since the 1980s, the secular institutions established in British times allow Hindus to take advantage of education, sports, cultural activities, government services and participate in mainstream Pakistani life. Prominent Pakistani Hindus include Karachi's Danish Kaneria
, who has recently become Pakistan's premier leg spin bowler in cricket, fashion designer Deepak Perwani
, and Justice Rana Bhagwandas
, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan
.
laws, which make it dangerous for religious minorities to express themselves freely and engage freely in religious and cultural activities. The promulgation of Sharia
, Quranic law has also increased the marginalisation of Hindus and other minorities. Following the Babri Mosque
riots in India, riots and attacks on Hindus in retaliation has only increased; Hindus in Pakistan are routinely affected by communal incidents in India and violent developments on the Kashmir
conflict between the two nations. It remains the hope of many that a permanent peace between the two nations will go a long way in making life better for the roughly 3 million Hindus living in Pakistan. The 1998 census recorded 2,443,614 Hindus in Pakistan.
Hindu minorities, under Taliban rule in Swat, were forced to wear Red headgear such as turban
s as a symbol of dhimmi
.
In July 2010, around 60 members of the minority Hindus in Karachi
were attacked and ethnically cleansed
following an incident when a Hindu youth drank from a water tap near an Islamic mosque The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan came out with a report in 2010 stating that at least 25 Hindu girls are abducted in Pakistan every month.
report 'Associated with the insistence on the Ideology of Pakistan has been an essential component of hate against India and the Hindus. For the upholders of the Ideology of Pakistan, the existence of Pakistan is defined only in relation to Hindus, and hence the Hindus have to be painted as negatively as possible' A 2005 report by the National Commission for Justice and Peace a non profit organization in Pakistan, found that Pakistan Studies textbooks in Pakistan have been used to articulate the hatred that Pakistani policy-makers have attempted to inculcate towards the Hindus. 'Vituperative animosities legitimise military and autocratic rule, nurturing a siege mentality. Pakistan Studies textbooks are an active site to represent India as a hostile neighbour' the report stated. 'The story of Pakistan’s past is intentionally written to be distinct from, and often in direct contrast with, interpretations of history found in India. From the government-issued textbooks, students are taught that Hindus are backward and superstitious.' Further the report stated 'Textbooks reflect intentional obfuscation. Today’s students, citizens of Pakistan and its future leaders are the victims of these partial truths'.
An editorial in Pakistan's oldest newspaper Dawn
commenting on a report in The Guardian
on Pakistani Textbooks noted 'By propagating concepts such as jihad
, the inferiority of non-Muslims, India’s ingrained enmity with Pakistan, etc., the textbook board publications used by all government schools promote a mindset that is bigoted and obscurantist. Since there are more children studying in these schools than in madrassahs the damage done is greater. ' According to the historian Professor Mubarak Ali
, textbook reform in Pakistan began with the introduction of Pakistan Studies and Islamic studies by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1971 into the national curriculum as compulsory subject. Former military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq under a general drive towards Islamization, started the process of historical revisionism in earnest and exploited this initiative. 'The Pakistani establishment taught their children right from the beginning that this state was built on the basis of religion – that's why they don't have tolerance for other religions and want to wipe-out all of them.'
According to Pervez Hoodbhoy
, a physics professor at Quaid-i-Azam University
in Islamabad
, the "Islamizing" of Pakistan's schools began in 1976 when an act of parliament required all government and private schools (except those teaching the British O-levels from Grade 9) to follow a curriculum that includes learning outcomes for the federally approved Grade 5 social studies class such as: 'Acknowledge and identify forces that may be working against Pakistan,' 'Make speeches on Jihad,' 'Collect pictures of policemen, soldiers, and national guards,' and 'India's evil designs against Pakistan.'
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, including 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...
. However since the independence of 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...
in 1947 as a Muslim majority nation, Hindus have had a much smaller numerical presence there. Nonetheless Hindus have played a major role in the history, culture and politics of the country.
The term Hindu is etymologically
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
derived from the Sindhu (Indus River
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
) of ancient India. The Sindhu is one of the holy rivers of Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. Thus, in many ways, the land which is today's predominantly 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...
was an important part in the original Hindustan. In terms of population, Pakistan now has the fifth largest population
Hinduism by country
The percentage of Hindu population of each country was taken from the US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2006. Other sources used were the CIA World Factbook and adherents.com...
of Hindus.
Today, the Hindu population of Pakistan is in great peril. On average, 25-35 reports of kidnapping of young Hindu girls on religious grounds are filed in Pakistan. Only 26 out of the 428 temples are functional now. The last crematorium of Sindh was broken down in Rawalpindi on 19 July, 2010 to make homes for the locals.
History
See also: History of HinduismHistory of Hinduism
Hinduism is a term for a wide variety of related religious traditions native to India. Historically, it encompasses the development of Religion in India since the Iron Age traditions, which in turn hark back to prehistoric religions such as that of the Bronze Age Indus Valley Civilization followed...
, Indus Valley Civilization
Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization that was located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, consisting of what is now mainly modern-day Pakistan and northwest India...
, Vedic civilisation
Hinduism, once a major religion in present day Pakistan along with Buddhism, has endured many invasions, migrations, conquests and settlement of many tribes and ethnic groups.
Ancient Ages
Various archaeological finds such as swastikaSwastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
symbol, yogic postures, what appears to be like a "Pasupati" image that was found on the seals of the people of Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro
Mohenjo-daro is an archeological site situated in what is now the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Built around 2600 BC, it was one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, and one of the world's earliest major urban settlements, existing at the same time as the...
, in 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...
, point to early influences that may have shaped Hinduism. A group of people known as Aryans are thought to have migrated from regions like Central Asia, Tibet, Iran, Eastern Europe or Russia, crossed the river Sindhu, and mingled with the Dravidians, the indigenous people. (However, the migration theory is rejected by a school of archaeologists who believe the aryans to have been indigenous.) The religious beliefs and folklore of the Indus valley people have become a major part of the Hindu faith that evolved in this part of the South Asia.
