[4] English is the primary language used by the government of Pakistan, alongside Urdu, on the national level.

While being spoken natively by only a small percentage of the population,[5] it is the primary language used in education, commerce, administration, and the legal and judicial systems.

Although British rule in the Subcontinent lasted for almost two hundred years, the areas which lie in what is now Pakistan were amongst the last to be annexed: Sindh in 1842, Punjab (which initially included the North-West Frontier Province) in 1849, and parts of Baluchistan, including Quetta and the outer regions in 1879, while the rest of the Baluchistan region became a princely state within the British Empire.

[8]: 288–323  The roots of Pinglish in Pakistan can be traced back to the 19th century, when Sir Syed Ahmad Khan encouraged the Muslims to learn English and utilize it as a medium of resistance against the British.

[12] The term Pinglish was first recorded in 1999, being a blend of the words Pakistani and English, with the 'e' changed to 'i' to better represent pronunciation.

Rahman argues that PE is an interference variety of English created by the use of the features of Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and other languages spoken in Pakistan.

Many words or terms from Urdu, such as 'cummerbund', have entered the global language and are also found in Pakistan.

In addition the area which is now Pakistan was home to the largest garrisons of the British Indian Army (such as Rawalpindi and Peshawar) and this, combined with the post-partition influence of the Pakistan Military, has ensured that many military terms have entered the local jargon.

[14]: 69–71 Words unique to (i.e. not generally well known outside South Asia) and/or popular in Pakistan include those in the following by no means exhaustive list: Words which are considered archaic in some varieties of English, but are still in use in Pakistani English: The Indian numbering system is preferred for digit grouping, although the Western grouping system is far more widely used in Pakistan.