Sindhi Jats


The Sindhi Jats are an indigenous community of Sindh, Pakistan. They are mostly Muslims.
Originally from the lower Indus Valley, many Sindhi Jats would migrate to lower Iraq between the 5th and 11th centuries, where they formed the Zuṭṭ community. Another migration northwards into Punjab would take place between the 11th and 16th centuries, where many Sindhi Jats settled in newly cultivatable land and gradually took up farming.

Etymology

The Arabic term "Zutt" is derived from Jat, but referred generally to most tribes of the Indus valley, including non-Jat tribes such as the Qufs, Andaghars, and Sayabijas.
In the Sindhi language, there are three words which can be romanized as Jat, those being:
During Mughal rule, the term "Jat" began to be loosely synonymous with "peasant" in the Punjab region. In West Punjab and the NWFP, "Jat" and "Rajput" were seen more as socioeconomic titles rather than ethnic identities.

Background

The Jats of Sindh can be divided into three sections:
  1. Larai Jats, known for their camel-herding profession. They speak a dialect of Sindhi called Jatki. They are mainly found in lower Sindh, and the city "Jati" is named after them.
  2. Central Sindhi Jats.
  3. Sirai Jats.

    History

Sindhi Jats were originally nomadic pastoralists in lower Sindh. They had been settling in lower Iraq since the 5th century, where they formed the Zuṭṭ community. These Sindhi Jat-origin Zutt would be among the first people from the Subcontinent to embrace Islam.
The Zutt would serve as mercenaries for the Sasanid and later Caliphal armies. Under the Caliphate, they were tasked with guarding governors and suppressing revolts. A few rose to become governors themselves, such as Al-Sari of Egypt and Abu al-Khasib of Tabaristan. Some Zutt soldiers also assisted in the Arab conquest of Sindh, although according to some sources, this did little to remove the restrictions placed on Rebellious Jat tribes in Sindh, such as the Samma and Lakha. The Zutt power and identity broke down following the end of the twenty-five-year-long Zutt Rebellion in Iraq, which began during the reign of al-Ma'mun and continued into the era of al-Mu'tasim.
Between the 11th and 16th centuries, many Sindhi Jats would also migrate into Punjab and take up farming.