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Pakistan
Punjabis
Most Punjabis trace their ancestry to pre-Islamic Jat and Rajput
castes. However, as they intermarried with other ethnic groups
who came to the area, certain qaums (clan or tribal groups)
came to predominate, especially Gujjars, Awans, Arains, and Khokkars
in northern Punjab, and Gilanis, Gardezis, Qureshis, and Abbasis
in the south. Other Punjabis trace their heritage to Arabia, Persia,
Balochistan, Afghanistan, and Kashmir. Thus, in contrast with
many other areas, where people often remained isolated, Punjabis
had very diverse origins. The extent of this diversity facilitated
their coalescence into a coherent ethnic community that has historically
placed great emphasis both on farming and on fighting.
In censuses taken in British India, Punjabis were typically divided
into "functional castes" or "agricultural tribes." The word caste,
however, is grounded in the Hindu notions of reincarnation and
karma; Muslims totally reject these religious connotations and
use the term qaum instead. Tribal affiliation, based
on descent and occupational specialization, tends to merge in
Punjab into a qaum identity. An occupational group typically
claims descent from a single ancestor, and many tribes traditionally
followed a single occupation. The traditional occupation gives
the group its name as well as its general position in the social
hierarchy.
An important aspect of Punjabi ethnicity is reciprocity at the
village level. A man's brother is his friend, his friend is his
brother, and both enjoy equal access to his resources. Traditionally,
a person has virtually free access to a kinsman's resources without
foreseeable payback. This situation results in social networks
founded on local (kinship-based) group needs as opposed to individual
wants. These networks in turn perpetuate not only friendly relations
but also the structure of the community itself. There is great
social pressure on an individual to share and pool such resources
as income, political influence, and personal connections. Kinship
obligations continue to be central to a Punjabi's identity and
concerns. Distinctions based on qaum remain significant
social markers, particularly in rural areas.
Punjabis predominate in the upper echelons of the military and
civil service and in large part run the central government. This
situation is resented by many Pakhtuns, Baloch, and, particularly
by Sindhis, whose numbers and wealth are comparatively small and
who are proportionately underrepresented in public positions.
Particularly galling to Sindhis is the fact that the muhajirs,
who live mainly in their province, are the only overrepresented
group in public positions, which is generally traceable to better
education in India prior to migrating in 1947. In the early 1980s,
tensions mounted between Punjabis and Sindhis because the latter
group was feeling alienated from the state. The capital had been
moved from Karachi (in Sindh) to Islamabad (in northern Punjab)
and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (from Sindh) was not only ousted but hanged.
Of the three most prominent national politicians in the 1980s
and early 1990s, two were Punjabis: President Zia ul-Haq and Prime
Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif. Only Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan People's
Party leader and prime minister from October 1993, is Sindhi.
Data as of April 1994
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