Pashtuns: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Eastern Iranian ethnic group native to Afghanistan and Western Pakistan}}

| image            = Afridi Soldiers Frontier Force 1902.jpg

| caption          = Pashtun soldiers in 1902

| flag            =

| pop              = {{circa|'''60+&nbsp;million'''}}<ref name=":1" />

| ref1            = <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/|title=South Asia :: Pakistan — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|website=cia.gov|access-date=24 February 2019}}</ref>

| pop2            = 15,735,893 (2021)<!--37,466,414 x 42%-->

| ref2            = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan/|title=CIA - The World Factbook -- Afghanistan|website=umsl.edu|date=21 June 2022 }}</ref>

to as high as double their population in Afghanistan (approximately 30 million). (Source: <ref name="Alavi2008A">{{cite web |last1=Alavi |first1=Shams Ur Rehman |title=Indian Pathans to broker peace in Afghanistan |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/indian-pathans-to-broker-peace-in-afghanistan/story-W6Z4o4Dm0ETTz7tPBoHT1I.html |publisher=Hindustan Times |language=en |date=11 December 2008|quote=Pathans are now scattered across the country, and have pockets of influence in parts of UP, Bihar and other states. They have also shone in several fields, especially Bollywood and sports. The three most famous Indian Pathans are Dilip Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Irfan Pathan. “The population of Pathans in India is twice their population in Afghanistan and though we no longer have ties (with that country), we have a common ancestry and feel it's our duty to help put an end to this menace,” Atif added. Academicians, social activists, writers and religious scholars are part of the initiative. The All India Muslim Majlis, All India Minorities Federation and several other organisations have joined the call for peace and are making preparations for the jirga.}}</ref>)-->

