Muhajir Urdu

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The Muhajirs

Total population

13.2 million[1]-22.5 million[citation needed]
Regions with significant populations
Pakistan,Bangladesh,United Kingdom,Saudi Arabia,Australia,United Arab Emirates,United States,Canada
Languages
Urdu
Religions
Islam( a Sunni majority and a Shia minority)
Related ethnic groups
Other Indo-Aryan peoples Punjabis, Memons, Gujaratis, Pashtuns, Sindhis

Muhajir or Mohajir-Urdu (also called Urdu speakers) (Urdu: مہاجر) is a term widely used to describe the Urdu speaking Muslims that migrated to Pakistan after the independence of Pakistan and their descendants. As these Muslims came from all over India, the word cannot be used strictly as an ethnic group. They can also be identified as the native Urdu speakers of Pakistan.

Contents

[edit] Origin and meaning

A train with a group of people affected by the exchange of population during partition of India
A train with a group of people affected by the exchange of population during partition of India
Photo of a railway station in Pakistan. Many people abandoned their fixed assets and left for the country of their choice.
Photo of a railway station in Pakistan. Many people abandoned their fixed assets and left for the country of their choice.

Muhajir is an Arabic word, widely used in the Muslim world that refers to someone who has emigrated from one place to another. In particular, it refers to the early Muslims, companions of Prophet Muhammad, who emigrated with him from Makkah to Medina in the wake of the Hijra, as opposed to the Ansar, or Madinan Muslims of the time. (See Muhajirun.)

[edit] Historical background

The Muhajirs migrated to Pakistan in 1947 from the present-day Indian states of Delhi,Haryana,Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh (then the princely state of Hyderabad). They are united by many identical socio-cultural elements which include speaking the Urdu language as Mother tongue. Muhajirs are spread throughout Pakistan, with large concentrations in many urban areas (See below).

[edit] Muhajirs in Pakistan

“ We are Pakistani - not by chance but by choice ”

Muhajirs have sizeable population in the urban centres of Pakistan. They are in majority in the urban areas of Sindh and have significant population in major urban areas of Punjab. Following is the list of cities with significant Muhajir population, according to the 1998 census of Pakistan. [1] These percentages represent the population of native speakers of Urdu w.r.t the total of district's population.[2]

Note: The bifurcation of Hyderabad district in 2005, into a new urban city district, may have increased the population of Urdu speaking population to as high as two-thirds of the total district's population.

[edit] Muhajirs in Bangladesh

Main article: Biharis

In addition to the above population, an estimated 600,000 Urdu speaking Muhajirs from Bihar State live in 64 refugee camps throughout Bangladesh

[edit] Culture

Muhajirs are the real inheritors of the great Muslim cultural heritage of India. Their culture has traits of Mughal, Persian, Turkish, Pakhtun and Indian culture.

[edit] Political ideology

Muhajirs hold moderate and liberal opinions. Most tend to be secular and support ideals of Western democracy. Most Muhajirs held comfortable vocations in British India. Native Urdu speakers are the most highly educated ethnic group of Pakistan.

[edit] Language

The Urdu language binds the Muhajir community together. They have been speaking this language as Mother tongue for many centuries. Urdu has been the medium of the literature, history and journalism of South Asian Muslims during the last 200 years. Most of the work was complemented by ancestors of present Muhajirs and native Urdu speakers in India. Though Urdu is the lingua franca in Pakistan, only about 8% of the population uses it as a mother tongue, but it is still understood and spoken by as much as two-thirds of the population.Urdu still stands as the only language which bridges the communication gap between all Pakistani people, it is well understood all over Pakistan. The accent of Muhajirs is considered standard and decisive within Pakistan.

Although after emergence of Tarraqi-Pasand Tehreek, Punjab rose as one of the important centers of the Urdu language and produced many praiseworthy poets and story writers. However, the work on Urdu literary criticism, journalism, history, semantics, lexicography and theoretical and applied linguistics was introduced and conducted by Muhajirs.

[edit] Lifestyle

The urban lifestyle of Pakistan is mostly colored by Muhajirs in the major cities of Pakistan, as they originally immigrated from mostly urban centers of India before the independence of Pakistan. They have literally developed the Pakistani social and cultural values. Most of the Muhajir traditions ranging from Dress, Cuisine and Manners to Marriage and Funeral customs have greatly influenced the other ethnic group of Pakistan, especially the Punjabis

[edit] Cuisine

Muhajirs have one of the most exquisite culinary traditions in South Asia. Many popular foods of South Asia are essentially of Muhajir origin. Urdu speaking Indian Muslims invented hundreds of exquisite recipes, especially under the patronage of Nawabs of U.P and Hyderabad State. When some of them migrated to urban areas of Pakistan, they carried these rich cuisines with them. Some of the most famous dishes are such as "Shami Kebab", "Biryani", "Qorma", "Nihari","Kheer","Haleem","Halwajat", Bahari Kabab", Nargisi Koftay" and hundreds of other dishes.

[edit] Discrimination

Most Muhajirs who originally immigrated to Pakistan were more educated and skilled than their rural middle class counterparts. Despite having better academic qualifications and professional skills, some Muhajirs felt discrimination in public services. Introduction of a quota system, between provinces and in urban and rural Sindh.

