Indians in Pakistan
widely-defined demographic of ethnic Indians within Pakistan
Indians in Pakistan typically refers to Indian nationals working, studying or generally residing in Pakistan as expatriates. It also includes Indian emigrants to Pakistan, Indian spouses married to Pakistanis and Muhajirs.
History
There has been a history of immigration occurring between India and Pakistan due to the two countries sharing a common border. Between 1979 and 1981, there were estimated to be roughly 18,302 Indians who were overstaying illegally in Pakistan. According to Pakistani government figures in 1995, there were believed to be thousands of Indian immigrants living in Karachi, Sindh.
In 2005, the Indian government acknowledged that there were 1,348 Indians in Pakistani jails, including civilians, captured fishermen, convicted criminals and prisoners of war. India has alleged that Dawood Ibrahim, a prominent Indian underworld don, resides in the Pakistani city of Karachi, although this claim has been rejected by Pakistan. Former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, stated that Ibrahim is "held in 'high esteem' by many in [Pakistan]". In 2008, the Indian foreign ministry advised its citizens to avoid travel to Pakistan after a series of mass-suicide bombings in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. As of 2013, there were 1,184 Indians serving prison sentences in Pakistani jails.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Indians in Pakistan” as widely-defined demographic of ethnic Indians within Pakistan. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as widely-defined demographic of ethnic Indians within Pakistan. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6024119. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1979, 1981, 1995 and 2005.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Indians in Pakistan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Indians in Pakistan primary sources, Indians in Pakistan archive and Indians research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Indians in Pakistan”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Indians in Pakistan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.