Punjabi was raised to the status of one of India's official languages in 1966.
At times in the past, the Punjab and its population have enjoyed a special political identity as well as a cultural identity.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries , the region was administered as a province of the Mogul Empire.
The Jats , who are mainly landowners (zamindars) and cultivators, are the largest caste in the Punjab.
Other agricultural castes include R a jputs, Arains, Awans, and Gujars.
In Pakistan, Punjabi is written using the Persian-Arabic script, which was introduced to the region during the Muslim conquests. Punjabi is spoken by two-thirds of the population of Pakistan.