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Undid revision 309586261 by 92.29.27.149 (talk) Jesus H. Christ, look at your faces. Do you look Pakthun?
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{{Pashtuns}}
{{Pashtuns}}
'''Pashtuns''' ([[Pashto language|Pashto]]: '''پښتون''' {{Unicode|''Paṣtūn''}} or '''پختون''' {{Unicode|''Paxtūn''}}, also rendered as '''Pushtuns''', '''Pakhtuns''', '''Pukhtuns'''), also called '''Pathans''' ([[Urdu language|Urdu]]: '''پٹھان''', [[Hindi]]: पठान {{Unicode|''Paṭhān''}}) have many communities world-wide. Though their homeland is in the [[Pakhtunkhwa|Pakhtunkhwa region]] of [[South Asia|South-Central Asia]] - a region stretching from southern and eastern Afghanistan to western and southern Pakistan, they are also found in [[India]], the [[Middle East]], [[Europe]], [[North America]], [[Australia]], [[Africa]] as well as in other parts of the globe. These communities include substantial numbers who claim Pashtun descent (and perhaps to a lesser extent culturally) and not linguistically.
'''Pashtuns''' ([[Pashto language|Pashto]]: '''پښتون''' {{Unicode|''Paṣtūn''}} or '''پختون''' {{Unicode|''Paxtūn''}}, also rendered as '''Pushtuns''', '''Pakhtuns''', '''Pukhtuns'''), also called '''Pathans''' ([[Urdu language|Urdu]]: '''پٹھان''', [[Hindi]]: पठान {{Unicode|''Paṭhān''}}) have many communities world-wide. Though their homeland is in the [[Pakhtunkhwa|Pakhtunkhwa region]] of [[South Asia|South-Central Asia]] - a region stretching from southern and eastern Afghanistan to western and southern Pakistan, they are also found in the [[Middle East]], [[Europe]], [[North America]], [[Australia]], [[Africa]] as well as in other parts of the globe. These communities include substantial numbers who claim Pashtun descent (and perhaps to a lesser extent culturally) and not linguistically.


== Pashtuns in South Asia ==
== Pashtuns in South Asia ==

Revision as of 12:47, 24 August 2009

Part of a series on
Pashtuns
Empires and dynasties

Pashtuns (Pashto: پښتون Paṣtūn or پختون Paxtūn, also rendered as Pushtuns, Pakhtuns, Pukhtuns), also called Pathans (Urdu: پٹھان, Hindi: पठान Paṭhān) have many communities world-wide. Though their homeland is in the Pakhtunkhwa region of South-Central Asia - a region stretching from southern and eastern Afghanistan to western and southern Pakistan, they are also found in the Middle East, Europe, North America, Australia, Africa as well as in other parts of the globe. These communities include substantial numbers who claim Pashtun descent (and perhaps to a lesser extent culturally) and not linguistically.

Pashtuns in South Asia

Afghanistan

Pashtuns are the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, comprising 42% of Afghanistan's population[1], and about 1.5 million continue to live as refugees in Pakistan. The term Pashtun is historically synonymous with Afghan, a term now used to describe any citizen of Afghanistan. Kandahar is the second major city in Afghanistan and a stronghold of the Pashtun culture.

Pakistan

Main articles: North West Frontier, Punjabi Pathan, and Overseas Pakistani

The Pashtuns are the second largest ethnic group in Pakistan, comprising of 15% of Pakistan's population, with a population of 28 million.[2] However, this does not include the Afghan refugees who migrated to the country during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. The Pashtuns have considerable influence in the Pakistani politics, military, government, business and trade.[3]. Peshawar and Quetta are Pakistani cities with significant numbers[quantify] of Pashtuns while Karachi has the world's largest concentration of Pasthuns in the world.

