Americans in Pakistan
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 4,231 (1999) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Karachi · Lahore · Islamabad · Peshawar | |
| Languages | |
| English (American English) · Urdu · Punjabi | |
| Religion | |
| Protestantism · Roman Catholicism · Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Americans |
Americans in Pakistan (Urdu: امریکی ) form a small expatriate community. According to early statistics of 1999 based on registrations with the local American embassy and consulates, there were over 4,200 Americans in the country, with 2,100 in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi, about 1,250 in Lahore, 506 in Islamabad and 375 in Peshawar. Some of them are Pakistani Americans who have returned to Pakistan. Many Pakistani Americans returned during the unstable conditions post-September 11 attacks and the global financial crisis.
Most American expatriates in Pakistan tend to be professionals in white collar jobs. America also maintains a large diplomatic and military contingent in the country; media reports claim that as of 2009[update], in addition to 275 diplomats, there are more than a thousand US Marines providing security to diplomatic personnel, and hundreds more unregistered officials living in private houses. This represents significant growth over 1999, when the American diplomatic contingent in the country barely exceeded one hundred people. However, Pakistani officials deny the reports of more than a thousand US Marines in the country.
For the American community in Karachi, the American Club once was the centre of their social life. There is also an American School of Karachi, but as of 2013[update] it had only a handful of American students and teachers.
In late 2009, Pakistan held up many visas for U.S. diplomats, military service members and others, because of hostility inside Pakistan toward the expansion of U.S. operations in the country, while many suspected Americans living in Pakistan were detained following five American terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda arrested in Sargodha.
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Wikipedia