There are over 6,000 people of
Turkmen
Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to:
Peoples Historical ethnonym
* Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages
Ethnic groups
* Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...
ethnicity living in
Pakistan, according to both
United Nations and national estimates. They are predominantly refugees who fled from
Turkmenistan to
Afghanistan in the aftermath of the 1917
Bolshevik Revolution and then from Afghanistan to neighbouring Pakistan following the instability during the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
.
Consequently, a large number have been in Pakistan for decades and many are part of second and third generations.
Carpet industry
Turkmen in Pakistan are pioneers of a largely successful and reputable carpet industry. In order to make a living, many have taken on the role of producing
Turkmen rugs which are in great demand both inside and outside the country. In Turkmen culture, carpet-weaving is a tradition tracing back to nomadic roots; today, the trade is the primary source of sustenance and economic opportunities for the community.
Those in the industry are consigned by Pakistani wholesalers who provide designs and patterns, with a pay of 2,000 to 3,000
rupees
Rupee is the common name for the currencies of
India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
per square meter. By working each day from early in the morning until late in the evening, one person is usually able produce a square meter within a month.
The business has transformed Turkmen villages into giant sweatshops. Many Turkmen have claimed to be better off economically than the million or so
Afghan refugees in Pakistan
Afghans in Pakistan ( ur, , , ) are temporary residents from Afghanistan who are registered in Pakistan as refugees and asylum seekers. They fall under the jurisdiction of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Most of them ...
.
Society
Most of the Turkmen are based in the northern parts of the country; the town of Babu, near
Peshawar, is the largest settlement camp.
The land they live on is courtesy of the
Pakistani government and years ago they received international assistance to build their homes; however, living conditions have sometimes been described as inadequate with few electric lines and difficulties in access to water. Many refugees also do not have the resources to rent fields and grow crops in surrounding farmlands.
A considerable portion of Turkmen immigrants in Pakistan are originally Afghan nationals who migrated into the country less than two decades ago. A 2005 census showed there were over 6,000 Afghan Turkmen living in the province of
Balochistan alone and they formed an overall 0.8% of the local Afghan population.
Afghans in Quetta: Settlements, Livelihoods, Support Net works and Cross-Border Linkages
/ref>
See also
* Pakistan–Turkmenistan relations
Relations between Turkmenistan and Pakistan were established after Turkmenistan became independent from the Soviet Union.
History
Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize the independence of Turkmenistan in December 1991. Formal dipl ...
* Turkmen in Syria
Syrian Turkmen, also referred to as Syrian Turkomans, Turkish Syrians, or simply Syrian Turks or Turks of Syria, ( ar, تركمان سوريا; tr, Suriye Türkmenleri or ) are Syrian citizens of Turkish people, Turkish origin who mainly trace ...
References
{{Immigration to Pakistan
Pakistan
Ethnic groups in Pakistan
Immigration to Pakistan
Pakistan–Turkmenistan relations