| region4          = {{flagcountry|United Arab Emirates}}

| region7          =

| pop7            =

| ref7            =

'''Pashtuns''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ʌ|ʃ|ˌ|t|ʊ|n}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|ɑː|ʃ|ˌ|t|ʊ|n}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|æ|ʃ|ˌ|t|uː|n}}; {{lang-ps|پښتانه}}, {{IPA|[[Help:IPA|Pəx̌tānə́]]}}),<ref>{{Cite book |last=David |first=Anne Boyle |url=https://www.degruyter.com/view/title/125873 |title=Descriptive Grammar of Pashto and its Dialects |date=2014-01-01 |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |isbn=978-1-61451-231-8 |pages=76 |language=en}}</ref> also known as '''Pakhtuns'''<ref name="Minahan">{{Cite book|last=Minahan|first=James B.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fOQkpcVcd9AC&pg=PT318|title=Ethnic Groups of South Asia and the Pacific: An Encyclopedia: An Encyclopedia|date=30 August 2012|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781598846607|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>https://csis-website-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/publication/110316_Lamb_PashtunPerceptions_web.pdf {{bare URL PDF|date=March 2023}}</ref> or '''Pathans''',{{efn|From {{Lang-hi|पठान}} / {{lang-ur|{{nq|پٹھان}}}} ({{Transliteration|hi|paṭhān}})<ref name="Hindi">{{cite book|title=The Pathan Borderland|year=1963|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-8YNAAAAIAAJ&q=pathan+hindi+word|author=James William Spain|publisher=Mouton|page=40|access-date=1 January 2012|quote=The most familiar name in the west is Pathan, a Hindi term adopted by the British, which is usually applied only to the people living east of the Durand.}}</ref><ref name="Hindi3">{{cite book|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Pathan|title=Pathan|publisher=World English Dictionary|quote=Pathan (pəˈtɑːn) — n a member of the Pashto-speaking people of Afghanistan, Western Pakistan, and elsewhere, most of whom are Muslim in religion [C17: from Hindi]|access-date=1 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="Fürer-Haimendorf-1985">{{cite book |last=von Fürer-Haimendorf |first=Christoph |author-link=Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf |title=Tribal populations and cultures of the Indian subcontinent |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aRSOnRfPAq0C&pg=PA126 |series=Handbuch der Orientalistik/2,7 |year=1985 |publisher=[[E. J. Brill]] |location=Leiden |isbn=90-04-07120-2 |pages=126 |oclc=240120731 |access-date=22 July 2019 }}</ref>}} are an [[Iranian peoples|Eastern Iranian ethnic group]]<ref name="Minahan"/> historically native to the [[Pashtunistan]] region of southern [[Afghanistan]] and northwestern [[Pakistan]].<ref name="Caldwell2011" /><ref name="Brit-Pashtun" /> They historically were also referred to as [[Afghan (ethnonym)|Afghans]]{{efn|From {{lang-fa|افغان}} ({{Transliteration|fa|Afğân}}) or {{lang-xbc|αβγανο}} ({{Transliteration|xbc|Abgân}})<ref name="Sims-Williams 19">{{Cite journal|last=Sims-Williams|first=Nicholas|title=Bactrian Documents from Northern Afghanistan. Vol II: Letters and Buddhist|url=https://www.khalilicollections.org/portfolio/bactrian-documents-from-northern-afghanistan-part-ii/|journal=Khalili Collectins|pages=19}}</ref><ref name="Habibi">{{Cite web |url=http://www.alamahabibi.com/English%20Articles/Afghan_and_Afghanistan.htm |title=Afghan and Afghanistan |work=[[Abdul Hai Habibi]]|publisher=alamahabibi.com|year=1969|access-date=24 October 2010}}</ref><ref name="Britannica-Abgan">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/7798/Afghanistan/129450/History?anchor=ref261360|title=History of Afghanistan|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online|access-date=22 November 2010}}</ref><ref name="Ferishta">{{Cite web|url=http://persian.packhum.org/persian/pf?file=06901021&ct=10|title=''History of the Mohamedan Power in India''|author=[[Firishta|Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah]] (Firishta)|publisher=[[Packard Humanities Institute]]|work=Persian Literature in Translation|access-date=10 January 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211200506/http://persian.packhum.org/persian/pf?file=06901021&ct=10|archive-date=11 February 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Brit-lib">{{cite web |url= http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelpregion/asia/afghanistan/afghanistancollection/afghanglossary/afghanglossary.html |title= Afghanistan: Glossary |publisher=[[British Library]] |access-date=15 March 2008}}</ref>}} until the 1970s,<ref name=":2" /> after the term's meaning had become a demonym for members of all [[ethnic groups in Afghanistan]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Huang |first=Guiyou |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d5RxDwAAQBAJ&dq=term+afghan+other+ethnic+groups&pg=PA5 |title=The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Asian American Literature [3 volumes] |date=2008-12-30 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-56720-736-1 |language=en |quote=In Afghanistan, up until the 1970s, the common reference to Afghan meant Pashtun. . . . The term Afghan as an inclusive term for all ethnic groups was an effort begun by the "modernizing" King Amanullah (1909-1921). . . .}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Tyler |first=John A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_hLEAAAQBAJ&dq=term+afghan+other+ethnic+groups&pg=PT110 |title=Afghanistan Graveyard of Empires: Why the Most Powerful Armies of Their Time Found Only Defeat or Shame in This Land Of Endless Wars |date=2021-10-10 |publisher=Aries Consolidated LLC |isbn=978-1-387-68356-7 |language=en |quote=The largest ethnic group in Afghanistan is that of Pashtuns, who were historically known as the Afghans. The term Afghan is now intended to indicate people of other ethnic groups as well.}}</ref>

