Pakistanis
in Diaspora
When
I landed in Dubai a while back I was pleased,
though not at all surprised, to be picked
up in a van driven by a Pakistani. At the
hotel the check-in clerk also turned out
to be a Pakistani. For dinner downstairs
I was served by a Pakistani waiter who placed
a heaping plateful of biryani in front of
me prepared by a Pakistani cook. These encounters
were hardly unusual in a country, the United
Arab Emirates, bursting at the seams with
economic progress where Pakistani diaspora
has taken root and is well into the second
or even the third generation.
The number of Pakistanis migrating abroad,
many permanently seeking economic well-being,
has been gradually increasing since the
early years of the republic. The Pakistani
diaspora in the Gulf region is the latest
to grow though it dates back to the discovery
of oil and the construction boom that followed.
If it were not for the interruptions caused
by political instability in the region the
Pakistani community today would number three
or four times the present estimate of two
million.
Diaspora is a convenient term used to refer
to a people of a distinct heritage living
scattered outside of their indigenous land.
The communities created abroad usually preserve
the culture, values and traditions of the
homeland. Those living abroad identify with
the land of their origin and maintain contacts
with it through visits, marriages, remittances
and other forms of social relationships.
The most often noticed Pakistani diaspora
today is the one in the West, centered in
Britain. However, Pakistani communities
have emerged scattered around the globe
and can be classified into three categories
along a historical-geographical continuum.
The most extensive diaspora has emerged
in the West, somewhat less well-known is
the one in the Gulf area of the Middle East,
and the ones virtually unknown are in the
former British colonies.
Pakistanis began venturing out in search
of employment almost immediately after the
independence of the country. Britain was
the preferred destination, in fact the sole
destination, for many who migrated owing
to prior contacts or the familiarity with
the British people. Within ten years of
the independence tiny clusters of Pakistanis
began to appear in London. Earlier during
this phase, in the fifties, the entire Pakistani
community could be accommodated for Eid
celebrations at the smallish Woking Muslim
Mosque in the suburbs of London. However,
what followed later on was an influx of
immigrants from Pakistan and much of South
Asia.
The initial arrivals were virtually all,
unskilled and semi-skilled workers, with
scattered handful of students among them.
As the community developed wives followed
together with children, brides and bridegrooms
as well as parents and others. The Pakistani
diaspora took shape right in front of our
eyes. Fathers came, their children were
born and raised in Britain, and now the
sons’ children are growing up. The
community has become rooted in the ground
though their attachment to the ancestral
homeland is as strong as ever.
While job seekers were departing for Britain
another trickle of individuals were heading
for the United States and Canada. These
were mostly students in pursuit of higher
education with the intention of coming back.
The highly restrictive immigration laws
of the two countries did not permit the
issuance of visas to the less qualified.
It was not until much later that immigration
policies were liberalized for others to
be admitted.
A visible Pakistani community developed
on this side of the Atlantic rather gradually
with students, who had subsequently become
professionals and mostly decided to stay,
as the foundation. Compared to the community
in Britain the Pakistanis of North America
are both more educated and relatively wealthy.
However, the average educational level of
the community has been declining with the
arrival of newcomers lacking in literacy
skills.
The North American community is also much
smaller and much more spread out in a vast
land. Only two neighborhoods in the United
States carry the distinct Pakistani flavor,
one in Chicago and the other in Queens,
New York. Canada probably has a few more.
However, much like in Britain the Pakistanis
in America have been in the forefront of
organizing the Muslim community.
The other major Pakistani diaspora appeared
in the Gulf area of the Middle East. It
began with the recruitment of unskilled
and semi-skilled workers for the oil industry.
The bulk of the workers brought in came
under fixed-term contracts that were strictly
enforced initially. Almost all who came
had to return. However, with greater economic
development, longer term extensions began
to be granted, some even indefinitely. Quite
a few workers also obtained permission to
bring in their wives and children and other
members of the family. What had initially
been a program of recruitment of foreign
workers for temporary stay has gradually
become a form of immigration into the country.
Many of the earlier arrivals sought, and
were granted permanent residence. The issue
of permanency remains a cherished and difficult
status to obtain.
Despite uncertainties Pakistani communities
are thriving in virtually all of the Gulf
States. Urdu is widely spoken in the area.
Those Pakistanis who fled from Kuwait during
the Gulf War of 1991 have returned and their
numbers are up to the pre-war level. On
the other hand the community in Iraq has
dwindled considerably owing to the conflict
underway in that unfortunate land.
The third and the oldest type of Pakistani
diaspora exist in the former British colonies
scattered around the globe. Today, these
territories are all sovereign, independent
nation-states, with identities of their
own. The ancestors of Pakistanis living
in these countries were recruited by Britain
from the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent about
a century ago. The workers were given long-term
contracts and provided passages to their
destination. Their responsibility was to
work under British supervision for the economic
development of the land to which they were
taken.
After the expiration of their contractual
obligations many recruits decided to stay
on. They took advantage of the opportunities
available and developed a reputation for
hard work. Quite a few became financially
successful, even managing to acquire small
fortunes. Since they were well-off some
supported their relatives in the subcontinent
through regular remittances. One major consequence
of their better position was the development
of well-organized communities in the lands
of their citizenship.
Today, varying sizes of Pakistani communities
are found in places such as Malaysia, South
Africa, Guyana, Fiji, Trinidad, Mauritius
and elsewhere. Despite decades of residence
abroad, the culture, traditions, customs
and the language of the ancestral homeland
is well preserved. This is enhanced by contacts
with relatives, regular visits, marriages
and other forms of exchanges. The religious
delegations such as the ones organized by
Tablighi Jamaat have also contributed to
closeness. Ironically, Indian films with
Urdu dialogue have played an important role
in fostering linguistic fluency and cultural
reinforcement.
In much more recent times Pakistani communities
have begun to appear in West European countries.
While still undergoing organizational development
some of these groups have captured the attention
of the local media as in Denmark, Holland
and Norway. A number of these communities
are the offshoots of the older community
in Britain though with replenishment of
immigrants from Pakistan. Once a small settlement
takes places institutions such as mosques,
restaurants and grocery stores are established
to serve the growing community. Continental
Europe remains a frontier for the Pakistani
diaspora to expand.
To this point Pakistanis have not ventured
out to Latin America where opportunities
are abundant. Elsewhere, there is Kazakhstan
and the rest of Central Asia closer to home.
The truly venturesome may profit immensely
by encroaching into these areas and becoming
pioneers in yet another Pakistani diaspora.