The following delineates the population of Pashtun in the provinces of Pakistan:[citation needed]

Province Pashtuns
Northwest Frontier 14,586,000
File:Flag of Balochistan Province, Pakistan.gif Balochistan 2,293,000
File:Flag of Sindh.PNG Sindh 3,500,000
File:100px-Pk-punj.PNG Punjab 1,929,000
Azad Kashmir 157,000
Islamabad Capital Territory 15,000
Pakistan 28,000,000

Substantial ethnic Pashtun communities outside of the Northwest Frontier reside in the cities of Attock and Mianwali in Punjab. Other communities include large numbers of Muhammadzais in Kasur, and other larger communities have settled around Multan which was formerly part of the Durrani Empire.

In addition to this, a large portion of the Urdu speaking community in Pakistan claim to be ethnically Pashtun. A large community identify themselves as Yousefzai Pashtuns. The Afghans settling in the Sultanate dynasties and Mughal Empire assimilated into the Urdu speaking community. It is estimated that over 25% of Urdu speaking community claims Pashtun heritage. Additionally, a significant number of descendants of Rohillas migrated to Pakistan after the partition of India.

India

India, as a British colony, once had a large Pashtun population roughly equal to that of Afghanistan, mostly concentrated in what were then the British Indian provinces of the North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan. In fact, according to Encyclopædia Britannica, the number of Pashtuns in all of India was nearly 31 million, but the speakers of Pashto numbered less than 14 million.[4] Most of this population was allotted, along with its respective provinces, to Pakistan after the Partition of India. Today the Pashtuns in India are can be separated into those who speak Pashto and those who speak Urdu, with the latter being the far larger.

Pashto-Speaking Communities

There are a large number of Pashto speaking Pakhtoons living in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.[5] Although their exact numbers are hard to determine, it is at least in excess of 100,000 for it is known that in 1954 over 100,000 nomadic Pakhtoons living in Kashmir valley were granted Indian citizenship.[6] Today Jirga's are frequently held.[7] Those settled and living in the Kashmir Valley speak Pashto, and are found chiefly in the southwest of the valley, where Pashtun colonies have from time to time been founded. The most interesting are the Kukikhel Afridis of Dramghaihama, who retain all the old customs and speak Pashto. They wear picturesque dress and carry swords and shields. The Afridis and the Machipurians, who belong to the Yusufzai tribe, are liable to military service, in return for which they hold certain villages free of revenue. The Pashtuns chiefly came in under the Durranis, but many were brought by Maharajah Gulab Singh for service on the frontier.[8] Pashto is also spoken in two villages Dhakki and Changnar (Chaknot) located on the LOC[9] in Kupwara District.

A further small scattered Pashtun population still exists in some major cities of India with large Muslim populations, with the majority of Pashto-speaking individuals residing in the states of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.[10][11] These Pathans, numbering around 14,161,[12][13] have retained the use of the Pashto language and are still able to speak and understand it. This is partially because until recently, most of these Indian Pashtuns were able to travel to Pakhtunkhwa.[14]

Urdu-Speaking Communities

The larger number of people claiming Pashtun ancestry in India are Urdu-speaking. Despite the loss of most of the Raj-era Pashtun population, India still has a large community of Urdu-speaking Muslims who trace their ancestry to Pashtun-invaders and settlers. They are often referred by the Hindi-Urdu pronunciation of the word Pashtun, "Pathan". However, because Pashto fluency has been lost, and a large degree of intermarriage with Indian locals has occurred throughout the centuries, such Pathans are rarely ever regarded by Pashtuns in Pakistan and Afghanistan as being truly Pashtun - with the exception of the Bollywood Khan actors, and the legendary Kapoors, who are a source of pride for Pashtuns.

Major Indian Pathan tribes lived in the following areas. While, many persons belonging to these tribes moved to the Afghan-Pakistan border, others chose to stay and thus, descendants of these tribes still reside in the parts of India listed below:[15]

  1. Rohillas mainly live in Uttar Pradesh.
  2. Bangashes living in Farrukhabad
  3. Yousafzai other than Rohillas living in Tonk, Baroda, and Bhopal
  4. Mianas in Southern India
  5. Lodhis and Suris of North India
  6. Lodhis ,Yousafzai and Suris of Bihar

It must be remembered that the term "Pathan" does not refer exclusively and specifically to these Indian Pashtun descendants. Historically the term was used to refer to Pashtuns in general by mainstream Indians, Muslims included. Most Pashtuns, however, find the term to be insensitive and prefer to be called by their native label.

