Baloch diaspora

Baloch diaspora

Total population
25–30 Million

The Baloch diaspora refers to Baloch people, and their descendants, who have emigrated to places outside the Balochistan region of South-West Asia – a region stretching from southwestern Pakistan to southeastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. The Baloch diaspora is found throughout the Middle East, South Asia, Turkmenistan, East Africa, Europe, North America and in other parts of the world.

Pakistan

Within Pakistan, there are significant numbers of Baloch tribes that have migrated partially or totally and settled in regions outside of Balochistan, mostly into Sindh. Some have also migrated into southern Punjab, especially in the Saraiki speaking regions as well as southeast Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Many have become entirely assimilated into their host cultures. The Zardari tribe and Jatoi tribe for example are now culturally Sindhi Baloch. The Talpur dynasty is a Baloch tribe that ruled over Sindh. Meanwhile, the Legharis of Sindh and Southern Punjab speak both Sindhi and Saraiki.

Worldwide populations

Middle East

There are large numbers of Baloch living in Oman, the UAE and other Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

Europe

There are also significant populations in Norway, Sweden, and other European countries.

Turkmenistan

There is a population of Baloch in Turkmenistan who migrated there in the early 20th century, estimated in 1997 to number between 38,000 and 40,000.^[1][2]

East Africa

There is also a small but historic Baloch community in East Africa, left over from when the Sultanate of Muscat ruled over Zanzibar and the Swahili Coast.^[3][4] These migrants were largely from Makran and southern Balochistan.

India

There are also a number of settlements of Baloch in India, mainly in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. They now speak either Urdu, Gujarati and Kutchi, depending on their location.

North America

Smaller but sizeable Baloch communities are found throughout various states in the United States and Canada. Baloch immigrants in North America have formed their own cultural associations and tend to keep the community active through social occasions.

See also

• Overseas Pakistani
• Sindhi Baloch
• Punjabi Baloch
• Baluch of India
• List of Baloch tribes

References

1. MOSHKALO, Vyacheslav V. 2000: "Language and Culture of the Baloch in Turkmenistan". In: Carina JAHANI (ed.): Language in Society – Eight Sociolinguistic Essays on Balochi [Studia Iranica Upsaliensia 3]. Uppsala: Uppsala University, pp. 97–103
2. Languages of Turkmenistan, Ethnologue.com
3. Lodhi, Abdulaziz Y. 2000. A note on the Baloch in East Africa. In: Language in society: eight sociolinguistic essays on Balochi, Studia iranica upsaliensia, no 3, pp 91–95. Edited by Carina Jahani. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis
4. Baluchis from East Africa: In Search of Our Roots, accessed 27-June-2010

Further reading

• Kokaislová, Pavla and Petr Kokaisl. Ethnic Identity of The Baloch People. Central Asia and The Caucasus. Journal of Social and Political Studies. Volume 13, Issue 3, 2012, p. 45-55. ISSN 1404-6091.
• Nicolini, Beatrice. The Baluch Role in the Persian Gulf during the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East – Volume 27, Number 2, 2007, pp. 384–396
• Nicolini, Beatrice, The Makran-Baluch-African Network in Zanzibar and East Africa during the XIXth Century, African and Asian Studies, Volume 5, Numbers 3–4, 2006, pp. 347–370(24)
• Baloch Nationalism: Its Origin and Development, Taj Mohammad Breseeg, 2004