British Pakistanis
British Pakistanis (Urdu: برطانیہ میں مقیم پاکستانی; also known as Pakistani British people or Pakistani Britons) are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in Pakistan. This includes people born in the UK who are of Pakistani descent, Pakistani-born people who have migrated to the UK and those of Pakistani origin from overseas who migrated to the UK.
This article is about British people of Pakistani descent. For other uses, see British Pakistanis (disambiguation).
The UK is home to the largest Pakistani community in Europe, with the population of British Pakistanis exceeding 1.5 million based on the 2021 Census. British Pakistanis are the second-largest ethnic minority population in the United Kingdom and also make up the second-largest sub-group of British Asians. In addition, they are one of the largest Overseas Pakistani communities, similar in number to the Pakistani diaspora in the UAE.[4][5] The majority of British Pakistanis originate from the Azad Kashmir and Punjab regions, with a smaller number from other parts of Pakistan including Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan.
Due to the historical relations between the two countries, immigration to the UK from the region, which is now Pakistan, began in small numbers in the mid-nineteenth century when parts of what is now Pakistan came under the British India. People from those regions served as soldiers in the British Indian Army and some were deployed to other parts of the British Empire. However, it was following the Second World War and 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 as Pakistan was a member of the Commonwealth.[6] Pakistani immigrants helped to solve labour shortages in the British steel, textile and engineering industries. The National Health Service (NHS) recruited doctors from Pakistan in the 1960s.[7]
The British Pakistani population has grown from about 10,000 in 1951 to over 1.5 million in 2021.[1][8] The vast majority of them live in England, with a sizable number in Scotland and smaller numbers in Wales and Northern Ireland. According to the 2021 Census, Pakistanis in England and Wales numbered 1,587,819 or 2.7% of the population.[9][10] In Northern Ireland, the equivalent figure was 1,596, representing less than 0.1% of the population.[3] The census in Scotland was delayed for a year and took place in 2022; ethnicity results for Scotland are expected to be published in early 2024.[11] The majority of British Pakistanis are Muslim; around 93% of those living in England and Wales at the time of the 2021 Census stated their religion was Islam.[12]
Since their settlement, British Pakistanis have had diverse contributions and influences on British society, politics, culture, economy and sport. Whilst social issues include high relative poverty rates among the community according to the 2001 census,[13] significant progress has been made in recent years, with the 2021 Census showing British Pakistanis as having amongst the highest levels of homeownership in England and Wales.[14][15]
Health and social issues[edit]
Health[edit]
Pakistanis together with Bangladeshis in the UK have poor health by many measures, for instance there is a fivefold rate of diabetes.[170] Pakistani men have the highest rate of heart disease in the UK.[171]
In the UK, women of South Asian heritage, including British Pakistanis, are the least likely to attend breast cancer screening. A study showed that British-Pakistani women faced cultural and language barriers and were not aware that breast screening takes place in a female-only environment.[172][173][174]
Media[edit]
Cinema[edit]
Notable films that depict the lives of British Pakistanis include My Beautiful Laundrette, which received a BAFTA award nomination, and the popular East is East which won a BAFTA award, a British Independent Film Award and a London Film Critics' Circle Award. The Infidel looked at a British Pakistani family living in East London,[258] and depicted religious issues and the identity crisis facing a young member of the family. The film Four Lions looked at issues of religion and extremism. It followed British Pakistanis living in Sheffield in the North of England. The sequel to East is East, called West is West, was released in the UK on 25 February 2011.[259]
Citizen Khan is a sitcom developed by Adil Ray which is based on a British Pakistani family in Sparkhill, Birmingham, dubbed the "capital of British Pakistan".[260] The soap opera EastEnders also features many British Pakistani characters.[261] Pakistani Lollywood films have been screened in British cinemas.[262][263] Indian Bollywood films are also shown in British cinemas and are popular with many second generation British Pakistanis and British Asians.[264]
Television[edit]
BBC has news services in Urdu and Pashto.[265][266]
In 2005, the BBC showed an evening of programmes under the title Pakistani, Actually, offering an insight into the lives of Pakistanis living in Britain and some of the issues faced by the community.[267][268] The executive producer of the series said, "These documentaries provide just a snapshot of contemporary life among British Pakistanis—a community who are often misunderstood, neglected or stereotyped."[267]
The Pakistani channels of GEO TV, ARY Digital and many others are available to watch on subscription. These channels are based in Pakistan and cater to the Pakistani diaspora, as well as anyone of South Asian origin. They feature news, sports and entertainment, with some channels broadcast in Urdu/Hindi.
Mishal Husain is of Pakistani descent, and a newsreader and presenter for the BBC.[269] Saira Khan hosts the BBC children's programme Beat the Boss. Martin Bashir is a Christian Pakistani[270] who worked for ITV, then American Broadcasting Company, before becoming BBC News Religious Affairs correspondent in 2016.
Radio[edit]
The BBC Asian Network is a radio station available across the entire UK and is aimed at Britons of South Asian origin under 35 years of age.[271] Apart from this popular station, there are many other national radio stations for or run by the British Pakistani community, including Sunrise and Kismat Radio of London.
Regional British Pakistani stations include Asian Sound of Manchester, Radio XL and Apni Awaz of Bradford and Sunrise Radio Yorkshire which based in Bradford.[272] These radio stations generally run programmes in a variety of South Asian languages.
Print[edit]
The Pakistani newspaper the Daily Jang has the largest circulation of any daily Urdu-language newspaper in the world.[273] It is sold at several Pakistani newsagents and grocery stores across the UK. Urdu newspapers, books and other periodical publications are available in libraries which have a dedicated Asian languages service.[274] Examples of British-based newspapers written in English include the Asian News (published by Trinity Mirror) and the Eastern Eye. These are free weekly newspapers aimed at all British Asians.[275][276]
British Pakistanis involved in print media include Sarfraz Manzoor, who is a regular columnist for The Guardian,[277] one of the largest and most popular newspaper groups in the UK. Anila Baig is a feature writer at The Sun, the biggest-selling newspaper in the UK.[278]