The Documentation of the Qirghiz of Northern Pakistan

This study documents the Qirghiz of northern Pakistan, the country’s only historically established Turkic group, residing in the valleys of Ishkoman, Broghal, and Chapursan. Despite their historical and unique presence in the region, the Qirghiz remain one of the least documented ethnic groups in Pakistan. I documented recordings through the Swadesh list, face-to-face fieldwork, and IPA transcriptions to compare the Broghal Qirghiz variety and the Ishkoman Qirghiz variety. Findings indicate different historical trajectories: Broghal Qirghiz originated as a subgroup of Afghanistan's Pamir Qirghiz variety and contains heavy Wakhi influence, whereas Ishkoman Qirghiz migrated from Kyrgyzstan, preserving stronger ties to Standard Kyrgyz while still being influenced by local languages in Pakistan. The vitality of the speakers is widely different with the Broghal Qirghiz dwindling to 18 speakers while Ishkoman Qirghiz has around 800-1,000 speakers. These findings examine the Qirghiz’s historical origins, lifestyle, culture, and linguistic characteristics in order to better understand their role within the broader cultural landscape of Northern Pakistan and the surrounding region.