The 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...
kingdom and its rulers play an important role in the Indian epic story of the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. In addition, there is the legend that the Pakistani city of Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
was first founded by Lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
, while Kasur
Kasur
Kasur , the capital of Kasur District in Pakistan. Kasur is located adjacent to the border of Ganda Singh Wala between Pakistan and India, and is a tourist attraction because of the daily occurring Flags lowering ceremony...
was founded by his twin Kusha
Kusha (Ramayana)
Kusha , in Hindu mythology, was one of the twin sons of Lord Rama and Sita . Born in the Forest after Sita had been banished from Ayodhya, they were educated and trained in military skills and were under the care of Sage Valmiki....
, both of whome were the sons of Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
of the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
. The Gandhara
Gandhara
Gandhāra , is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River...
kingdom of the northwest, and the legendary Gandhara
Gandhara
Gandhāra , is the name of an ancient kingdom , located in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. Gandhara was located mainly in the vale of Peshawar, the Potohar plateau and on the Kabul River...
peoples are also a major part of Hindu literature such as the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. Most Pakistani city names (such as Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
) can be traced back to Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
roots.
Demography
In August 1947, at the end of British RajBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, the population percentage of Hindus in what is today in Pakistan was perhaps as high as 15-20%, but would drop to its current total of less than 2% in the years since independence. According to the 1998 Pakistan Census, caste Hindus constitute about 1.6 percent of the total population of Pakistan and about 6.6% in province of Sindh. The Pakistan Census separates Schedule Castes from the main body of Hindus who make up a further 0.25% of national population
Pakistan Hindu population by districts
According to 1998 Census:| DISTRICT | PROVINCE | Hindu Pop | Pop | H% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAKISTAN | PAKISTAN | 2,443,614 | 132,352,000 | 1.846% |
| CHITRAL Chitral District Chitral is a district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan that contains the town of Chitral. It has an area of 14,850 km² and a population of 318,689 at the 1998 Census, which had subsequently risen to about 378,000 people by 2004. It has one of the highest mountains of the world,... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 2 | 318,689 | 0.001% |
| UPPER DIR Upper Dir District Upper Dir is one the 24 districts in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The district was formed in 1996, when Dir District was divided into Upper Dir and Lower Dir.-Location:... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 22 | 575,858 | 0.004% |
| LOWER DIR Lower Dir District Lower Dir is one the 24 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The district was formed in 1996, when the district of Dir was divided into Upper Dir and Lower Dir.- Administration :... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 24 | 717,649 | 0.003% |
| SWAT | Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 158 | 1,257,602 | 0.013% |
| SHANGLA | Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 14 | 434,563 | 0.003% |
| BUNER Buner District Buner District is a district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.- History :The Buner Valley lies on the Peshawar valley border of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is a small mountain valley, dotted with villages and divided into seven sub-divisions... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 389 | 506,048 | 0.077% |
| MALAKAND Malakand District Malakand District is a district of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan.The District was formed in 1970 as a Provincially Administered Tribal Area, It had previously been a Tribal Area known as the Malakand Protected Area, part of the Malakand Agency... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 142 | 452,291 | 0.031% |
| KOHISTAN Kohistan District (Pakistan) Kohistan has two distinct meanings in Pakistan. In Persian "koh" means "peak" and "istaan" means "land of". In its usual modern sense Kohistan District is an administrative district within Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province covering an area of 7,492 sq.kilometres; it had a population of... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 6 | 472,570 | 0.001% |
| MANSHERA Mansehra District Mansehra District is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, an area still unofficially known as the Northwest Frontier. Mansehra district and town are named after Man Singh, a leading general of Mughal Emperor Akbar... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 72 | 1,152,839 | 0.006% |
| BATGRAM Batagram District Battagram is a district of Hazara in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It has a total land area of 1301 square kilometres and the estimated population of Battagram District in 2004-2005 was 361,000. .-Etymology:Battagram in Sanskrit means Village of the Brahmins... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 117 | 307,278 | 0.038% |
| ABBOTABAD Abbottabad District Abbottabad is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 1,969 km with the city of Abbottabad being the principal town... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 40 | 880,666 | 0.005% |
| HARIPUR Haripur District Haripur is a district in the Hazara region of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, province of Pakistan with an altitude of around above sea level. Haripur District has the highest Human Development Index of all the districts in the Hazara.... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 36 | 692,228 | 0.005% |
| MARDAN Mardan District Mardan is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The city of Mardan is the headquarters of the district. The district also contains the famous archaeological site of Takht Bhai, Jamal Ghari and Sawal Dher.-Administration:... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 283 | 1,460,100 | 0.019% |
| SWABI Swabi District Swabi District is the fourth most populous district of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It lies between the Indus and Kabul Rivers. The residents are referred to as Swabva'l. The Mandanr Yusufzai subsection of the Yousafzai clan of the Pashtuns form a majority of the population.-... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 106 | 1,026,804 | 0.010% |
