[9] They speak an Indo-Aryan language, called Shina and their geographic area of predominance is referred to as Shenaki.

[11] Many Shina people have also migrated to Karachi and Islamabad for employment, carrying out business, and education purposes, and many of them have permanently settled in these cities.

[24][25] A small minority of related ethnic groups, chiefly the Brokpa community, continue to practice Buddhism and Hinduism, though the majority of them are adherents to Islam.

The obtained mtDNA sequences of Shina were compared with surrounding north-western Pakistani population groups.

However, no close genetic relationship of Shina was depicted with nearby residing Kho population group.

[26] The Shina festival of Chili marks the commencement of wheat sowing, as with other celebrations in the Indian subcontinent, including Lohri and Makar Sakranti.