Siddis in Pakistan:

Just like Siddis arrived India for slavery as the main purpose, they just spread all over the country and eventually to Pakistan. They are called both siddis/ sheedis. Siddis were settled in the mountainous region of Baluchistan and the low land of Sindh. We know that siddis were given important positions in the army because of their special ability and physical advantage, but it is still true that they have been ill-treated. The ill-treatment is in the form of confining them to low-wage work, not providing them with basic needs either1. Over 2,50,000 Siddis live in the southern part of Pakistan and most of them are in slum areas which are usually areas for drugs and arms business, etc..,2 Although they are capable of achieving a lot they were neglected just because of the “African look”. They have also kept their distance assuming that they would harm them. They are clear victims of racism and colorism. The Siddi community is a minority in Pakistan. In spite of facing all the trouble, they still continue to spread as much joy as they can. They celebrate an annual festival called Mangopir which is very welcoming and authentic with African songs that are accompanied by well-known drum beats.3 The fascinating part of this festival is feeding the crocodiles.4 Prominent members of the community include Tanzeela Qambrani, Abid Brohi, etc.., The Siddi community is not just in India and Pakistan but also in parts of Srilanka and Maldives.5 

1 https://hiba-memon.medium.com/afro-asians-the-siddis-of-pakistan-28ca33543d85
2 https://www.fairplanet.org/story/sheedis-the-lost-african-tribe-in-pakistan/
3 https://www.jstor.org/stable/40175259?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents 4 https://hiba-memon.medium.com/afro-asians-the-siddis-of-pakistan-28ca33543d85
5 https://www.jstor.org/stable/40175259?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents 

- Deepika