| CHARSADDA Charsadda District Charsadda is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan that contains the town of Charsadda. The town was part of the Peshawar ex-metropolitan region... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 104 | 1,022,364 | 0.010% |
| PESHAWAR Peshawar District Peshawar is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Until divisions were abolished as part of local government reforms in 2000 it was part of Peshawar Division. The city of Peshawar, as well as being the provincial capital, is the capital of the district... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 1,224 | 2,019,118 | 0.061% |
| NOWSHERA Nowshera District Nowshera is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan - the principal city is Nowshera. Nowshera District is divided into 47 Union Councils and 5 provincial seats.... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 666 | 874,373 | 0.076% |
| KOHAT Kohat District Kohat is a district of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Kohat city is the capital of the district. It is inhabited by various Pashtun tribes such as Afridi,Khattaks, Bangash and the Orakzaies. The main language of the district is Pashto.... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 798 | 562,644 | 0.142% |
| HANGU Hangu District (Pakistan) Hangu is a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district takes its name from the town of Hangu. The name Hangu may also sometimes be applied to the Miranzai Valley which is partly within the district, bordering the Samana Range.... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 156 | 314,529 | 0.050% |
| KARAK Karak District Karak is a district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is situated to the south of Kohat District and on the north side of Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts on the main Indus Highway between Peshawar and Karachi - it is 123 km from the provincial capital Peshawar... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 10 | 430,796 | 0.002% |
| BANNU | Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 220 | 675,667 | 0.033% |
| LAKKI MARWAT Lakki Marwat District Lakki Marwat is one of the Southern Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. It was created as an administrative district on July 1, 1992, prior to which it was a Tehsil of Bannu District.-Etymology:... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 8 | 490,025 | 0.002% |
| D.I.KHAN Dera Ismail Khan District Dera Ismail Khan is one of the 24 districts in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The capital of the district is the town of Dera Ismail Khan... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 471 | 852,995 | 0.055% |
| TANK Tank District Tank , is the southern district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, the city of Tank is the capital of the district, which consists Union Council City I and Union Council City II. There are totally sixteen Union councils of district Tank. Tank was formerly part of district Dera Ismail... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 22 | 238,216 | 0.009% |
| FATA AREA 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... |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa | 1,921 | 3,176,331 | 0.060% |
| ATTOCK Attock District Attock District is a district in the north-west Punjab Province of Pakistan.The district was created in April 1904 by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India.Attock... |
PUNJ 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... |
190 | 1,274,935 | 0.015% |
| RAWALPINDI Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi is a district of Pakistan in the north of the Punjab province which contains the city of Rawalpindi. The district has an area of . It was part of Rawalpindi Division, until the year 2000 when the division was abolished... |
PUNJ | 430 | 3,363,911 | 0.013% |
| JHELUM Jhelum District Jhelum District is in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According the 1998 census the district had a population of 936,957, of which 31.48% were urban. Jhelum is known for providing a large number of soldiers to the British and later to the Pakistan armed forces due to which it is also known as... |
PUNJ | 205 | 936,957 | 0.022% |
| CHAKWAL Chakwal District Chakwal is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Chakwal district was created in 1985; until the year 2000 when divisions were abolished, it was part of Rawalpindi Division.-Administration:... |
PUNJ | 164 | 1,083,725 | 0.015% |
| SARGODHA Sargodha District Sargodha District is a district of Punjab province, Pakistan, the capital of the district is Sargodha. It is an agricultural district, wheat, rice, and sugarcane being its main crops. The Sargodha district and region are also famous for citrus fruit; kino is a newly developed variety... |
PUNJ | 142 | 2,665,979 | 0.005% |
| BHAKKAR Bhakkar District Bhakkar is a District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The district was created in 1981 with Bhakkar city as the capital. It is located between 31° 10' and 32° 22' N. and 70° 47' and 72° E. with an area of , most of it lies in the desolate plain of the Thal, but the Kachhi or strip of... |
PUNJ | 33 | 1,051,456 | 0.003% |
| KHUSHAB Khushab District Khushab District is a rural tribal district located in Punjab, Pakistan. According to the 1998 census, the population was 905,711 with 24.76% living in urban areas. The district consists of 3 tehsils: Khushab, Nurpur, and Quaidabad, as well as a sub-tehsil Naushera... |
PUNJ | 167 | 905,711 | 0.018% |
| MIANWALI Mianwali District Mianwali is a district in the northwest of Punjab province, Pakistan. It borders eight districts: Attock District in the north, Chakwal District in the northeast, Khushab District in the east, and Bhakkar District in the south, while Lakki Marwat lies to the west, Kohat and Karak districts to the... |
PUNJ | 121 | 1,056,620 | 0.011% |
| FAISALABAD Faisalabad District Faisalabad District is one of the districts of Punjab province, Pakistan. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 5,429,547 of which almost 42% were in Faisalabad City.... |
PUNJ | 903 | 5,429,547 | 0.017% |
| JHANG Jhang District Jhang District is a district of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city of Jhang is the district's capital. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the district's population was 2.8 million, of which 23 percent lived in urban areas. By 2008, according to estimates, the population had... |