Pashtuns are the 26th-largest ethnic group in the world, and the largest [[segmentary lineage]] society; there are an estimated 350–400 [[Pashtun tribes|Pashtun tribes and clans]] with a [[Theories of Pashtun origin|variety of origin theories]].<ref name="Romano">{{cite book |last1=Romano |first1=Amy |url=https://archive.org/details/historicalatlaso0000roma |title=A Historical Atlas of Afghanistan |publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group |year=2003 |isbn=0-8239-3863-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historicalatlaso0000roma/page/28 28] |access-date=17 October 2010 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Syed Saleem Shahzad |date=20 October 2006 |title=Profiles of Pakistan's Seven Tribal Agencies |url=http://www.jamestown.org/programs/gta/single/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=891&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=181&no_cache=1 |access-date=22 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Who Are the Pashtun People of Afghanistan and Pakistan? |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/who-are-the-pashtun-195409 |access-date=2022-08-14 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref> The total population of the Pashtun people worldwide is estimated to be around 49 million,<ref name=":1">{{cite web|last=Lewis|first=Paul M.|year=2009|title=Pashto, Northern|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=pbu|work=[[SIL International]]|publisher=[[Ethnologue]]: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition|location=Dallas, TX|quote=''Ethnic population: 49,529,000 possibly total Pashto in all countries.''|access-date=18 September 2010}}</ref> although this figure is disputed due to the [[Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)|lack of an official census in Afghanistan since 1979]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hybrid Census to Generate Spatially-disaggregated Population Estimat |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/undataforum/hybrid-census-to-generate-spatially-disaggregated-population-estimates/ |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20200517105822/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/undataforum/hybrid%2Dcensus%2Dto%2Dgenerate%2Dspatially%2Ddisaggregated%2Dpopulation%2Destimates/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 May 2020 |website=United Nations world data form |access-date=2 August 2020 }}</ref> They are the largest [[Ethnic groups in Afghanistan|ethnic group in Afghanistan]] and the second-largest [[Ethnic groups in Pakistan|ethnic group in Pakistan]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan - The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/#people-and-society |access-date=2021-01-19 |website=www.cia.gov}}</ref> constituting around 42 percent of the total Afghan population and around 18.24 percent of the total Pakistani population.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Afghanistan - The World Factbook|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan/#people-and-society|access-date=2021-01-19|website=www.cia.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=South Asia :: Pakistan — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/ |access-date=24 February 2019 |website=cia.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=30 July 2019 |title=What Languages Are Spoken In Pakistan? |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-pakistan.html |website=World atlas}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethnic groups Afghanistan |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2075.html?countryName=Afghanistan&countryCode=af&regionCode=sas& |access-date=3 February 2023 |archive-date=14 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014200908/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2075.html?countryName=Afghanistan&countryCode=af&regionCode=sas& |url-status=dead }}</ref> In [[India]], significant and historical communities of the [[Pashtun diaspora]] exist in the northern region of [[Rohilkhand]] as well as in major Indian cities such as [[Delhi]] and [[Mumbai]].<ref name="CanfieldPaleczek">{{cite book |last1=Canfield |first1=Robert L. |title=Ethnicity, Authority and Power in Central Asia: New Games Great and Small |last2=Rasuly-Paleczek |first2=Gabriele |date=4 October 2010 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-92750-8 |page=148 |language=English |quote=By the late-eighteenth century perhaps 100,000 "Afghan" or "Puthan" migrants had established several generations of political control and economic consolidation within numerous Rohilkhand communities}}</ref><ref name="Khyber">{{cite web |last=Haleem |first=Safia |date=24 July 2007 |title=Study of the Pathan Communities in Four States of India |url=http://www.khyber.org/articles/2007/Study_of_the_Pathan_Communitie.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229013803/http://www.khyber.org/articles/2007/Study_of_the_Pathan_Communitie.shtml |archive-date=29 February 2020 |access-date=1 July 2020 |work=Khyber.org}}</ref><ref name="The Hindu">{{cite news |date=20 July 1954 |title=Pakhtoons in Kashmir |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/07/20/stories/2004072001220900.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=28 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041209153349/http://www.hindu.com/2004/07/20/stories/2004072001220900.htm |archive-date=9 December 2004 |quote=Over a lakh Pakhtoons living in Jammu and Kashmir as nomad tribesmen without any nationality became Indian subjects on July 17. Batches of them received certificates to this effect from the Kashmir Prime Minister, Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed, at village Gutligabh, 17 miles from Srinagar.}}</ref> A more recent Pashtun diaspora has formed in the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf]] (primarily in the [[United Arab Emirates]]) as part of the larger Afghan and Pakistani diaspora in that region.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northern Pashtun in United Arab Emirates |url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14256/AE |website=Joshua project}}</ref><!-- Per MOS:LEAD: "a lead section should contain no more than four well-composed paragraphs". Do not add extra paragraphs. -->

{{Further|Pashtun diaspora}}

{{Main articles|Pathans in India}}{{further|Pathans of Kashmir|Pathans of Punjab|Pathans of Sindh|Pathans of Rajasthan|Pathans of Gujarat|Pathans of Uttar Pradesh|Pathans of Bihar|Pathans of Madhya Pradesh|Pathans of Tamil Nadu|Pathans of Sri Lanka}}

