British Pakistanis

British Pakistanis (also known as Pakistani British people or Pakistani Britons) are British citizens whose ancestral roots lie in Pakistan. This includes people who were born in the United Kingdom and are of Pakistani descent, and Pakistani-born people who have migrated to the country. The majority of British Pakistanis are from the Punjab and Kashmir regions, with a smaller number from the Pashtun regions and other parts of the country. The United Kingdom is home to the largest overseas Pakistani community. British Pakistanis make up the second largest subgroup of British Asians and are also the second largest ethnic minority population in the United Kingdom.
History

Immigration to the U.K. from the region which is now Pakistan began in the mid-seventeenth century, but this was fleeting and minuscule in number. During the British Raj people from this region served as soldiers in the British Indian Army and some were deployed in other parts of the British Empire. However it was following the Second World War, the break-up of the British Empire and the independence of Pakistan, that Pakistani immigration to the United Kingdom increased, especially during the 1950s and 1960s. This was made easier by the fact that Pakistan was a member of the Commonwealth. Pakistani immigrants helped to resolve labour shortages in the British steel and textile industries. Doctors from Pakistan were recruited by the National Health Service in the 1960s.

Population

The demographics of British Pakistanis have changed considerably since they first arrived in the UK. The population has grown from about 10,000 in 1951 to roughly 1.2 million today. The most diverse Pakistani population is in London which consists of Punjabis, Pashtuns, Kashmiris, Sindhis, Saraikis, Balochis as well as Urdu-speaking people (mostly from Karachi) and others.


Population distribution


London

The 2001 census recorded 142,749 British Pakistanis living in the Greater London area. By 2011, this...