PUNJ | 115 | 2,834,545 | 0.004% |
| TOBA TEK SINGH | PUNJ | 198 | 1,621,593 | 0.012% |
| GUJRANWALA Gujranwala District Gujranwala District is a district in Punjab, Pakistan.- History :The village of Asarur which has been identified as the location of Taki, an ancient town, visited by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang contains immense ruins of Buddhist origin... |
PUNJ | 110 | 3,400,940 | 0.003% |
| HAFIZABAD Hafizabad District Hafizabad District is located in Punjab, Pakistan. Hafizabad was made a district in 1991; formerly, it was a tehsil of Gujranwala District. It is situated in the central Punjab and is known for its rice industry on the agricultural side and cotton textile industry on the industrial side... |
PUNJ | 126 | 832,980 | 0.015% |
| GUJRAT Gujrat District Gujrat is a district of Punjab Province in Pakistan. It is an ancient district located in between two famous rivers, the Jhelum and Chenab. Because of its proximity with the rivers the land is good for cultivation with rice and sugar cane as main crops... |
PUNJ | 238 | 2,048,008 | 0.012% |
| MANDI BAHAUDDIN Mandi Bahauddin District Mandi Bahauddin is a district of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 32°34'60N 73°30'0E and is bounded on the northwest by the Jhelum River, on the South-East by the Chenab River which separates it from Gujranwala District and Gujrat District and on the southwest by Sargodha District... |
PUNJ | 302 | 1,160,552 | 0.026% |
| SIALKOT Sialkot District Sialkot District or the District of Sialkot , is one of the districts of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located in the north-east of the province... |
PUNJ | 3,577 | 2,723,481 | 0.131% |
| NAROWAL Narowal District Narowal District is a district in the province of Punjab of Pakistan. Narowal city is the capital of the district. Narowal District is divided into three tehsils: Narowal, Shakargarh and Zafarwal. Before the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Shakargarh town was the headquarters of Shakargarh... |
PUNJ | 1,118 | 1,265,097 | 0.088% |
| LAHORE Lahore District Lahore District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan that contains the city of Lahore, the district and provincial capital. The total area is... |
PUNJ | 1,607 | 6,318,745 | 0.025% |
| KASUR Kasur District Kasur District or Qasur District is one of the districts in the province of Punjab, Pakistan It came into existence on 1 July 1976. Earlier it was part of Lahore District.... |
PUNJ | 2,115 | 2,375,875 | 0.089% |
| OKARA Okara District Okara District is a district of Punjab, Pakistan. The Multan Road connects the district capital, Okara with tLahore 110 km away. Okara began as a small town about 40 km from the city of Sahiwal. It later become a city in its own right. According to the 1998 census, the district had a... |
PUNJ | 670 | 2,232,992 | 0.030% |
| SHEIKHUPURA Sheikhupura District Sheikhupura District is a district of Punjab province, Pakistan. Sheikhupura is the headquarters of Sheikhupura District. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the district had a population of 3,321,029 of which 25.45% were urban.... |
PUNJ | 1,185 | 3,321,029 | 0.036% |
| VIHARI | PUNJ | 343 | 2,090,416 | 0.016% |
| SAHIWAL Sahiwal District Sahiwal District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. As of 1998, it had a population of 1,843,194 people, 16.27% of which were located in urban areas. Since 2008, Sahiwal District along with Okara District and Pakpattan District has comprised the Sahiwal Division... |
PUNJ | 261 | 1,843,194 | 0.014% |
| PAK PATTAN Pakpattan District Pakpattan District is a district of Punjab Province in Pakistan, Pakpattan is the district capital. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, it had a population of 1,286,680 of which 14% were urban... |
PUNJ | 77 | 1,286,680 | 0.006% |
| MULTAN Multan District Multan District is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 3,116,851 of which 41.64% were urban. Its capital is the city of Multan.... |
PUNJ | 1,208 | 3,116,851 | 0.039% |
| LODHRAN Lodhran District Lodhran is a district in the Punjab, Pakistan, located on the northern side of River Sutlej. It is bounded to the north by the districts of Multan, Khanewal and Vehari, to the south by Bahawalpur District, to the east lie the districts of Vehari and Bahawalpur; while district Multan lies on the... |
PUNJ | 50 | 1,171,800 | 0.004% |
| KHANEWAL Khanewal District Khanewal is District of Punjab province in Pakistan. It most widely known for being the host city to the second largest Train Station in Pakistan... |
PUNJ | 249 | 2,068,490 | 0.012% |
| D.G.KHAN Dera Ghazi Khan District Dera Ghazi Khan is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 5,306 m² and it is a long narrow strip of country, 198 m... |
PUNJ | 340 | 1,643,118 | 0.021% |
| RAJANPUR Rajanpur District Rajanpur District is a district of Punjab province in Pakistan. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 1,103,618 of which 14.27% were urban. Its administrative centre is the town of Rajanpur.-History & geography:... |
PUNJ | 526 | 1,103,618 | 0.048% |
| LAYYAH Layyah District Layyah District is a district in the Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the southern part of the province. The capital is Layyah.-History:... |
PUNJ | 810 | 1,120,951 | 0.072% |
| MUZAFFARGARH Muzaffargarh District Muzaffargarh is a district in the south of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of Saraiki Waseb. It is spread over an area of 8,249 km². Muzaffargarh District lies in the strip between the rivers Chenab and Indus, which pass along the Eastern and Western boundaries respectively of... |
PUNJ | 1,115 | 2,635,903 | 0.042% |
| BAHAWALPUR Bahawalpur District Bahawalpur District is one of the districts of Punjab, Pakistan. According to the 1998 Census of Pakistan it had a population of 2,433,091 of which 27.01% were urban Bahawalpur district covers 24,830 km². Approximately two-thirds of the district is covered by the Cholistan Desert, which... |
PUNJ | 22,606 | 2,433,091 | 0.929% |
| BAHAWALNAGAR Bahawalnagar District Bahawalnagar District is a district of Punjab province in Pakistan. The district is situated on the border, before the independence of Pakistan, Bahawal Nagar was a part of Bahawalpur state governed by the Nawab of Bahawalpur... |
PUNJ | 1,603 | 2,061,447 | 0.078% |
| RAHIM YAR KHAN | PUNJ | 73,506 | 3,141,053 | 2.340% |
| JACOBABAD Jacobabad District Jacobabad District is a district of Sindh, Pakistan. According to the 1998 census it had a population of 1,425,572 of which 24.10% were urban. The city of Jacobabad is the capital of the District.-Administration:... |
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... |
