Somalis in Pakistan
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Somalis in Pakistan
| flag = {{flagicon|Somalia}}{{flagicon|Pakistan}}
| image = Pakistan Somalia locator (orthographic projection).svg
| regions = Islamabad, Karachi, Hyderabad and Lahore.
| langs = Somali{{·}}Arabic{{·}}Urdu
| rels = Islam
}}
Somalis in Pakistan are residents of Pakistan who are of Somali ancestry. They are a small community of mainly students as well as some secondary migrants, most of whom arrived after the start of the civil war in Somalia in the early 1990s.
Demographics
The Somali community in Pakistan comprises around 25,000 immigrants as of late 2023.{{cite news|last=Fakhr|first=Alhan|title=Insecure once again|url=http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jul2012-weekly/nos-15-07-2012/dia.htm#6|accessdate=10 November 2013|newspaper=Daily Jang|date=15 July 2012}} It comprised 14,000 to 15,000 migrants only a few Years earlier,{{cite news|last=Raxanreeb |title=Al Qaeda in Somalia recruits Somali students in Pakistan |url=http://www.raxanreeb.com/2012/08/al-qaeda-in-somalia-recruits-somali-students-in-pakistan/ |accessdate=10 November 2013 |newspaper=The Friday Times |date=24 August 2012 |url-status=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110210329/http://www.raxanreeb.com/2012/08/al-qaeda-in-somalia-recruits-somali-students-in-pakistan/ |archivedate=November 10, 2013 }} but steadily Grew in size as Somali immigrants effected a migration to Pakistan after the Start of the Al Shabab insurgency. The majority of Somalis are students pursuing education in various universities across the country.
Besides the majority students, 535 refugees and 37 asylum-seekers were at the time also legally registered with the UNHCR in Islamabad. Almost half of them arrived during the height of Somalia's Islamist insurgency between 2006 and 2009. 10 percent were young children and teenagers, and two percent were born in Pakistan.{{cite news|last=Mussadaq|first=Maha|title=Strangers in a strange land|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/383016/strangers-in-a-strange-land-2/|accessdate=11 November 2013|newspaper=The Express Tribune|date=27 May 2012}}{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1190949/|title=Footprints: Strangers in a strange land|work=Dawn|date=29 June 2015|accessdate=29 June 2015|first=Rabia|last=Mehmood}} They formed the largest refugee group in Pakistan after Afghans.
Most Somalis in Pakistan are concentrated in major urban centers like Islamabad and Karachi. A few hundred live in Lahore.{{cite news|url=http://herald.dawn.com/news/1153225/islamabads-little-somalia|title=Islamabad's little Somalia|work=The Herald|first=Sher Ali|last=Khan|date=24 August 2015|accessdate=29 August 2015}}{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2016/11/30/pakistans-somali-community-shocked-after-attack-at-ohio-university/|title=Pakistan’s Somali Community Shocked After Attack at Ohio State University|work=Wall Street Journal|first=Qasim|last=Nauman|first2=Saeed|last2=Shah|date=30 November 2016|accessdate=30 November 2016}} Islamabad's G-10 sector is home to several Somali businesses and residents, and is known as "Somali Street".
Community
The Somali community in Pakistan mainly consists of students,{{cite news|last=Osman|first=Abdulkadir Mohamed|title=The Level and Density of Somali Students in Pakistan|url=http://www.hiiraan.com/print_op/2006/july/Abdulkadir-Mohamed-Osman270706.aspx|accessdate=10 November 2013|newspaper=Hiiraan Online}} as well as some secondary migrants who arrived after the civil war in Somalia broke out in the early 1990s. They are generally a young, educated community, supported by their parents who are based in the Middle East. Others receive remittances directly from relatives in Somalia.{{cite book|last=Lindley|first=Anna|title=The Early Morning Phonecall: Somali Refugees' Remittances|year=2011|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=9781845458324|page=67}}
The secondary migrants moved to Pakistan with the ultimate aim of emigrating to North America, Europe and Australia. As of mid-2012, most of the former were legally registered with the UNHCR in Islamabad. The agency offered skills-training programs in English, primary education courses, as well as provisions to cover basic amenities and living expenses. Members of the community sought to improve the quality and consistency of these services by raising their concerns with the relevant authorities.{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/103515/protest-somali-refugees-take-to-roads/|title=Protest: Somali refugees take to roads|work=Express Tribune|date=14 January 2011|accessdate=30 November 2016}} Additionally, the UNHCR issued Proof of Registration (POR) Cards to the secondary migrants in conjunction with NADRA. Others wielded a National Aliens Registration Authority (NARA) Card. A section of the younger generation among this group was born and raised in Pakistan. The expiration of the POR Cards in December 2012 saw a more expedited movement of the transient migrants from Pakistan to other countries.
Somali pupils in Pakistan mostly study engineering, medicine and pharmacy. They typically return to Somalia after having completed their studies due to a lack of employment opportunities for migrants in Pakistan, as well as a desire to contribute to the post-conflict reconstruction process in their home country.{{cite news|title=Graduation ceremony for Somali students held in Pakistan for 20 engineers from the engineering faculties|url=http://somalinewsnow.com/?p=1301|accessdate=10 November 2013|newspaper=Somalinewsnow|date=23 September 2012}} Others have moved on to other nations, drawn by the possibility of better work options.
Somali students pursue higher studies in Pakistan due to entry restrictions and the higher cost of education in the Western world.{{cite book|last=Palme|first=Joakim|last2=Tamas|first2=Kristof|title=Globalizing Migration Regimes: New Challenges to Transnational Cooperation|year=2006|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|isbn=9781409490890|page=87}} They often do so through the auspices of the local Somalia embassy. The embassy provides scholarship opportunities to the pupils, particularly those in the field of engineering. Students studying medicine pay tuition costs ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 for a five-year term.
A third tier of Somali pupils arrived through individuals and private offices, like many other foreigners. These parties specialize in visa requirements, processing them for a small fee.
Additionally, other Somali students and foreigners in general travel to Pakistan for Tabligh purposes. They mainly migrate for da'wah and receiving religious instruction. Most such students attend local Islamic universities or seminaries with free tuition or low instruction fees.
Organizations
Somalis in Pakistan are diplomatically represented by the Somalia embassy in Islamabad.{{cite web|title=Somalia Embassy in Pakistan|url=http://somalia.visahq.com/embassy/pakistan/|publisher=VisaHQ|accessdate=10 November 2013}}
Various Somali-run organizations also serve the community. Among these are the Somali Students Union{{cite web|url=http://www.moesomalia.net/English/view.php?id=COMSTECH%2014th%20Meeting%20:26|title=COMSTECH 14th Meeting|work=Ministry of Education, Culture & Higher Education|date=13 January 2011|accessdate=11 November 2013}} and the Somali Forum.
See also
{{Portal|Somalia|Pakistan}}