Ethnic divides in Pakistan stem from differences in language, culture, and religion between ethnic groups. The major ethnic groups include Punjabis, Sindhis, Pashtuns, Balochis, and Muhajirs. Sectarian divides also exist between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and religious minorities like Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadis face persecution. Territorial conflicts arise from a sense of political or economic deprivation of one group. Language conflicts emerged from issues like the dominance of Urdu over regional languages like Sindhi and Pashto. Ethnic conflicts are fueled by intolerance, lack of equal treatment, and non-representation of groups in power. Addressing inequities, promoting cultural respect and political participation could

1. ETHNIC DIVIDES
IN
PAKISTAN

2. Definition
Before we talk about ethnic devides we
need to know what is ethnicity .
Ethnicity is defined as:
“ The common characteristic of a people,
especially a group sharing a common and
distinctive culture, religion, language, or the
like.”
So, an ethnic group is a group of people
who have a common characteristic in terms
of language,region, culture, ansestors ,
religion etc.

3. What are ethnic divides?
 Knowing that ethnicity forms a group
of people using a common chracteristic.
it is quite clear that various such groups
may not get along.
 The act of treating someone differently based on thier ethnicity is
called an ethnic divide.
 It can be because one ethnic group is not treated par to others.
 One example is the sepration of Bengladesh (west Pakistan) in the
year 1971.
 The bengalis seprated because they felt neglected, this is an ethnic
divide based on culture or region. The picture shows one of the
many rallys of the Bengali Language Movement from the 1950s.

4. Ethnic divides now
 Ethnic divides are not the problem of the past.
 Losing West Pakistan was a big tradegy but the disparities that
caused it are still prevailing in our society.
 Ethnicity is a natural process. A country is made of its history;
its invaders and locals. People from different parts of the world
settle in that area and bring thier own culture with them.
 But ethnic divides are not natural. They are the result of non-
copration, pride, and intolerance. Such hatred divides a country
and should be eliminated.
 Lets analyze the various divisons present in Pakistan.

5. HINDUS
ETHNIC GROUPS
RELIGION BASED LANGUAGE/CULTURE BASED
AHMADI'S
SUNNIS
SHIA'S
PUNJABIPUSHTO BALOCHISINDHIMUSLIMS NON MUSLIMS
CHRISTAINS
JEWS
CASTE BASED
RAJPUT JATT SHEIKH MUGHAL

6. SHIA'S
 Population:
-5 to 20% of
the total population are Shia's.
-Estimted to be 40 million in the year 2015.
 Beliefs:
-Shia's are muslims. The only sepration is on the matter of Caliphs. They
think the Caliph should have been chosen by God. They believe Hazrat Ali
(RA) was the one who deserved the honour first.
-This a 18th century Ottoman levha, (calligraphic panel), which depicts the
Shi'i phrase 'Ali is the vicegerent of God' in obverse and reverse, creating
an exact mirror image.
 History:
-It is unknown when the Shia community first established itself in what is
now the state of Pakistan or in South Asia.
-Historians assume they came as refugees.
RELIGIOUS

7. SUNNI'S
 Population:
-75% of the p
akistani muslims are sunni's.
 Beliefs:
-Sunni's believe that new Caliph should be elected from among
those capable of the job.
-Hence they are okay with the fact that Hazrat Abu Bakr(RA) was
the first Caliph.
 Furthur divisions:
RELIGIOUS
SUNNI SECT POPULATION
AHLE HADITH 4%
DEOBANI 20%
BRELVI 50%
ISMALI 2%

8. AHMADI'S
 Population:
-There are approximately 4 million Ahmadi Muslims in the country.
-This equates to 2.2% of the population.
 Beliefs:
-Ahmadis believe in Muhammad(pbuh) as the best law bearing
prophet and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the Christ of Muslims.
-This means that they dont believe in the finality of Prophethood of
Muhammad(pbuh).
 The amendment:
-In the year 1974, the government of Pakistan amended the
Constitution of Pakistan to define a Muslim "as a person who
believes in finality of Prophet Muhammad" and technically Ahmadis
are declared non-Muslims.
RELIGIOUS

9. Non-muslims in Pakistan
 After discussing the muslim sects, it is
important to discuss the non-muslim minorities
of Pakistan.
 Hindus:
-2.5 to 4.5 million in total. Which makes approximately 1.6% to
1.9% of total population.
-Most hindus live in Sindh while a few live in the other provinces.
-They mostly speak Sindhi, some also speak English or Punjabi.
 Christains:
-2.5 million which makes about 1.6% of the total population.
-Most of them speak Urdu, Punjabi and English.
-The picture is of the Sacred Heart Cathedrel in Lahore.
 Jews:
-There is a small minority of jews in Pakistan too.