50,693 | 1,425,572 | 3.556% |
| SHIKARPUR Shikarpur District Shikarpur district is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The city of Shikarpur is the capital. It is spread over an area of 2,512 km2, according to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 880,438 of which 23.51% were urban.... |
SINDH | 15,855 | 880,438 | 1.801% |
| LARKANA Larkana District Larkana or Larkano is a district of Sindh province of Pakistan. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, it had a population of 1,927,066 of which 28.70% were urban. Its main city is Larkana... |
SINDH | 27,321 | 1,927,066 | 1.418% |
| SUKKUR Sukkur District Sukkur district is a district in Sindh Province in Pakistan. It is divided into 4 administrative strata , namely; Sukkur City, Rohri, Saleh Pat and Pano Aqil. Among them Sukkur city and new Sukkur are urban centre while Pano Aqil is famous for having one of largest military cantonment of the country... |
SINDH | 29,800 | 908,373 | 3.281% |
| GHOTKI Ghotki District Ghotki District is a district of Sindh Province, Pakistan. According to the 1998 census it had a population of 970,549 of which 15.69%. Mirpur Mathelo is the capital of Ghotki District.-Administration:... |
SINDH | 64,817 | 970,549 | 6.678% |
| KHAIRPUR Khairpur District Khairpur District is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The district has an area of 15,910 square kilometres and is headquartered at the city of Khairpur.-Location:... |
SINDH | 45,452 | 1,546,587 | 2.939% |
| NAUSHERO FEROZ Naushahro Feroze District moro city of n/feroze is usually called base of MRDin sindhNaushahro Feroze District , is a district in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is administratively subdivided into 5 Talukas and 51 Union Councils... |
SINDH | 14,458 | 1,087,571 | 1.329% |
| NAWABSHAH Nawabshah District Shaheed Benazirabad District is one of the districts in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The district was renamed in September 2008 when most of MPAs of Nawabshah demanded renaming the district to honour the late party leader... |
SINDH | 30,824 | 1,071,533 | 2.877% |
| DADU Dadu District Dadu is a district of Sindh Province, Pakistan.Dadu district was created in 1933 by the British Indian administration by merging Kotri and Kohistan tehsils from Karachi district and Mehar, Khairpur Nathan Shah, Dadu, Johi and Sehwan tehsils from Larkana district. The population of the district is... |
SINDH | 34,490 | 1,688,811 | 2.042% |
| HYDERABAD Hyderabad District (Pakistan) Hyderābād District , is a district of Sindh, Pakistan. It used to be an administrative division of the Sindh namely the Hyderabad Division, until the reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government. Its capital is the city of Hyderabad. The Kirthar National Park is located in Hyderabad... |
SINDH | 349,167 | 2,891,488 | 12.076% |
| BADIN Badin District Badin District a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The total area of the district is 6,726 square kilometres, according to the 1998 census of Pakistan, it had a population of 1,136,636 of which 16.42% were urban... |
SINDH | 226,423 | 1,136,044 | 19.931% |
| THATTA Thatta District Thatta District is located in the province of Sindh, Pakistan, however it is close to the contested disputed boundary of the Kori Creek. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, it had a population of 1,113,194 of which 11.21% were urban.-Local government:... |
SINDH | 32,139 | 1,113,194 | 2.887% |
| SANGHAR Sanghar District Sanghar District is one of the largest districts of Sindh province, Pakistan. It is located in the centre of Sindh and is bounded to the east by India. The district capital, Sanghar, is itself a small city roughly east-south-east of the city of Nawabshah and the same distance north of Mirpur... |
SINDH | 292,687 | 1,453,028 | 20.143% |
| MIRPURKHAS Mirpur Khas District Mirpur Khas District is one of the districts in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, it had a population of 1,569,030 of which 18.60%-Administration:* Digri* Kot Ghulam Muhammad* Mirpurkhas... |
SINDH | 296,555 | 906,065 | 32.730% |
| UMERKOT Umerkot District Umerkot District or Umarkot District is a district of Sindh province, Pakistan.-History:After the 1843 invasion by Charles Napier, Sindh was divided into provinces and was assigned a Zamindars, also known as Wadaras, to collect taxes for the British.... |
SINDH | 315,395 | 662,965 | 47.573% |
| THARPARKAR Tharparkar District Tharparkar District is one of twenty three districts of Sindh province in Pakistan. It is headquarters is at Mithi. It has the lowest Human Development Index of all districts in Sindh.-Demography:... |
SINDH | 369,998 | 914,291 | 40.468% |
| KARACHI | SINDH | 77,131 | 9,856,318 | 0.783% |
| ISLAMABAD | NCT | 195 | 805,235 | 0.024% |
| NORTHERN AREAS | NORTHERN AREAS | 0 | 970,347 | 0.000% |
| AZAD KASHMIR Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir... |
AZAD KASHMIR | 0 | 2,972,501 | 0.000% |
| QUETTA Quetta District Quetta is a district in the north-west of Balochistan province of Pakistan.It was part of Quetta Division until the year 2000 when divisions were abolished. The district is famous for its agriculture produce, most notably fruit orchards but also including apples and grapes. The Hanna Valley is an... |
BALOCHESTAN 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... |
4,175 | 744,802 | 0.561% |
| PISHIN Pishin District Pishin was a part of Quetta Pishin district. In 1975 it was separated from Quetta for administrative reasons. It derives its name from the locality Pishin. Pishin is a modernised form of ‘Pushang’, which is old Persian for the Arabic Fushang. Myth attributes the origin of the name to a son of the... |
BALOCHESTAN | 47 | 367,183 | 0.013% |
| QILLA ABDULLAH Qilla Abdullah District Killa Abdullah or Qilla Abdullah or Abdullah Qilla is a district in the north west of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Over 99% of the people of the area are Muslims. The population of Qilla Abdullah District was estimated to be over 400,000 in 2005, the vast majority being Pakhtuns.Killa... |
BALOCHESTAN | 171 | 370,269 | 0.046% |
| CHAGAI Chagai District Chaghi/Chagai is the largest district of Pakistan and is located on the north west corner of Balochistan, Pakistan. It forms a triangular border with Afghanistan and Iran.Pakistan conducted a nuclear weapons test in 1998 at Ras Koh Hills Chagai District.... |
BALOCHESTAN | 1,941 | 202,564 | 0.958% |
| LORALAI Loralai District Loralai is a district in the centre of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Loralai district was created on October, 1903. Loralai town is the district headquarters... |
BALOCHESTAN | 466 | 295,555 | 0.158% |
