Kashmiri diaspora

The Kashmiri diaspora refers to [people from (pre 1947)State of Jammu and Kashmir ] who have migrated out of the Jammu and Kashmir region, consisting of Pakistan-administered Kashmir (Azad Kashmir and Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan), the Indian-administered Jammu-Ladakh and Kashmir as well as the Chinese administered territory of Aksai Chin, into other areas and countries and their descendants.

Pakistan and India

Within Pakistan and India, Kashmiris have migrated towards many provinces and states.

Punjab

Migration from Kashmir to the Punjab region has been historic, given that both regions border each other. The northern portions of the Pakistani province of Punjab including Rawalpindi District have large populations of Kashmiri origin, many of whom have assimilated into Punjabi culture and have adopted the Punjabi language over the course of generations. Some ethnic clans in Punjab which draw Kashmiri ancestral roots include Minhas, Butt and the Raja; simultaneously, many Hindu Kashmiris (Kashmiri Pandits) are found throughout different parts of India (including Indian Punjab) following their expulsion from Kashmir.

Notable Punjabis in Pakistan who have Kashmiri ancestry include the Sharif brothers (Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif); the renowned poet Allama Iqbal was also a Punjabi of Kashmiri origin.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is home to one of the largest Kashmiri diasporic populations. The overwhelming number of Kashmiris in the UK are from the Distric of Mirpur in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. According to various estimates, nearly half of the total one-million British Pakistani population is of Kashmiri origin; they settled in the UK following the completion of the Mangla Dam in Mirpur in the late 1950s which led to the destruction of hundreds of villages. Up to 5,000 people from Mirpur (five per cent of the displaced)^[1] left for Britain, the displaced Kashmiris being given legal and financial assistance by the British contractor which had built the dam.^[2] Over time, the Kashmiri diaspora in Britain grew rapidly.

Australia

There is a Kashmir Council of Australia set up by Kashmiri expatriates in Australia.^[3] Notable Kashmiri Australians include Hanifa Deen and Peter Qasim.

References