Introduction / History

The Parya, or Laghmani, people are of the Tajik people group cluster.
They are found in the Hissar Valley in Tajikistan, in the Surkhandarya Valley in Uzbekistan, and some in Afghanistan, in the Laghman province, which is northeast of Kabul. The Parya are originally from Laghman, however they spread to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in 1880. They often refer to themselves as Changgars. Their heart language is Parya which may either be a dialect of Marwari which is related to Punjabi, or the Laghman dialect of the Southeastern Pashayi of Afghanistan. Parya is the exclusive language spoken in Parya homes.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Tajik or Uzbek men who marry Parya women must learn the language and become assimilated into the community. Many Parya are bilingual, with Tajiki being their second language.
The Parya are mostly farmers. Many work on collective farms and grow rice as their primary crop. They also grow fruit and corn.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Parya are Sunni Muslims. There are few if any known Christians among them. They have no resources available to them in Parya.

What Are Their Needs?

When there are few or no Christ followers among a people, they have to hear the gospel from outsiders. That is the situation for the Parya.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to help the Parya people see the glory and power of Christ.
Pray for loving workers to go to them.
Pray for spiritual hunger and discernment.

Scripture Prayers for the Parya in Uzbekistan.