Muhajir (Pakistan)
The Muhajir people (also spelled Mahajir and Mohajir) (Urdu: مہاجر, lit. 'Immigrant') are Muslim immigrants of various ethnic groups and regional origins, and their descendants, who migrated from various regions of India after the Partition of India to settle in the newly independent state of Pakistan. The community includes those immigrants' descendants, most of whom are settled in Karachi and other parts of urban Sindh. The Muhajir community also includes stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh who migrated to Pakistan after 1971 following the secession of East Pakistan in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
مہاجر | |
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Photo from The Manchester Guardian of a group of Muslim migrants boarding a Pakistan-bound train in Delhi amidst the partition of India, c. 1947–1953 | |
| Total population | |
| c. 15 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Pakistan | 14,703,744 (2017 census) |
| Bangladesh | 300,000 |
| United Kingdom | 269,000 |
| United States | 188,983 |
| United Arab Emirates | 80,000 |
| Canada | 74,405 |
| Australia | 69,131 |
| Saudi Arabia | 53,000 |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (majority) Christianity (minority) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Part of a series on |
| Muhajirs |
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Muhajir portal |
The total population of the Muhajir people worldwide is estimated to be around 15 million, and the overwhelming majority of this figure (14.7 million) is located in Pakistan, according to the 2017 Pakistani census. The official census of Karachi, which has historically hosted the country's largest Muhajir population, has been challenged by most of Sindh's political parties. Some independent organizations have estimated that the Muhajirs number around 30 million people.