Baloch people in Punjab
Total population
~ 6 million (1974 estimation) (see below)
Regions with significant populations
Province of Punjab
Languages
Punjabi • Saraiki • Urdu • English
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
Baloch • Baloch diaspora • Sindhi Baloch • Baloch of India

The Baloch of Punjab (Urdu: پنجاب کے بلوچ; Saraiki, Punjabi: پنجاب دے بلوچ; Balochi: پنجاپءِ بلۏچ) are a community of Saraiki and Punjabi-speaking Baloch tribes settled in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The majority of Baloch settlers in southern Punjab, including Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur, which adjoin the province of Balochistan, speak western Punjabi dialects but now have started identifying as "Saraikis" or "Saraiki Balochs" and name their language as Saraiki after 1962, the year the Saraiki term was first introduced in Punjab in order to make a distinct identity from Punjabi and decrease the number of Punjabi speaking population in the country and by using this technique create a divide to partition the province on ethnic and linguistic basis and give Southern part of Punjab to Saraikis majorly consisting of ethnic Baloch and Pashtun settler tribes. This way dent Punjab’s economic and political dominance and eradicate the sense of deprivation and inferiority complex towards relatively more developed Punjab among smaller provinces. Although still big chunks of native Punjabi population there identify as Punjabis and their language as Punjabi. A minority on Balochistan Punjab border still speaks Balochi.[1][2] However, in central and northern Punjab, the people of Baloch descent identify as "Punjabis" or "Punjabi Balochs" and natively speak Punjabi.[3]

History

According to Dr. Akhtar Baloch, Professor at University of Karachi, the Baloch migrated from Balochistan during the Little Ice Age and settled in Sindh and Punjab. According to Professor Baloch, the climate of Balochistan was very cold during this epoch and the region was inhabitable during the winter so the Baloch people migrated in waves and settled in Sindh and Punjab. Baloch people form majority in Dera Ghazi Khan or Rajanpur districts and found significant numbers in Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan districts, and Multan district.[4]

Demographics

In his book Searchlights on Baloches and Balochistan, first published in 1974, Mir Khuda Bakhsh Marri, who served as Chief Justice, Governor and Chief Minister of Balochistan, estimated the Baloch population in Punjab to number around 6 million, constituting around one-fifth of Pakistan's Punjab province which at the time stood at roughly 30 million.[5]

See also

Mirani dynasty

Khans of Sahiwal

References

  1. ↑ Schiffman, Harold (9 December 2011). Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors: The Changing Politics of Language Choice. BRILL. p. 332. ISBN 9789004201453.
  2. ↑ Anatol Lieven (28 April 2011). Pakistan: A Hard Country. Penguin Books Limited. pp. 340–. ISBN 978-0-14-196929-9.
  3. ↑ Jaffrelot, Christophe (2004-09-28). A History of Pakistan and Its Origins. Anthem Press. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-84331-149-2.
  4. ↑ From Zardaris to Makranis: How the Baloch came to Sindh
  5. ↑ Marri, Mir Khuda Bakhsh (1997). Searchlights on Baloches and Balochistan. Ferozsons. p. 41. ISBN 9789690013736.
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