Many Pashtuns worked in the Indian independence movement. While many supported the Muslim League's demand for Pakistan, some Pashtuns opposed it in favor of a united and secular India, especially members of the Indian National Congress. These included Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, his son Khan Wali Khan, Indian diplomat Mohammed Yunus, Pakistani opposition leader Mufti Mahmud and Balochistan-based Pashtun leader Abdul Samad Achakzai.

Today around 10,808,000 individuals who claim Pathan descent reside in post-partition India.[16] The following delineates the population of Pathans in the states of India.[14]

The following are some famous Indian Pathans:

Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan regard the wildly popular Kapoor family as being Pashtun, despite being Hindu - perhaps the only instance of non-Muslims being regarded as Pashtun.

Also among the Pashtuns in India are students from Afghanistan who are in India to obtain a quality education, including President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.[20] and Kabuliwallah Pashtuns who are doing business in India.[21] In addition, India has a large number of Hindu and Sikh refugees from Afghanistan who are very fluent in Pashto, Hindko and Dari.[22]

Pashtuns in the Middle East

A significant population [quantify] of Pasthuns serving as migrant workers is found in the Middle East particularly in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and other Arab countries. Majority of them are involved in the transport business, while others are employees of construction companies.

About 300,000 Pashtuns, immigrated to the Gulf Countries, during 1976-1981, representing 35% of Pakistani immigrants.[24]

Pashtuns in Europe

A large number of Pashtuns have migrated from their homeland, South Asia, to Europe. The following statistics give information on the number of Pashtuns in European countries:

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is home to some 100,000 Pashtuns[25], making it one of the most populous overseas Pashtun communities in the World and the most populous one in the West. See also: Afghan British and Pakistani British[26]

Pashtuns in Other parts of the World

United States

Vida Zaher-Khadem and Baktash Zaher-Khadem, Pashtuns from Afghanistan now living in USA.

Since the late 1970s and onwards, Pashtuns began immigrating to the USA in large numbers and are well established there. Pashtuns in the United States are famous for running top Afghan cuisine restaurants[27][28][29] as well as owners of the fast-food restaurant chain Kennedy Fried Chicken that is based in New York City.

Pashtuns have been present in California at least since agricultural labor was imported in the early 20th Century. A prominent example is the town of Lodi, which has a large community which was in the news with the case of the Hayats, a father-and-son duo arrested by the FBI on allegation of terrorism training, in 2006.[30]

Canada

1,690 persons characterised their ethnicity as "Pashtun" in Canada's 2006 census.[31]

Australia

Large numbers of Afghans were recruited in the 19th century during the initial British development of Australia, especially for the operation of camel trains in desert areas. These consisted of men who were not allowed to bring their families with them, many married local aborigines and are now known as Ghans.[32] During the 1980s and 90s, Pashtuns began settling in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and other major cities of Australia.

South East Asia

Since the mid 1800s there have been many generations of Pashtuns who migrated both by land and by sea due to the many wars and conflicts in Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan (NWFP). Violence and economical instability in the area at times caused many Pashtun tribesmen to flee in search of a new safe home. Pashtun settlements in Thailand have been common throughout the provinces. As they came they brought along with them their Pashtun identity, their strong sense of pride and their faith in Islam. Most Pashtun men married locals, forming many generations of mixed Thai Pashtuns but still maintaining faith for Islam. There is even a Thai-Pashtun Friendship Association. Because the Pashtuns are fearlessly independent they often are well treated and respected by the Thai locals. Countries like Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, and Malaysia also have similar cases of Pashtun settlements.