During the 19th century, when the British were accepting peasants from British India as indentured servants to work in the [[Caribbean]], South Africa and other far away places, Rohillas who had lost their empire and were unemployed and restless, were sent to places as far as [[Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad]], [[Surinam (Dutch colony)|Surinam]], Guyana, and [[Fiji]], to work with other Indians on the sugarcane fields and perform manual labour.<ref>{{cite web |title=Afghans of Guyana |url=http://afghanland.com/culture/guyana.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061105072533/http://afghanland.com/culture/guyana.html |archive-date=5 November 2006 |access-date=18 January 2007 |work=Wahid Momand |publisher=Afghanland.com}}</ref> Many of these immigrants stayed there and formed unique communities of their own. Some of them [[Cultural assimilation|assimilated]] with the other South Asian Muslim nationalities to form a common Indian Muslim community in tandem with the larger Indian community, losing their distinctive heritage. Some Pashtuns travelled to as far away as [[Afghan (Australia)|Australia]] during the same era.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northern Pashtuns in Australia |url=https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14256/AS |website=Joshua Project}}</ref>

Today, the Pashtuns are a collection of diversely scattered communities present across the length and breadth of India, with the largest populations principally settled in the plains of [[North India|northern]] and [[central India]].<ref name="Khan2015">{{cite book |author=Jasim Khan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2jgHCwAAQBAJ |title=Being Salman |date=27 December 2015 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-81-8475-094-2 |pages=34, 35, 37, 38– |quote=Superstar Salman Khan is a Pashtun from the Akuzai clan...One has to travel roughly forty-five kilometres from Mingora towards Peshawar to reach the nondescript town of Malakand. This is the place where the forebears of Salman Khan once lived. They belonged to the Akuzai clan of the Pashtun tribe...}}</ref><ref name="Swarup">{{cite news|url=http://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/the-kingdom-of-khan/|title=The Kingdom of Khan|work=Open|date=27 January 2011|access-date=6 June 2020|first=Shubhangi|last=Swarup|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604000833/http://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/the-kingdom-of-khan/|archive-date=4 June 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Alavi20082">{{cite web |last1=Alavi |first1=Shams Ur Rehman |date=11 December 2008 |title=Indian Pathans to broker peace in Afghanistan |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/indian-pathans-to-broker-peace-in-afghanistan/story-W6Z4o4Dm0ETTz7tPBoHT1I.html |publisher=Hindustan Times |language=en |quote=Pathans are now scattered across the country, and have pockets of influence in parts of UP, Bihar and other states. They have also shone in several fields, especially Bollywood and sports. The three most famous Indian Pathans are Dilip Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Irfan Pathan. "The population of Pathans in India is twice their population in Afghanistan and though we no longer have ties (with that country), we have a common ancestry and feel it's our duty to help put an end to this menace", Atif added. Academicians, social activists, writers and religious scholars are part of the initiative. The All India Muslim Majlis, All India Minorities Federation and several other organisations have joined the call for peace and are making preparations for the jirga.}}</ref> Following the [[partition of India]] in 1947, many of them [[Muhajir (Urdu-speaking people)|migrated to Pakistan]].<ref name="Khan20152" /> The majority of Indian Pashtuns are [[Urdu-speaking people|Urdu-speaking communities]],<ref name="Green20172" /> who have assimilated into the [[Culture of India|local society]] over the course of generations.<ref name="Green20172">{{cite book |author=Nile Green |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g6swDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 |title=Afghanistan's Islam: From Conversion to the Taliban |publisher=Univ of California Press |year=2017 |isbn=978-0-520-29413-4 |pages=18–}}</ref> Pashtuns have influenced and contributed to various fields in India, particularly politics, the entertainment industry and sports.<ref name="Alavi20082" />

These Pactyans lived on the eastern frontier of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] [[Arachosia]] [[Satrapy]] as early as the 1st millennium BCE, present day Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web|title=The History of Herodotus Chapter 7, Written 440 B.C.E, Translated by George Rawlinson|url=http://www.piney.com/Heredotus7.html|access-date=2012-09-21|publisher=Piney.com|archive-date=5 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205055843/http://www.piney.com/Heredotus7.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Herodotus]] also mentions a tribe of known as Aparytai (Ἀπαρύται).<ref>{{cite web|title=The History of Herodotus Book 3, Chapter 91, Verse 4; Written 440 B.C.E, Translated by G. C. Macaulay|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/hh/hh3090.htm|access-date=2015-02-21 |publisher=sacred-texts.com}}</ref> [[Thomas Holdich]] has linked them with the [[Afridi]] tribe:<ref>{{cite web|title=Herodotus, The Histories, Book 3, chapter 91, section 4|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0126:book=3:chapter=91:section=4|access-date=2020-11-03 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Dani|first=Ahmad Hasan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9yduAAAAMAAJ|title=History of Pakistan: Pakistan through ages|publisher=Sang-e Meel Publications|year=2007|isbn=978-969-35-2020-0|page=77}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Holdich |first=Thomas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JnC-wwEACAAJ&q=Holdich++gates+of+india|title=The Gates of India, Being an Historical Narrative|date=2019-03-12|publisher=Creative Media Partners, LLC|isbn=978-0-530-94119-6|pages=28, 31}}</ref>

