The Shina of Pakistan

The Shina of Pakistan, numbering approximately 604,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic people who live primarily in Gilgit-Baltistan and Indus Kohistan in northern Pakistan. The Shina are one of the largest ethnic groups in Gilgit-Baltistan and are overwhelmingly Muslim. They mostly adhere to Sunni Islam and Shina is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Shina

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: Pakistan
People Cluster: Kashmiri
Primary Language(s): Shina (scl)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 604,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG006398
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Shina of Pakistan

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

56%
%
Sunni Islam Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Shina
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Shina Speakers

Media Resources in Shina:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Shina:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Shina bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Shina are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Shina:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Shina of Pakistan

And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
readExodus 14:22

Pray that the God who split the sea so that the Israelites might pass through would do another great work among these people, softening the hearts of those who remain lost to the good news and saving them from their sins.

Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!
readPsalm 150:2

Pray for the gospel to advance among those who are living in darkness. Pray that they will come to know Jesus and praise Him for all that He has done.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
readMatthew 5:16

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be humble and give glory to God through their good deeds.

Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, "Behold your God!"
readIsaiah 40:9

Pray for God to send and sustain believers to go and herald the good news to the lost here.

Shina Across Countries (ROP3 - 108948) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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