East Asia

There are Pashtun communities living in parts of China, Taiwan and Japan.

Guyana & Suriname

Some people living in Guyana & Suriname claim to be of Afghan descent. Most of them moved to South American countries during the Indian immigration.[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html
  2. ^ Population Census Organization, Government of Pakistan - Population by Mother Tongue
  3. ^ CIA - The World Factbook - Afghanistan
  4. ^ "Pathan". Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  5. ^ "Special focus on Gujjars, Paharis: CM". Daily Excelsior. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  6. ^ "dated July 20, 1954: Pakhtoons in Kashmir". The Hindu. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  7. ^ "Justice rolls in Kashmir, Afghan-style". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  8. ^ "Saiyids, Mughals, Pashtuns and Galawans". OPF. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  9. ^ "A First Look at the Language of Kundal Shahi in Azad Kashmir" (PDF). SIL International. Retrieved 2009–06–11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  10. ^ "Pathan". Isa-Masih in Lucknow. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  11. ^ "Rampur". Christopher Buyers. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  12. ^ "Phonemic Inventory of Pashto" (PDF). CRULP. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  13. ^ name="india">Abstract of speakers’ strength of languages and mother tongues – 2001, Census of India (retrieved 17 March 2008)
  14. ^ a b "Study of the Pathan Communities in four States of India". Khyber. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  15. ^ "Pashto Language & Identity Formation". Contemporary South Asia, July 1995, Vol 4, Issue 2, p151,20 (Khyber). Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  16. ^ "Pashtun, Northern of India". Joshua Project. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
  17. ^ "Dr. Zakir Hussain". Glorious India. Retrieved 2006-06-05.
  18. ^ "The Rediff Interview / Shah Rukh Khan". Rediff. Retrieved 2006-06-05.
  19. ^ "Shahrukh Khan is Afghan". Afghan Buzz. Retrieved 2009–06–07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  20. ^ "Afghan students have special attraction towards Himachal University". Indians in Thailand. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  21. ^ "The Kabuliwallahs of Ballimaran". The Hindu. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  22. ^ "No Place to Turn: Afghan Refugees in New Delhi". Human Rights Documentation Centre. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
  23. ^ Ethnologue report for Southern Pashto: Iran (1993)
  24. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=I2avL3aZzSEC&pg=PA27&dq=Pakhtuns+35%25+of+the+Pakistanis
  25. ^ http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsiaNews/idINIndia-40220620090610
  26. ^ The Other Languages of England, British Journal of Educational Studies, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Oct., 1986), pp. 288-289 (retrieved 15 March 2008)
  27. ^ Helmand - Baltimore, Maryland
  28. ^ Helmand - San Francisco, California
  29. ^ Helmand - Cambridge, Massachusetts
  30. ^ Blog: Hamid Hayat
  31. ^ http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?TPL=RETR&ALEVEL=3&APATH=3&CATNO=97-562-XCB2006006&DETAIL=0&DIM=&DS=99&FL=0&FREE=0&GAL=0&GC=99&GK=NA&GRP=1&IPS=97-562-XCB2006006&METH=0&ORDER=1&PID=92333&PTYPE=88971,97154&RL=0&S=1&ShowAll=No&StartRow=1&SUB=801&Temporal=2006&Theme=80&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=
  32. ^ Afghan histories in Australia: The story of the Ghans
  33. ^ Afghans of Guyana, Afghanland.com (retrieved 18 January 2007)

Bibliography

  • Ahwalay Riyasatay Rampur (Tarikhi wa Maashrati Pusmanzar) by Syed Asghar and Ali Shadami, compiled and edited by Rizwanullah Khan Enayati and Tanzim Ahbab Rampur
  • Nichols, Robert. 2008. A History of Pashtun Migration.1775 - 2006. Oxford University Press, Pakistan
  • Weinreich, Matthias. 2008. We Are Here to Stay. Pashtun Migrants in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Klaus Schwarz Verlag Berlin. (Islamkundliche Untersuchungen 285)
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