The word Afghan has also appeared in the 982 [[Hudud ul-'alam|Ḥudūd al-ʿĀlam]], where a reference is made to a village, Saul, which was probably located near [[Gardez]], Afghanistan.<ref name="Vogelsang" />

[[Mohan Lal Kashmiri|Mohan Lal]] stated in 1846 that "the origin of the [[Afghans]] is so obscure, that no one, even among the oldest and most clever of the tribe, can give satisfactory information on this point."<ref>{{cite book |last=Lal |first=Mohan |title=Life of the Amir Dost Mohammed Khan; of Kabul |url=https://archive.org/details/afghanistan00bant |url-access=registration |publisher=Crabtree Publishing Company |volume=1 |year=1846 |page=[https://archive.org/details/afghanistan00bant/page/n7 3] |access-date=10 September 2010 |isbn=0-7787-9335-4}}</ref> Others have suggested that that a single origin of the Pashtuns is unlikely but rather they are a tribal confederation.{{blockquote|"Looking for the origin of Pashtuns and the Afghans is something like exploring the source of the [[Amazon Rainforest|Amazon]]. Is there one specific beginning? And are the Pashtuns originally identical with the Afghans? Although the Pashtuns nowadays constitute a clear ethnic group with their own language and culture, there is no evidence whatsoever that all modern Pashtuns share the same ethnic origin. In fact it is highly unlikely."<ref name="Vogelsang"/>|[[Willem Vogelsang|Vogelsang]]|2002}}

It is suggested by some that Pashto may have originated in the [[Badakhshan]] region and is connected to a [[Saka language]] akin to Khotanese.<ref>{{Cite web|quote=It is, however, possible that the original home of Paṣ̌tō may have been in Badaḵšān, somewhere between Munǰī and Sangl. and Shugh., with some contact with a Saka dialect akin to Khotanese.|title=Encolypedia Iranica, AFGHANISTAN vi. Paṣ̌tō|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afghanistan-vi-pasto}}</ref> In fact major linguist [[Georg Morgenstierne]] has described Pashto as a [[Saka language|Saka]] dialect and many others have observed the similarities between Pashto and other Saka languages as well, suggesting that the original Pashto speakers might have been a [[Saka]] group.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Indo-Iranica|publisher=Iran Society|year=1946|location=Kolkata, India|pages=173–174|quote=... and their language is most closely related to on the one hand with Saka on the other with Munji-Yidgha}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Bečka|first=Jiří|title=A Study in Pashto Stress|publisher=Academia|year=1969|pages=32|quote=Pashto in its origin, is probably a Saka dialect.}}</ref> Furthemore Pashto and [[Ossetian language|Ossetian]], another Scythian-descending language, share cognates in their vocabulary which other Eastern Iranian languages lack<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cheung|first=Jonny|title=Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb|publisher=(Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series)|year=2007}}</ref> Cheung suggests a common isogloss between Pashto and Ossetian which he explains by an undocumented Saka dialect being spoken close to reconstructed Old Pashto which was likely spoken north of the [[Amu Darya|Oxus]] at that time.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cheung|first=Jonny|title=Etymological dictionary of the Iranian verb|publisher=(Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series)|year=2007}}</ref> Others however have suggested a much older Iranic ancestor given the affinity to [[Old Avestan]].<ref>{{Cite web|quote=But it seems that the Old Iranic ancestor dialect of Paṣ̌tō must have been close to that of the Gathas.|title=Enyclopedia Iranica, AFGHANISTAN vi. Paṣ̌tō|url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afghanistan-vi-pasto}}</ref>

This theory has been criticised by not being substantiated by historical evidence.<ref name="Stanizai2020" /> Dr. Zaman Stanizai criticises this theory:<ref name="Stanizai2020" />