| BARKHAN Barkhan District Barkhan a district in the north-west of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was given the status of a district on 31 December 1991.-Population:... |
BALOCHESTAN | 117 | 103,545 | 0.113% |
| QILLA SAIFULLAH | BALOCHESTAN | 3 | 193,553 | 0.002% |
| ZHOB Zhob District Zhob is a district in the north west of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Zhob district is a Provincially Administered Tribal Area . Zhob district is subdivided into three subdistricts: Zhob, Kakkar and Sherani. The population of Zhob district is estimated to be over 500,000 in 2005... |
BALOCHESTAN | 101 | 275,142 | 0.037% |
| SIBI Sibi District Sibi is a district in theBalochistan province of Pakistan. The main mountains range are Zen, Bambore and Dungan. The climatic and topography of Sibi District is quite varied compared to other districts of Balochistan. It is also known as the "Hot spot" of Pakistan where the temperatures in the... |
BALOCHESTAN | 2,876 | 180,398 | 1.594% |
| ZIARAT Ziarat District Ziarat is a district in the north of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Ziarat town is headquarters of the district of the Sub division, and also of the tehsil. Khilafat Hills are the highest peak with an altitude of in Ziarat district... |
BALOCHESTAN | 0 | 33,340 | 0.000% |
| KOHLU Kohlu District Kohlu is a district of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is bounded in the north by Loralai District, Dera Bugti in the south, in the east Rojhan-Mazari and Sibi District in the west... |
BALOCHESTAN | 171 | 99,846 | 0.171% |
| DERA BUGTI Dera Bugti District Dera Bugti is a district located in the south west of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Dera Bugti is named after its headquarter town 'Dera Bugti'. Dera means `abode' or `habitat', while `Bugti' is the name of the major Baloch tribe. Thus Dera Bugti means the abode of the Bugtis, the dominant... |
BALOCHESTAN | 1,399 | 181,310 | 0.772% |
| JAFFARABAD | BALOCHESTAN | 6,529 | 432,817 | 1.508% |
| NASIRABAD Nasirabad District Nasirabad is a district in the centre-west of Balochistan, Pakistan. Nasirabad’s headquarters are at Dera Murad Jamali. The district was notified in 1974. For three years, from July 1987 to December 1990, it was known as Tamboo district. Tamboo is a small village 40 km west of Dera Murad... |
BALOCHESTAN | 1,875 | 245,894 | 0.763% |
| BOLAN Bolan District Bolan district Well known as Kachhi is in the centre of Balochistan province of Pakistan. The Bolan area remained under one district Kachhi until 31 December 1991... |
BALOCHESTAN | 4,463 | 288,056 | 1.549% |
| JHAL MAGSI Jhal Magsi District Jhal Magsi district is in the centre of Balochistan province of Pakistan.-Administration:The district is administratively subdivided into two tehsils Jhal Magsi and Gandawa which contain a total of nine Union Councils.-Population:... |
BALOCHESTAN | 1,198 | 109,941 | 1.090% |
| KALAT Kalat District Kalat or Qalat is a district in Balochistan, Pakistan. It is one of 26 in that province, and encompasses an area of 6,621 km². The population of the district is estimated to be over 400,000 in 2005. The district is governed from the city of Kalat.... |
BALOCHESTAN | 1,657 | 237,834 | 0.697% |
| MASTUNG Mastung District Mastung District is a district located in the north west of Balochistan province, Pakistan. Prior to 1991, Mastung was part of Kalat District. For administrative purposes Mastung was separated from Kalat and made a new district in 1991.-Administration:... |
BALOCHESTAN | 1,228 | 179,784 | 0.683% |
| KHUZDAR Khuzdar District Khuzdar district is located in the centre of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Khuzdar is the capital of Khuzdar district. Khuzdar was created as a separate district on 1 March 1974. Previously, it was part of Kalat District.... |
BALOCHESTAN | 2,962 | 417,466 | 0.710% |
| AWARAN Awaran District Awaran District is a district in the south of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was notified as a separate district on 11 November 1992... |
BALOCHESTAN | 295 | 118,173 | 0.250% |
| KHARAN Kharan District Kharan is a district in the north-west of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Kharan was notified as a district in 1951 and the Deputy Commissioner’s office started functioning on March 15, 1952. The Deputy Commissioner directly supervises all activities in the district and the functions of all... |
BALOCHESTAN | 780 | 206,909 | 0.377% |
| LASBELA Lasbela District Lasbela is a coastal district of Balochistan province of Pakistan. It became a separate district in Kalat Division on 30 June 1954. The name is derived from the words Las which in Sanskrit signifies a settlement or lived in or lively and Bela which means "A Sea's Shore" in Sanskrit and is also the... |
BALOCHESTAN | 4,504 | 312,695 | 1.440% |
| KECH Kech District Kech or Turbat district is a district in Balochistan province of Pakistan.-Administration:The district of Kech is administratively subdivided into the following tehsils:* Buleda* Dasht* Turbat* Tump-Population:... |
BALOCHESTAN | 979 | 413,204 | 0.237% |
| GWADAR Gwadar District Gwadar District is a coastal district in Balochistan province of Pakistan. Gwadar city is the district headquarters of Gwadar District.-Administration:Gwadar District is subdivided into the following tehsils or subdistricts:* Gwadar* Jiwani* Ormara... |
BALOCHESTAN | 721 | 185,498 | 0.389% |
| PANJGUR Panjgur District Panjgur is a district in the west of Balochistan province of Pakistan. Panjgur was one of the three tehsils of Makran District until 1 July 1977 when that district became Makran Division and Panjgur became a district... |
BALOCHESTAN | 457 | 234,051 | 0.195% |
Hinduism and Partition
When Pakistan was formed in August 1947, over 7 million Hindus and Sikhs from what was East PakistanEast Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
(now 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 Pakistan's 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...
, 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...
and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwas were forced to leave this new state for India, and a similar number of Muslims chose the other way. The reasons for this incredible exodus was the heavily charged communal atmosphere in British India, deep distrust of each other, the brutality of violent mobs and the antagonism between the religious communities. The fact that over 1 million people lost their lives in the bloody violence of 1947, should attest to the fear and hate that filled the hearts of millions of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs who had to leave ancestral homes during hastily arranged partition.
