The Balochs of Punjab (; Saraiki, ) are a community of Saraiki and Punjabi-speaking tribes of either full or partial Baloch descent settled in the Punjab province of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The majority of which live in southern Punjab, including

Dera Ghazi Khan Dera Ghazi Khan, abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 16th most-populous city in Punjab and List of most p ...

and

Rajanpur Rajanpur is a city and the headquarters of Rajanpur District in the far southwestern part of Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. The district lies entirely west of the Indus River. History Rajanpur was founded by Sheikh Rajan Shah, the Makhdoom ...

, which adjoin the province of Balochistan. Numerous of which no longer speak Balochi and instead speak Punjabi, Saraiki and Sindhi.

History

Since 12th century Baloch chieftains ruled over most of Balochistan.

Mir Jalal khan Jalal Khan ( Balochi:) is a legendary figure in the history of the Baloch people who led 44 Baloch tribes from Persia to Makran, founding the first Baloch confederacy in the 12th century. He died in Kech, Makran, leaving behind four sons: ''Rin ...

and Mir Chakar after the establishment of the Baloch Confederation, They extended their dominance on outside the borders of Balochistan, Mir Chakar seized control over Punjab and captured

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

. The great Baloch kingdom was based on tribal confederationn, Punjab and Balochistan remained under his rule for a period of time. According to Dr. Akhtar Baloch, Professor at

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

, the Baloch migrated from

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...

during the

Little Ice Age The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of regional cooling, particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic region. It was not a true ice age of global extent. The term was introduced into scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939. Mat ...

and settled in

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

and

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

. 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

and

. 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.

Demographics

In his book ''Searchlights on Baloches and Balochistan'' (1997), Justice Mir Khuda Bakhsh Marri estimated the Baloch population in Punjab to number 6 million, most of them not speaking Balochi as mother tongue anymore, but Punjabi and Saraiki; Marri concentrated on the statistics given by the British colonialists in

British Punjab The Punjab Province, officially the Province of the Punjab, was a province of British India, with its capital in Lahore and summer capitals in Murree and Simla. At its greatest extent, it stretched from the Khyber Pass to Delhi; and from th ...

during their research, such as the Punjab Census Report of 1931, extrapolating the numbers by looking at the natural growth of Pakistan's overall population.

References

{{Baloch diaspora Social groups of Punjab, Pakistan Punjabi tribes

Saraiki tribes

History

Demographics

See also

References