The Pashtuns in Afghanistan resisted [[British Empire|British]] designs upon their territory and kept the [[Russian Empire|Russians]] at bay during the so-called "[[The Great Game|Great Game]]". By playing the two super powers against each other, Afghanistan remained an independent sovereign state and maintained some autonomy (see the [[Siege of Malakand]]). During the reign of [[Abdur Rahman Khan]] (1880–1901), [[Pashtunistan|Pashtun regions]] were [[politically]] divided by the [[Durand Line]], and what is today western Pakistan fell within British India as a result of the border. In the 20th century, many politically active Pashtun leaders living under British rule of undivided India supported [[Indian independence movement|Indian independence]], including [[Ashfaqulla Khan]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Thakurta|first=R.N. Guha |title=The Contemporary, Volume 22|year=1978|publisher=National Galvanizing Pvt. Limited}}</ref><ref name="Rajesh">{{cite book|last=Rajesh|first=K. Guru|title=Sarfarosh: A Naadi Exposition of the Lives of Indian Revolutionaries|publisher=Notion Press|isbn=9789352061730|page=524|quote=Ashfaqullah's father, Shafeequlla Khan, was a member of a Pathan military family.}}</ref> [[Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai]], [[Ajmal Khattak]], [[Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan|Bacha Khan]] and his son [[Khan Abdul Wali Khan|Wali Khan]] (both members of the [[Khudai Khidmatgar]]), and were inspired by [[Mohandas Gandhi]]'s [[nonviolence|non-violent]] method of resistance.<ref name="Brit-Ghaffar-Khan">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/232353/Khan-Abdul-Ghaffar-Khan|title=Abdul Ghaffar Khan|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online|access-date=24 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-heroes/abdul-ghaffar-khan.html|title=Abdul Ghaffar Khan|publisher=I Love India|access-date=24 September 2008}}</ref> Many Pashtuns also worked in the [[All India Muslim League|Muslim League]] to fight for an independent Pakistan through non violent resistance, including [[Yusuf Khattak]] and [[Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar|Abdur Rab Nishtar]] who was a close associate of [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]].<ref name="iloveindia">{{Cite web|url=http://www.pakpost.gov.pk/philately/stamps2003/mohammad_yousaf_khan_khattak.html|title=Mohammad Yousaf Khan Khattak|website=Pakpost.gov.pk|access-date=14 December 2021|archive-date=18 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118020240/http://www.pakpost.gov.pk/philately/stamps2003/mohammad_yousaf_khan_khattak.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Many of the [[Bollywood]] film stars in India have Pashtun ancestry; some of the most notable ones are [[Aamir Khan]], [[Shah Rukh Khan|Shahrukh Khan]], [[Salman Khan]], [[Feroz Khan (Indian actor)|Feroz Khan]], [[Madhubala]], [[Kader Khan]], [[Saif Ali Khan]], [[Soha Ali Khan]], [[Sara Ali Khan]], and [[Zarine Khan]]. In addition, one of India's former presidents, [[Zakir Hussain (politician)|Zakir Hussain]], belonged to the [[Afridi (Pashtun)|Afridi]] tribe.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Famous Indians of the 21st century |last1=Sharma|first1=Vishwamitra|year=2007|publisher=Pustak Mahal|isbn=978-81-223-0829-7|page=60|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jx1XJp6wOFAC&pg=PA60|access-date=18 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Dr. Zakir Hussain, quest for truth (by Ziāʼulḥasan Fārūqī)|last1=Fārūqī|first1=Z̤iāʼulḥasan|year=1999|publisher=APH Publishing|isbn=81-7648-056-8|page=8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzNnwUasQ3wC&pg=PA8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Educational thought |last1=Johri|first1=P.K|year=1999|publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD|isbn=81-261-2175-0|page=267|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dAYxGg0w8xMC&pg=PA267}}</ref> [[Mohammad Yunus (diplomat)|Mohammad Yunus]], India's former ambassador to Algeria and advisor to [[Indira Gandhi]], is of Pashtun origin and related to the legendary Bacha Khan.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2003/05/26/stories/2003052600431000.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030703101955/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2003/05/26/stories/2003052600431000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 July 2003|title=To Islamabad and the Frontier|access-date=1 August 2007|location=Chennai, India|date=26 May 2003|work=The Hindu|quote=Ruled now by parties of the religious right, the Frontier province emerges soon after one proceeds westwards from Islamabad. I was lucky to find Ajmal Khan Khattak in his humble home in Akora Khattak, beyond the Indus. Once Badshah Khan's young lieutenant, Mr. Khattak spent years with him in Afghanistan and offered a host of memories. And I was able to meet Badshah Khan's surviving children, Wali Khan, the famous political figure of the NWFP, and his half-sister, Mehr Taj, whose husband Yahya Jan, a schoolmaster who became a Minister in the Frontier, was the brother of the late Mohammed Yunus, who had made India his home.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Commonwealth and Nehru|last1=Darbari|first1=Raj|year=1983|publisher=Vision Books|isbn=81-261-2175-0|page=28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Pathan unarmed: opposition & memory in the North West Frontier (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)|quote= He was visiting his cousin Mohammed Yunus, a Pathan who had chosen to move to Delhi at Partition and become a well-known figure in the Congress regime.|publisher=James Currey}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopædia of Muslim Biography|quote=Mohammad Yunus is belong to a rich and distinguished Pathan family and son of Haji Ghulam Samdani (1827–1926).|publisher=A.P.H. Pub. Corp.}}</ref>

