Affinity Bloc: South Asian Peoples

Overview: Urdu is part of the Hindustani language family. It is the national language of Pakistan and is also widely spoken in India. Colloquial Urdu is mutually intelligible with Hindi, yet due to religious nationalism and communal tensions, speakers of both Urdu and Hindi frequently assert that they are distinct languages. While the majority of Urdu speakers are Muslim, there are also significant minoritites of urdu speakers who follow other religions. The Urdu people cluster encompasses numerous castes and tribes within Pakistan and India.

Peoples within this cluster: Abdal; Atari; Atishbaz; Bafinda; Baig; Bawarchi; Bhathiara, Muslim; Bhisti; Bisati; Borewale; Chakketakare; Chamma; Faqir; Gadihar; Gantisayebulu; Garodi; Jatigar; Kaghzi / Kanai; Kankali; Khadim; Manihar; Mawalud; Merat, Muslim; Moghol; Moghol, Dogri; Moghol, Gujarati; Moghol, Marwari; Moghol, Telugu; Mondivogula; Naita; Nalband; Nanbai; Navait; Pankhiya; Pawaria, Muslim; Pendar; Pindara; Pinjara; Pinjara (Magahi); Pinjara, Bengali; Pinjara, Gujarati; Pinjara, Hindi; Pinjara, Kannada; Pinjara, Marathi; Pinjara, Marwari; Pinjara, Panjabi; Putliwale; Qassab; Qazi; Saifi; Sangtarash, Hindu; Saryara, Hindu; Sonavar; Taga, Muslim; Takari; Thakuria; Tirugatigantla; Urdu

Countries where they are found: Afghanistan; Bahrain; Belgium; Canada; Denmark; France; Germany; Guyana; Hong Kong; India; Iraq; Ireland; Kuwait; Malaysia; Oman; Pakistan; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Spain; Thailand; Türkiye; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States