Pakistanis in Sri Lanka
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 300-400 7,000 - 10,000 (Memons) ~1350 Pakistani refugees | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Colombo | [1] |
| Languages | |
| Urdu, Memoni, Tamil, Sinhalese | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Memons, Sri Lankan Moors, Sri Lankan Malays | |
Pakistanis in Sri Lanka constitute a population of 300-400 according to the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation.[2] Additionally, about 1350 Pakistani refugees reside in the country.[3] Most Pakistanis residing in Sri Lanka are workers, students and refugees. Mostly Muslim by religion, the majority are found in the Sri Lankan business and financial capital of Colombo.
History[edit]
People hailing from present-day Pakistan have a history of immigrating to Sri Lanka as back as the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Memons of Sri Lanka for instance, are an important Muslim minority who claim descent from Sindhi Memon traders that arrived from Sindh to Sri Lanka in the 1870s.
Memons[edit]
Memons in Sri Lanka arrived from Sindh in the 1870s. In late 1900 certain Memon merchants mainly from Kutiyana, Porbandar and Upleta travelled to Sri Lanka for trading. They are currently an important Muslim minority in the country. Sunni Muslim by origin, they are entrepreneurs who settled in Sri Lanka for business opportunities during the colonial period. Some of these people came to the country as far back as the Portuguese period; others arrived during the British period from various parts of India. The Memons, first arrived in 1870 from northwestern India (Gujarat State). As of the early 21st Century they number over 10,000.
Pakistani refugees[edit]
Sri Lanka is home to about 1350 Pakistani refugees, most of whom are Ahmadi Muslims. They mostly reside in Negombo. In the aftermath of the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, anti-refugee sentiment rose in Sri Lanka and as a result, Pakistani and other Muslim refugees faced discrimination. Pakistani and Afghan refugees were evicted from their homes by landlords amid threats from mobs who threatened to destroy their homes. Their physical and linguistic differences made them easy targets in the aftermath of the attacks.[4] As a result, they were placed in a police station in Negombo and two Ahmadi mosques which were set up as "make-shift [sic] refugee camps".[5]
Notable people[edit]
Notable Pakistani expatriates who reside in Sri Lanka include:
- Irfan Husain - Pakistani civil servant and columnist who spends time equally between Karachi, London and Sri Lanka, where he maintains a summer vacation house.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Colombo
- ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-05-24. Retrieved 2017-11-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link) 2004-2005 OPF Yearbook (PDF) - ↑ https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature/2019/07/29/sri-lanka-anti-muslim-backlash-evicted-refugees-search-safe-homes
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/asia/sri-lankas-muslims.html
- ↑ https://groundviews.org/2019/05/04/refugee-crisis-in-sri-lanka-after-the-east-sunday-bombings/
- ↑ High Life - A Pakistani in Sri Lanka
External links[edit]
- Pakistani community in Sri Lanka celebrates Independence Day[permanent dead link]
- Sri Lanka jails 254 Pakistan nationals: Asian Tribune
- Sri Lanka may have 20,000 illegals mainly from Pakistan, India: report
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