Kurds in Pakistan explained

Kurds in Pakistan (Kurdish: Kurdên li Pakistanê, {{Nastaliq|کوردان له‌ پاکستان, Urdu: {{Nastaliq|پاکستان میں کُرد) comprise people residing in Pakistan who are of Kurdish origin. They are a small population consisting mainly of expatriates and transient migrants, most of whom arrived following the start of the Gulf War in Iraq in 1990.

Demographics

As many as 4,000-5,000 Kurds, originating from Iraqi Kurdistan, migrated to Pakistan in the early 1990s when the Gulf War broke out in Iraq. A large number of them were based in Islamabad.^[1] As of 2013, up to 240 Iraqi Kurds were still living in the country.^[2] The majority of them were secondary migrants and asylum seekers, and were registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) operating in Pakistan.^[2] Among them is a younger generation which is born in Pakistan.^[3] Over the years, these transient migrants have been able to obtain immigration and have resettled in other countries in Europe and North America, with the help of the UNHCR.^[2]

As Pakistan is not a signatory of the 1951 refugee convention, most Kurdish migrants are not able to acquire Pakistani citizenship. Due to their legal status, many tend to face social challenges relating to economic constraints, finding employment, healthcare, resettlement and other services.^[2] Members of the Kurdish community have raised their concerns with the UNHCR and other authorities, calling for the addressing of such issues.^{[4] [2]}

Notable people

• Rez Gardi, New Zealand lawyer and human rights activist^[5]
• Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani politician, Prime Minister of Kurdish origin^[6]
• Fatima Bhutto, Pakistani Writer
• Murtaza Bhutto, Pakistani politician and leader of al-Zulfiqar, a Pakistani left-wingmilitant organization
• Nusrat Bhutto, public figure of Kurdish origin, who served as spouse of the Prime Minister of Pakistan between 1971 until the 1977 coup, and as a senior member of the federal cabinet between 1988 and 1990.
• Shahnawaz Bhutto, son of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1971 to 1977 and Begum Nusrat Bhutto, who was of Iranian Kurdish descent
• Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr, Pakistani visual artist, performance artist and curator.
• Nahid Mirza, aristocrat who became the first lady of Pakistan from 1956 to 1958
• Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistani politician and the current chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

See also

• Kurdish diaspora
• Kurdish refugees
• Immigration to Pakistan

Notes and References

1. News: Pakistani forces raided on Kurdish refugees. Kurdsat. 4 December 2012. 9 October 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141026095406/http://www.kurdsat.tv/news.php?id=339&type=onthisday. 26 October 2014. dead.
2. News: Iraqi refugees – leading an uncertain life. Dawn. 20 June 2013. 9 October 2014.
3. Book: Ember. Carol R.. Ember. Melvin. Skoggard. Ian. Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. Volume I: Overviews and Topics; Volume II: Diaspora Communities. 2005. Springer Science & Business Media. 9780306483219. 1005.
4. News: Iraqi refugees protest against UNHCR. Dawn. 25 June 2013. 9 October 2014.
5. Web site: National Portrait: Rez Gardi, lawyer, resettled refugee, outstanding young New Zealander. 17 February 2017.
6. Web site: Begum Nusrat Bhutto .