Armenians in Pakistan

Armenians in Pakistan

Regions with significant populations
Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore
Languages
Armenian and Urdu
Religion
Majority Christianity and a large Shia Muslim Minority

The Armenians in Pakistan are ethnic Armenians living in the country Pakistan. Many Armenians migrated from the surrounding countries of Iran, Afghanistan and India. Armenians have settled various parts of South Asia and many migrated to Karachi during the economic boom in the early 20th century. Notable Armenian settlements in Pakistan can be found in the cities of Karachi, Lahore and in the capital Islamabad. These Armenians are mostly rich and well-settled.

History

There was a fairly large Armenian colony in Lahore as early as the 16th century, in the time of the Mughul Empire. Armenians prospered there, and while most were general merchants, members of the community were also noted as owners of breweries.

In 1711, there was a Bishop of the Armenian Church in Lahore. However, many Armenians, including twenty merchants with their families, fled from the city after a Mughul governor threatened them. The community of the 17th and 18th centuries was greatly reduced, but with the arrival of British India, an Armenian presence continued in this part of the South Asia until the early 20th century. In 1907, the remaining Armenians in Lahore were visited by Armenian Archbishop Sahak Ayvadian, a primate of the Indo-Iranian Diocese in Calcutta.

The numbers of Armenians in Pakistan are much lower than they once were, but there is still an Armenian presence in Karachi, estimated at around hundred thousand individuals. They have further been bolstered by newer Armenian migrants from have arrived from neighboring Iran and Afghanistan and exact figures are uncertain due to census irregularities. Currently Armenians make up one of the largest christian Minority groups in Pakistan.

See also

• Armenia–Pakistan relations