10. SINHDI
 Population:
About 35,700,000.
 Language:
- Sindhi
 Location:
-Most of them live in urban areas like Karachi,
Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Mirpur Khas. Hyderabad is the
largest centre of Sindhi Hindus in Pakistan with
100,000-150,000 people
 Culture:
-Sindhi culture is highly influenced by Sufi doctrines and
principles. Some of the popular cultural icons are Raja
Dahir, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar,
Jhulelal, Sachal Sarmast and Shambumal Tulsiani.
CULTURAL

11. SINHDI
 Religion:
-Hindus constituted about 6.5% of the total
population of Sindh province.
-This group can be regarded as concurrently following
Hinduism and Sikhism.
-Many Sindhis are coverted muslims.
 History:
-Sindh was one of the earliest regions to be influenced by
Islam after 632 AD.
-Before this period, it was heavily Hindu, and Buddhist.
-After 632 AD, it was part of the Islamic empires of the
Abbasids and Umayyids.
CULTURAL

12. PUSHTO
 Population:
-about 30,699,037 (Not included Pashtun Afghan
refugees)
-constitute the second-largest ethnic group of
Pakistan.
 Language:
-Pushto:main language
-Dari and Urdu: secondary languages
 Culture:
-Pashtun culture is mostly based on Pashtunwali(self governing tribal system)
and the usage of the Pashto language.
-Pre-Islamic traditions, dating back to Alexander's defeat of the Persian
Empire in 330 BC, possibly survived in the form of traditional dances.
- literary styles and music reflect influence from the Persian tradition and
regional musical instruments fused with localised variants and interpretation.
-Pashtun culture is a unique blend of native customs with some influences
from South and Western Asia.
CULTURAL

13. PUSHTO
 Religion: Islam
 History:
-Pashtuns are predominantly an Eastern Iranian people.
-A variety of ancient groups with eponyms similar to Pakhtun have
been hypothesized as possible ancestors of modern Pashtuns. The
Greek historian Herodotus mentioned a people called Pactyans
who were living in the same area as early as the 1st millennium
BC.
 Location:
-West of the Indus River , which includes
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,
Federally Administered Tribal Areas
(FATA) and
part of Balochistan.
CULTURAL

14. PUNJABI
 Population:
- approx 93,500,000
 Language:
-Punjabi, Urdu and English.
 Location:
-Mostly in the Province of Punjab.
 Culture:
-The culture of Punjab derives its basis from the institution of
Sufi saints.
-The fairs and festivals of Punjab reflect the entire gamut of its
folk life and cultural traditions.
-The crafts in the Punjab are of two types: the crafts produced in
the rural areas and the royal crafts.
CULTURAL

15. PUNJABI
 Religion:
-Islam,mainly.
 History:
-Punjab was home to a developed civilization in 5th to 4th
millennium BC: The ancient Indus Valley Civilization.
-The earliest known notable local king of this region was known
as King Porus and he fought a famous Battle of the Hydaspes
against Alexander.
-Centuries later, areas of the Punjab region were ruled by local
kings followed by the Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Mughals, and
others.
-When the Muslim Umayyad army led by Muhammad bin Qasim
conquered Sindh in 711 AD, by defeating Raja Dahir. Some of
the Muslims are said to have settled in the region and adopted
the local culture.
CULTURAL

16. BALOCHI
 Population: approx 6,900,000
 Language: Mainly Balochi. But regional languages are also
spoken.
 Culture:
-The Balochi generally live in remote mountainous and desert
regions, which have protected them from invasion and allowed
them to form a distinct cultural identity.
-Balochi customs and traditions are conducted according to
codes imposed by tribal laws.
-The tradition of a Baloch mother singing lullabies to her children
has played an important role in the transfer of knowledge from
generation to generation since ancient times.
-Balochi dresses are loose with decent threadwork.
CULTURAL

17. BALOCHI
 Religion:
-Predominantly Sunni Islam
 History:
-the original homeland of the Balochi tribes was likely to the east
or southeast of the central Caspian region.
-The Baloch began migrating towards the east in the late
Sasanian period.
 Location:
-Mainly Balochistan
CULTURAL

19. CASTS IN PAKISTAN
 Jutt:
-Live in northern areas
-Agricultural community, are brave and loyal.
 Rajputs:
-Name means ‘Son Of King’.
-Descendants of warrior dynasties of India.
-Have roots in Rajisthan.
 Sheikh:
-Meaning in arabic:’ elder of tribe’.
-Come from Persia(Iran), Central Asia and Arab.
 Mughal:
-They are the ones who were able to flee during downfall of
Mughal empire.
-They consider themselves brave and royal.

