The Pakistani Diaspora in Singapore

Learn more about our heritage and cultural identities on this site

  • “In 1947, when Pakistan came into the picture and the Overseas Pakistan League was registered, I remember our elders took us to the Istana. There was a flagpole there. And so we hoisted the Pakistan flag there.”

    Haji Abdul Rauff, 70s

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  • "Living in Geylang Serai, we made a lot of Malay friends. That place was like, all Malay families, you know. My father used to point out to us the Malay culture. We learnt a lot of good things there."

    Faizun Nisa, 40s

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  • "Certainly when it comes to sports, when there's a victory in the squash courts or in cricket, I would put on my Pakistan jersey and all of us would get together and say, Pakistan Zindabad!"

    Munir Shah, 60s

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  • "They were all from the British Army, demobilised after the World War and taken into the Police Force. The Sub-Inspector in those days was Pakistani. The Sub-Inpector will scold you. He would just call you, 'Hey, Harami!' especially to those naughty young chaps."

    Mohammed Khan, 80s

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  • The Forgotten Diaspora

    Do you know that when Pakistan was created in 1947, there were already thousands of overseas Pakistanis in Singapore? In this article which was submitted to Dawn, we take a look at the colonial links between British India and Malaya. We also look at the lives of these early Pakistani migrants from the Northwest Frontier and Punjab in Singapore.

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  • Chai, Islam and Bollywood

    How different is the early Pakistani diaspora in Singapore from the global Pakistani diaspora today? In this article which was submitted to Dawn, we examine the various factors and influences that shaped the identity of subsequent generations of Pakistanis born in Singapore during the days of colonial rule and early nation building.

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  • Articles and Publications

    Find out what has been written and published about the Pakistani diaspora in Singapore and elsewhere in the world. In this section, I share other articles and publications which I find interesting. If you like reading, this section is for you.

    Let's Go!

  • Research and Findings

    Learn more about the ongoing research project to document the lives and contributions of Pakistanis in Singapore. In this section, I also share some interesting findings from my masters research which was completed in 2018.

    Chalo!

  • Pakistani DNA Project

    The world of genetic genealogy is fascinating! It tells you more about your ancestry and ethnicity through the science of DNA. Since 2009, I have been part of various Y-DNA Projects on Family Tree DNA. Find out how genetic genealogy can help you.

    Let's Go!

Selamat Datang | Welcome | Khush Amdeed

For those of you yet to know me, I am Abbas Khan. Presently, I am working as a Research Associate at National University of Singapore (NUS). I’ve been working on documenting the Pakistani diaspora in Singapore for more than 10 years now. I also love history, literature and travelling.

Through this site, I hope to share with you more about people of Pakistani origin in Singapore. What you’ll read about are snippets of their lives, their challenges and their aspirations. You’ll meet individuals from the past as well as the present. I hope you’ll find it as enriching as I have.

Do you have any insights or comments? Or perhaps you have a question or two? Feel free to get in touch with me. I’ll be happy to write back.

Get in Touch

About this Website

This website was co-designed with Ferdaus from Neu Entity. I couldn’t have done this without him. Thank you, Ferdaus! If you are interested to develop your personal brand for your business, look no further than Neu Entity. I highly recommend Ferdaus and his team.

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