Many Hindus who attained great success in the public eye in India, like the filmstars Dev Anand
Dev Anand
Dharam Dev Anand , better known as Dev Anand , is an Indian Hindi Cinema actor, director and film producer. Dev is the second of three brothers who were active in Hindi Cinema. His brothers are Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand. Their sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur, is the mother of renowned Hindi and...
, Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
, and Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt , born Sunil Balraj Dutt, was an Indian Hindi movie actor , producer, director and politician. He was the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government...
trace their birthplaces and ancestral homes to the towns of Pakistan. Independent India's first Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
captain, Lala Amarnath
Lala Amarnath
Nanik Amarnath Bhardwaj was an Indian Test cricketer. He was the first cricketer to score a Test century for the Indian cricket team, which he achieved on debut...
hailed from Lahore, prime ministers I K Gujral and Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
are also from the part of the Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
which became part of Pakistan, and former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Krishna Advani
Lal Kishanchand Advani known as Lal Krishna Advani is a Veteran Indian politician. A former president of the Bharatiya Janata Party , which is currently the major opposition party in the Indian Parliament. He also served as a Deputy Prime Minister of India from 2002 to 2004...
was born 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...
. Nearly all of these individuals left their homes due to the violence and turmoil of independence.
For more information about Hindus in East Pakistan - Bangladesh, see Hinduism in Bangladesh
Hinduism in Bangladesh
Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in Bangladesh, covering more than 9.2% of the population, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics...
.
Post-1970s
Since Pakistan declared itself an Islamic nation and pursued a decidedly Islamic course in its political and social life since the 1980s, Hindus as a minority in Pakistan have had considerably fewer privileges, rights and protections in comparison to minorities in India, which constitutionally avows itself secular and giving of equal rights to its religious minorities including the MuslimMuslim
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...
, Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
communities. Cultural marginalization, discrimination, economic hardships and religious persecution have resulted in many Hindus converting to other religions (Islam, Christianity), and today Hindus constitute barely 1.8% of Pakistan's population. Because Hindus are not "People of the Book
People of the Book
People of the Book is a term used to designate non-Muslim adherents to faiths which have a revealed scripture called, in Arabic, Al-Kitab . The three types of adherents to faiths that the Qur'an mentions as people of the book are the Jews, Sabians and Christians.In Islam, the Muslim scripture, the...
" like Christians, they have generally been given fewer rights informally (de facto) by the Muslim majority than the country's Christians (see Dhimmi
Dhimmi
A , is a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance with sharia law. Linguistically, the word means "one whose responsibility has been taken". This has to be understood in the context of the definition of state in Islam...
), even if de jure Hindus have equal rights under the law.Pakistan's total population of Hindu's is less than 3%.
Religious, social and political institutions
The Indus river is a holy river to many Hindus, and the Pakistan government periodically allows small groups of Hindus from Pakistan and India to make pilgrimage, though most Hindus are forced to do this along the banks of the river that flows through a small part of Indian-controlled Kashmir.The communal violence of the 1940s and the subsequent persecutions have resulted in the destruction of thousands of Hindu temples in Pakistan, although the Hindu community and the Pakistani government have preserved and protected many prominent ones. The Hindu Gymkhana 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...
has tried to promote social development for Hindus in the city. One of the few temples remaining in Karachi today is the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Karachi
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Karachi
The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Karachi is a Hindu temple that belongs to the NarNarayan Dev Gadi of the Swaminarayan Sampraday and is the only Swaminarayan temple in Pakistan. The temple is notable for its size and frontage, over on the M. A. Jinnah Road in Karachi city...
.
Hindus are allotted separate electorates to vote by, but their political importance is virtually nil. The Pakistan Hindu Panchayat
Pakistan Hindu Panchayat
The Pakistan Hindu Panchayat is the leading socio-political representative organization of the Hindu community in heavily Muslim Pakistan.-Hindus of Pakistan:Hindus in Pakistan make barely 2% of the total population, roughly 3 million people...
and the Pakistani Hindu Welfare Association are the primary civic organizations that represent and organise Hindu communities on social, economic, religious and political issues. There are minority commissions and for a while, a Ministry of Minority Affairs in the Government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
looked after specific issues concerning Pakistani religious minorities.
Community life
The intense religious conservatism and politically charged environment in Pakistani Punjab offers limited freedoms for Hindus. Outside such an environment, Karachi's city culture allows for a secular environment that gives much needed opportunities to minorities like Hindus. Though IslamisationIslamization
Islamization or Islamification has been used to describe the process of a society's conversion to the religion of Islam...
, cultural and political has swept the country since the 1980s, the secular institutions established in British times allow Hindus to take advantage of education, sports, cultural activities, government services and participate in mainstream Pakistani life. Prominent Pakistani Hindus include Karachi's Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria
Danish Prabha Shanker Kaneria is a Pakistani cricketer . Danish Kaneria has continued the tradition of great Pakistani leg spin bowlers and possesses a very well disguised googly...
, who has recently become Pakistan's premier leg spin bowler in cricket, fashion designer Deepak Perwani
Deepak Perwani
Deepak Perwani is a Pakistani fashion designer. He is one of the prominent members of the Hindu Sindhi community in Pakistan. He has a brother, Naveen Perwani who is a snooker player....
, and Justice Rana Bhagwandas
Rana Bhagwandas
His Lordship Mr. Justice Retired Rana Bhagwandas , a highly respected name of the Pakistani judiciary was a senior judge and former acting chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan...
, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan
Supreme Court of Pakistan
The Supreme Court is the apex court in Pakistan's judicial hierarchy, the final arbiter of legal and constitutional disputes. The Supreme Court has a permanent seat in Islamabad. It has number of Branch Registries where cases are heard. It has a number of de jure powers which are outlined in the...
.
