Regions with significant populations | |
---|---|
Karachi · Islamabad · Lahore | |
Languages | |
Arabic (Palestinian Arabic) · English (Pakistani English) · Urdu · other Palestinian languages | |
Religion | |
Islam (predominantly Sunni) Christianity (Christian Palestinians) | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Palestinian diaspora, Arabs in Pakistan |
Palestinians in Pakistan (Arabic: فلسطينيو باكستان) once compromised a population of 8,000 during the 1970s.[1] Now, however, the community has considerably grew to figures ranging between 40,000 and 50,000. Most Palestinians found in Pakistan are most commonly students of medicine and engineering, seeking education in various universities and institutions across the country such as Karachi, Lahore, Hyderabad, Quetta and Multan. Settled families on the other hand, are primarily based in Islamabad and Karachi.[2]
The recent years have shown an increase in the number of Palestinians migrating to the country, as students increasingly opt to complete undergraduate degrees in Universities in Islamabad and Karachi. Pakistani government reserves 50 seats for Palestinian students in universities across the country: 13 are for medicine, 4 for dentistry, 23 for engineering, and 10 for pharmacy. Eight scholarships are also offered. Over 45,000 Palestinian students have graduated from universities and institutes in Pakistan.[3][4]