Hinduism in Pakistan

Hinduism is the second biggest religion in Pakistan, with about 2.17% of the population being Hindus. This is around 5.2 million people, according to the 2023 Pakistani census. However, the Pakistan Hindu Council says there are 8-10 million Hindus, making up 4% of the population.^[1] The Umerkot district has the highest percentage of Hindus, with 52.2% of the population being Hindu. The Tharparkar district has the most Hindus in total, with 714,698 people.^[2]

The Indus Valley in Pakistan is believed to be the birthplace of Hinduism. Rigveda, the oldest religious book in Hinduism, was written and composed in Ancient Pakistan.^[3][4] Sanskrit, the sacred language of Hinduism also originated in the Swat region of northwestern Pakistan.^[5]

Most Hindus in Pakistan live in Punjab and Sindh. They speak different languages like Sindhi, Gujarati, Tamil, Seraiki, Aer, Dhatki, and others. In rural Sindh, the diversity of beliefs often makes it hard to strictly define Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Islam. Even though Pakistan is mostly Muslim, Sindh has a strong Hindu heritage.^[6]

1. ↑ "Headcount finalised sans third-party audit". The Express Tribune. 2018-05-26. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
2. ↑ "Hindu Population (PK) – Pakistan Hindu Council". web.archive.org. 2018-03-15. Archived from the original on 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
3. ↑ "Hinduism". home.csulb.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
4. ↑ Ahmed, Shoaib (2021-10-06). "'All Vedas of Hinduism were written in Lahore'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
5. ↑ mushtaq-soofi (2013-02-15). "Language: Sanskrit and Prakrits!". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
6. ↑ Maclean, Derryl N. (1989). Religion and Society in Arab Sind. Brill. p. 52. ISBN 90-04-08551-3.