Pakistanis in Austria

Pakistanis in Austria
Total population
(4,000[1] (c. 2005))
Regions with significant populations
Vienna
Languages
Austrian German · Urdu
Religion
Islam

Pakistanis in Austria consist of expatriates and residents from Pakistan who live in Austria as well as Austrian people of Pakistani descent. As of 2005, the number of Pakistanis in the country exceeded 4000.[1] In terms of demographics, they consist overwhelmingly of males though recent years have seen growth in arrival of families; a very small number came as asylum seekers and a negligible proportion hold Austrian citizenship.[2]

Lifestyle

The community is fairly small and well-integrated. The Austro-Pakistan Society based in Vienna was founded in 1976, which aim to foster and improve Austrian-Pakistani relations at the political, social, cultural and scientific levels.[3]

A vast majority of Pakistani immigrants belong to the Islamic faith and contribute to the much larger community of Muslims in Austria. They undertake various festivities and celebrations to mark religious and cultural occasions. Minhaj-ul-Quran also maintains a local chapter in Austria, registered with the Austrian government, which is run and managed by the Pakistani community. The organisation arranges numerous gatherings at mosques and elsewhere.[4] In addition to this, there is a recognisable community of Pakistani Ahmadis in Austria, officially established since 1992.[5] A few Pakistani Christians live in Austria as well. There are a sizable number of students from Pakistan pursuing higher education courses in various Austrian universities and institutions.

Sports

Pakistani expatriates have kept the tradition of cricket alive within their community; there are three Pakistani cricket clubs registered with the Austrian Cricket Association including Pakistan CC, Pakistan Falken CC and Pakistan Cricket Austria. These teams contest in the ACA Open League; since 2007, Pakistan CC have been the defending champions in the league. The Austria national cricket team itself also contains a few players of Pakistani origin.

As of 2009, there were up to 21 Pakistanis held in Austrian detention centers on charges of illegal migration. The government of Pakistan has been trying to investigate the cases of the prisoners through its embassy in the country.[6]

Politics

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf political party maintains a local chapter in Austria.[7]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Year Book, 2004–2005, Islamabad: Ministry of Labour, Manpower, and Overseas Pakistanis
  2. ↑ Austria: Statistics on South Asians
  3. ↑ Austro-Pakistan Society
  4. ↑ Dr Raheeq Abbasi’s organizational visit of Austria: Minhaj-ul-Quran
  5. ↑ Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Austria
  6. ↑ National Assembly Secretariat
  7. ↑ Spain and Austria chapters launched
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