Tribes and clans of the Pothohar Plateau



The Pothohar Plateau is a plateau and historical sub-region in northern parts of the Punjab region, present-day Punjab, Pakistan. Ethnic Punjabis are the native people of the area and are subdivided into many tribes and clans (Baradari).

During the medieval era in Punjab, most of the tribes in northern Punjab converted to Islam and various Punjabi tribes, as well as foreign powers, fought for control over the region.

Major
The major biradaris in the area (tribes or clans) include Rajput (Raja and Janjua), Jatt, Awan, Arain, Gujjar, Khokhar, Kharal, and Gakhar. Prior to the partition of India, other biradaris including the Khatris, Mohyal Brahmins, and Aroras were also present in large numbers throughout the region.

The anthropologist Pnina Werbner have confirmed the continuing strength of tribal feelings among emigrants from Punjab in the United Kingdom. This area was and still is an important source of recruitment into the old colonial British Indian Army, under the martial race designation of the Punjabis in colonial era, and its successor, the Pakistan Army. Official recruitment policies have also encouraged a sense of tribal belonging amongst Punjabis.