Are the ethnicities of Pakistan and India pretty much the same or very different?

Great question — the short answer is: they are closely related but not exactly the same. Here's a breakdown:

1. Shared Ethnic Roots
Indians and Pakistanis share deep historical, genetic, and cultural roots. Both countries were part of British India before the 1947 partition.
Most people in Pakistan today are descended from the same Indo-Aryan and Dravidian ethnic groups that populate northern and western India.
2. Major Ethnic Groups in Pakistan
Punjabis – the largest ethnic group (similar to Indian Punjabis, but mostly Muslim)
Sindhis – share cultural links with western India (especially Gujarat and Rajasthan)
Pashtuns – more closely related to Afghan ethnic groups
Baloch – also found in Iran and Afghanistan
Muhajirs – Urdu-speaking migrants from India after partition
Others – Smaller groups include Kashmiris, Hazara, and Saraikis
3. Major Ethnic Groups in India
North Indians – Indo-Aryan descent, with ethnic overlap with Pakistan (Punjabis, Kashmiris, etc.)
South Indians – Dravidian ancestry, very different linguistically and ethnically from most Pakistanis
Tribal and indigenous groups – like the Adivasis, distinct from mainstream ethnic categories
Wide diversity – over 2,000 ethnic groups and 1,600+ languages/dialects
4. Religion as a Major Divider
While ethnically related in many ways, the biggest difference today is religion:

Pakistan is overwhelmingly Muslim.
India is mostly Hindu, but also has large Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and other minorities.
5. Visual and Genetic Overlap
People from northern India and eastern Pakistan (like Punjab) often look and sound very similar. You’d likely have a hard time distinguishing them by appearance alone.

In Summary:
Very similar in the north, especially among Punjabis and Kashmiris.
More different in the south, where India's ethnic diversity increases and Pakistan doesn’t have corresponding groups.
Religion and national identity now play a much bigger role in perceived difference than ethnicity alone.

Perhaps Arabic is the wrong term, but you know what I mean I think.

They're basically the same with a different religion which is why they hate each other. Mooslims make for an explosive situation.

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pretty much the same or very different?

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Pretty much. It becomes a little different as you go West in Pakistan or South in India, but most are within the Indo-Aryan group. But yes, they pretty much look exactly alike except for circumcision status

Hold on, I'll ask the motel manager/owner

Worked with a Pakistani dude that hated Achmed the Dead Terrorist, that’s all I got. I think he thought it was blasphemy.

Ton of inbreeding in Pakistan. That’s all I got.

on point

Hizzah