20. TERRITORIAL
ETHNIC CONFLICTS
LANGUAGE/CULTURE BASED
SECTERIANISM
 After introduction to all main ethnic groups of Pakistan it is
important to categorize the conflicts these groups have.

21. Secterianism
 Sectarian violence in Pakistan refers to attacks against people and
places in Pakistan motivated by antagonism toward the target's sect,
usually a religious group.
 Targets in Pakistan include the Sunni, Shia and the small Ahmadi,
Hindu and Christian religious groups.
 4,000 people are estimated to have been killed in Shia-Sunni
sectarian fighting in Pakistan between 1987–2007.
 Since 2008 "thousands of Shia" have been killed by Sunni extremists.
 2011 and 2012 Pakistan minority groups Hindus, Ahmadi, and
Christians "faced unprecedented insecurity and persecution in the
country".
 These attacks are powered by the pride and intolerance of one sect
for the other. Such behaviour is not encouraged in Islam or in the
constitution.
RELIGIOUS

22. Secterianism
DATE LOCATION CASUALTIES SUMMARY
16th Feb 2013 QUETTA 113 Sunni (Lashkar-e-Jhangvi)
took responsibility
18th Feb 2013 LAHORE 2 Unknown attackers killed
Shias.
3rd Mar 2013 KARACHI 45 unknown militants put
bomb outside Shia mosque
26th July 2013 PARACHINAR 60 Sunni(Ansarul
mujahideenhas) took
responsibility
 Following is the summary of the sectarian attacks amoung
muslims of Pakistan during just 3 months of 2013
 Many other ocassions of targeted killings and bombings occured too.
RELIGIOUS

23. Secterianism
 Mass anti-Christian violence occurred in the 2009 Gojra riots and
in the 2013 Joseph Colony riot and the 2013 Gujranwala riot.
 Anti-Shia violence includes the February 2012 Kohistan Shia
Massacre, the August 2012 Mansehra Shia Massacre and the
particularly deadly January 2013 and February 2013 Quetta
bombings.
 The Ahmadiyya community in Pakistan was targeted in the
similarly deadly May 2010 attacks on Ahmadi mosques in Lahore
 The New York Times noted on that occasion that "Minority sects
like the Ahmadis and the Shiites and have come under increasing
pressure as religious extremism has taken hold, fomented by
sectarian groups like Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi,
formerly state-sponsored organizations."
RELIGIOUS

24. Territorial Conflict
 Issues like distribution of economic resources through NFC(National
Finance Commission), water-sharing problem between provinces
and dominant position of one ethnic group at the power structure
created a sense of alienation among deprived ethnic identities.
 The 1956 constitution remained unable to resolve the problem of
provincial autonomy, because of Punjabi domination.
 The 1962 constitution gave a presidential form of government.
Which meant a sense of alienation among the people of both
wings.
 Particularly Bengalis were not happy with the policies of central
ruling authority.
 The constitution of 1973 had a federal and concurrent list leaving
the residuary powers to provinces. Concurrent list has been
abolished by the Pakistan Peoples Party government.

25. Territorial Conflict
 Ethnic groups come into conflict when a particular group
becomes successful to have authority at the helm of the affairs
and formulates policies in the best interests of their own specific
group by ignoring other ethnic groups.
 For Example,During Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto era Sindhis became
successful to have more facilities than Urdu speaking Mohajirs
in the province of Sindh. These moves created tussle between
Sindhis and Mohajirs.
 Solution:
-Political stability, peace, harmony and unity can be achieved
through removal of sense of deprivation among various ethnic
groups.
-Economic equilibrium.
-Just distribution of power.
-No discrimination

26. Language Conflict
 Language is like the unified, seprate identity of a group.
 In fact, language was the key point in the alienation of Bengalis.
 They insisted on the recognition of Bengali as the national
language along with Urdu.
 Thier demand was ignored and they felt neglected.
 The linguistic groups, Sindhi, Mohajirs, Punjabis, Pathans,
Baloch, and Gujrati have been involved in conflicting situation
with each other on various occasions.
 In 1972 Sindhis retaliated the dominance of Urdu and Sindhi
was declared as the official language of Sindh.
 The Mohajirs demonstrated against this and the Government
through issued an ordinance in favour of Urdu.

27. Conclusion
 Inter –ethnic group conflict in Pakistan, has destabilized the
political system and undermine foundations of the state.
 The things like inter-tribal conflict in the tribal areas, the
Sindhi and non-Sindhi violent conflict in Sindh, Shia-Sunni
crueland regressive activities have become a norm of
Pakistani society.
 The key is to not only promote unity but treat everyone
equally.
 No discrimination of any kind should be done to a group.
 When everyone feels like they are being heard, conflicts dont
arise.

28. THANK YOU