Persecution
The increasing Islamisation of Pakistan and antagonism against India, a nation with a Hindu majority, has been an influential factor in the persecution of religious minorities, among those minorities, Hindus. Such Islamisation include the blasphemyBlasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
laws, which make it dangerous for religious minorities to express themselves freely and engage freely in religious and cultural activities. The promulgation of Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
, Quranic law has also increased the marginalisation of Hindus and other minorities. Following the Babri Mosque
Babri Mosque
The Babri Mosque , was a mosque in Ayodhya, a city in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh, on Ramkot Hill . It was destroyed in 1992 when a political rally developed into a riot involving 150,000 people, despite a commitment to the Indian Supreme Court by the rally organisers that the mosque...
riots in India, riots and attacks on Hindus in retaliation has only increased; Hindus in Pakistan are routinely affected by communal incidents in India and violent developments on the Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
conflict between the two nations. It remains the hope of many that a permanent peace between the two nations will go a long way in making life better for the roughly 3 million Hindus living in Pakistan. The 1998 census recorded 2,443,614 Hindus in Pakistan.
Hindu minorities, under Taliban rule in Swat, were forced to wear Red headgear such as turban
Turban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
s as a symbol of dhimmi
Dhimmi
A , is a non-Muslim subject of a state governed in accordance with sharia law. Linguistically, the word means "one whose responsibility has been taken". This has to be understood in the context of the definition of state in Islam...
.
In July 2010, around 60 members of the minority Hindus 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...
were attacked and ethnically cleansed
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
following an incident when a Hindu youth drank from a water tap near an Islamic mosque The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan came out with a report in 2010 stating that at least 25 Hindu girls are abducted in Pakistan every month.
Pakistan Studies curriculum issues
According to the Sustainable Development Policy InstituteSustainable Development Policy Institute
The Sustainable Development Policy Institute provides the global sustainable development community with representation from Pakistan as well as South Asia as a whole. The Institute's mission is: "To catalyse the transition towards sustainable development, defined as the enhancement of peace,...
report 'Associated with the insistence on the Ideology of Pakistan has been an essential component of hate against India and the Hindus. For the upholders of the Ideology of Pakistan, the existence of Pakistan is defined only in relation to Hindus, and hence the Hindus have to be painted as negatively as possible' A 2005 report by the National Commission for Justice and Peace a non profit organization in Pakistan, found that Pakistan Studies textbooks in Pakistan have been used to articulate the hatred that Pakistani policy-makers have attempted to inculcate towards the Hindus. 'Vituperative animosities legitimise military and autocratic rule, nurturing a siege mentality. Pakistan Studies textbooks are an active site to represent India as a hostile neighbour' the report stated. 'The story of Pakistan’s past is intentionally written to be distinct from, and often in direct contrast with, interpretations of history found in India. From the government-issued textbooks, students are taught that Hindus are backward and superstitious.' Further the report stated 'Textbooks reflect intentional obfuscation. Today’s students, citizens of Pakistan and its future leaders are the victims of these partial truths'.
An editorial in Pakistan's oldest newspaper Dawn
Dawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
commenting on a report in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
on Pakistani Textbooks noted 'By propagating concepts such as jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
, the inferiority of non-Muslims, India’s ingrained enmity with Pakistan, etc., the textbook board publications used by all government schools promote a mindset that is bigoted and obscurantist. Since there are more children studying in these schools than in madrassahs the damage done is greater. ' According to the historian Professor Mubarak Ali
Mubarak Ali
Dr. Mubarak Ali is an eminent historian, activist and scholar of Pakistan.Ali was born in Tonk, British India in April 1941. He wrote in one of his books that he made up his birthdate because his parents did not know it accurately.- Career :Ali obtained an M.A. in History from Sindh University,...
, textbook reform in Pakistan began with the introduction of Pakistan Studies and Islamic studies by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1971 into the national curriculum as compulsory subject. Former military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq under a general drive towards Islamization, started the process of historical revisionism in earnest and exploited this initiative. 'The Pakistani establishment taught their children right from the beginning that this state was built on the basis of religion – that's why they don't have tolerance for other religions and want to wipe-out all of them.'
According to 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...
, a physics professor at Quaid-i-Azam University
Quaid-i-Azam University
The Quaid-i-Azam University is a public, research university in Islamabad Capital Territory of Pakistan. It was initially founded as the "University of Islamabad" in July 1967...
in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, the "Islamizing" of Pakistan's schools began in 1976 when an act of parliament required all government and private schools (except those teaching the British O-levels from Grade 9) to follow a curriculum that includes learning outcomes for the federally approved Grade 5 social studies class such as: 'Acknowledge and identify forces that may be working against Pakistan,' 'Make speeches on Jihad,' 'Collect pictures of policemen, soldiers, and national guards,' and 'India's evil designs against Pakistan.'
See also
- Persecution of Hindus in Pakistan
- Jews in Pakistan
- 2006 Lahore temple demolition2006 Lahore temple demolitionThe 2006 Lahore temple demolition refers to false reports of a Hindu temple called Krishna Mandir located in Wachhowali, Rang Mahal, in the city of Lahore in Pakistan on May 27, 2006 by regional officials...
- Decline of Hinduism in PakistanDecline of Hinduism in PakistanThere has been in a decline of Hinduism , Buddhism and Sikhism in the areas that now constitute the country of Pakistan which was formed in 1947 happened for a variety of reasons, and even as these religions have continued to flourish beyond the eastern frontiers of Pakistan...
- Pakistan Hindu PanchayatPakistan Hindu PanchayatThe Pakistan Hindu Panchayat is the leading socio-political representative organization of the Hindu community in heavily Muslim Pakistan.-Hindus of Pakistan:Hindus in Pakistan make barely 2% of the total population, roughly 3 million people...
, Demographics of PakistanDemographics of PakistanThis article is about the demographic features of the population of Pakistan, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.... - Partition of IndiaPartition of IndiaThe 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...
- List of Hindu temples all over the world
- Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947Muslim League Attack on Sikhs and Hindus in the Punjab 1947 is a book by Sikh author Gurbachan Singh Talib. It was first published in 1950 by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and has been reprinted several times....