Today, many observers have said that the open discrimination against Muhajirs has considerably been reduced, although the quota system is still applied. This was helped by the fact that some of the top Pakistani figures are of muhajir descent, including people of the performing arts and sports. It is also believed that discrimination against muhajirs has reduced or even vanished in some areas as current President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, and the Governor of Sindh are both Muhajirs. In addition to that, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), which was once a Muhajir political party, is running the city district government of the city of Karachi and is publicly allied to the central government in Islamabad. Another reason why discrimination has been reduced, is that many Muhajirs have intermarried with the other ethnic groups of Pakistan.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Muhajirs only constituted 7% of the Pakistani population but monopolized most of its bureaucracy due to their higher educational backgrounds. This created resentment in other linguistic and ethnic groups of Pakistan. The Pakistani government tried to create a balance by introducing job quotas in bureaucracy and educational institutions to help other ethnic and linguistic groups to get their fair representation comparable to their share in the Pakistani population. This affirmative action by the government of Pakistan was resented by the Muhajirs who preferred qualification and merit as the only criteria for jobs and admission into universities.

[edit] Pashtun Killers Episode

During the 1964 Presidential Elections, Many Urdu speakers were murdered by Pashtun and Punjabis in Karachi, as they were in favour of Fatima Jinnah. President General Ayub Khan fully supported them, with his own family members taking part in it (His son "Gohar Ayub" is reported to personally fired at innocent Muhajirs during a victory procession at "Lalu Khait"). A Shuhuda-i-Urdu mosque was erected in memory of the martyrs at Liaquatabad a.k.a "Lalu Khait" in Karachi.

[edit] 1972 Language Riots

In 1972, ethnic riots broke out between Muhajirs and Sindhis in Urban areas of Sindh, as Sindhi was imposed as official provincial language. Urdu speakers were against it, as Sindhis were not in absolute majority in the province. Sindhis started rioting and Muhajirs suffered heavily as these riots were fully supported by the government. Hundreds of Urdu speakers lost their lives. Another major impact was the flow of Muhajirs from urban areas of northern Sindh (Like Larkana, Shikarpur etc) to Karachi and Hyderabad.

[edit] Massacre of Aligarh

On December 15, 1986, a group of armed Afghans, Pashtuns and Punjabis seized the Aligarh, Orangi and Qasba colonies and adjacent areas of Karachi and killed innocent Muhajirs, burnt shops and houses, and raped women.[citation needed] Some buses and shops of innocent Pashtuns and Punjabis were burnt and a few of them were attacked the next day, in revenge riots.[citation needed] A total of 150 people were killed in the riots. [2]

[edit] 1992 military operation

June 19, 1992, an army operation was launched by the Pakistan Army on orders of Nawaz Sharif which was approved by parliament, to crush the militants in Karachi. The Army and State Agencies of Pakistan took action against the militants and destroyed them successfully to restore calm in Karachi and Hyderabad. During this time, MQM leader Altaf Hussain, with help of Nawaz Sharif, left the country. Many observers say that this action by Nawaz Sharif created rifts between him and the Army.

[edit] Muhajirs and the rise of MQM

The MQM party was formed by Altaf Hussain in 1985 which sought to bring political representation to the Muhajir community. The party currently holds a very strong footing in Karachi and urban Sindh ( Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas & Nawabshah ). Now the MQM is making inroads into the Northern Areas including Azad Kashmir, but has very limited support as Kashmiris share almost no cultural values with muhajirs, and it is an area where the Awami National Party has been the traditional stronghold. It is also active abroad, most notably in the UK, the US, and Canada where there is a significant diaspora of Pakistani muhajirs.

[edit] Viewpoint of Muhajir Intelligentsia

The highly educated class and intelligentsia of Muhajirs has given up its support for MQM, as it has failed to stand up for the rights of Urdu speakers. They think that instead of fighting for their rights, MQM has killed their own people i.e Muhajirs during the Haqiqi and Haq-Parast feuds. A true nationalist party would never kill the people, for whose rights its fighting for. It is also believed that MQM is an organ of Pakistani establishment, with basic objective to terrorize the Muhajirs,instead of fighting for their rights.

[edit] Bloody Memories of Army Operation

Although Pakistani army was successful in busting the activities of MQM, it was also responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people, who had nothing to do with the activities of MQM. It is believed that Pakistan Army deliberately killed hundreds of innocent Muhajirs, to terrorize and subjugate them. Similarly hundreds of Urdu speaking people were tortured to death in the police and paramilitary torture cells. It is estimated that as many as 10,000 native Urdu speakers lost their lives between 1992 and 1996.[citation needed] Nearly half of them died in the Haqiqi and Haq-Parast feuds, while the rest were killed by the Pakistan Army, Police and Paramilitary forces.

[edit] Muhajir celebrities after 1947

See main article for complete list: Famous Muhajirs

[edit] Politics

[edit] Judiciary

[edit] Diplomats

[edit] Bankers

[edit] Industrialists/Entrepreneurs

[edit] Religious Scholars

[edit] Educationists

[edit] Scientists

[edit] Art and literature

[edit] Performing art and media

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ taken from cia world fact book figures based upon the 1998 census of pakistan
  2. ^ the 1998 census was generally believed to under count the mohajirs as was reported by major newspapers at the time

[edit] External links

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