In the late 1990s, Pashtuns were the primary ethnic group in the ruling regime i.e [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]] (Taliban regime)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Watkins |first=Andrew |date=17 August 2022 |title=One Year Later: Taliban Reprise Repressive Rule, but Struggle to Build a State |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/08/one-year-later-taliban-reprise-repressive-rule-struggle-build-state |url-status=live |access-date=27 February 2023 |website=United States Institute of Peace}}</ref>.<ref name="BBC Taliban">{{cite web|last=Cruickshank| first=Dan| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/sept_11/afghan_culture_03.shtml|title=Afghanistan: At the Crossroads of Ancient Civilisations|work=BBC|access-date=10 October 2006}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2021}} The [[Northern Alliance]] that was fighting against the Taliban also included a number of Pashtuns. Among them were [[Abdullah Abdullah]], [[Abdul Qadir (Afghan leader)|Abdul Qadir]] and his brother [[Abdul Haq (Afghan leader)|Abdul Haq]], [[Abdul Rasul Sayyaf]], [[Asadullah Khalid]], Hamid Karzai and [[Gul Agha Sherzai]]. The Taliban regime was ousted in late 2001 during the US-led [[Operation Enduring Freedom|War in Afghanistan]] and replaced by the [[Presidency of Hamid Karzai|Karzai administration]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scis.org/SA_L2_A4_teacher_resource_2_10_p115.pdf|title=Afghan Government 2009|work=scis.org|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728004043/http://www.scis.org/SA_L2_A4_teacher_resource_2_10_p115.pdf|archive-date=28 July 2011}}</ref> This was followed by the Ghani administration and the reconquest of Afghanistan by the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan).

The Durranis and Ghiljis (or Ghilzais) are the two largest groups of Pashtuns, with approximately two-thirds of Afghan Pashtuns belonging to these confederations.<ref name="USMA">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ctc.usma.edu/tribal-dynamics-of-the-afghanistan-and-pakistan-insurgencies/|title=Tribal Dynamics of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Insurgencies|date=15 August 2009|website=Combating Terrorism Center at West Point|access-date=14 December 2021}}</ref> The Durrani tribe has been more urban and politically successful, while the Ghiljis are more numerous, more rural, and reputedly tougher. In the 18th century, the groups collaborated at times and at other times fought each other. With a few gaps, Durranis ruled modern Afghanistan continuously until the [[Saur Revolution]] of 1978; the new communist rulers were Ghilji.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cZUtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA20|title=Our Latest Longest War: Losing Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan|first=Aaron B.|last=O'Connell|date=3 April 2017|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|isbn=9780226265650|access-date=14 December 2021|via=Google Books}}</ref>

[[Pashto]] is the [[First language|mother tongue]] of most Pashtuns.<ref name="T&F">{{cite book|last1=Claus|first1=Peter J.|title=South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia : Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka|last2=Diamond|first2=Sarah|last3=Ann Mills|first3=Margaret|date=2003|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9780415939195|page=447}}</ref><ref name="Henderson">{{cite web|last=Henderson|first=Michael|title=The Phonology of Pashto|url=http://people.ku.edu/~mmth/Sample_Pashto_Phonology_I_Term_Paper.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004085316/http://people.ku.edu/~mmth/Sample_Pashto_Phonology_I_Term_Paper.pdf|archive-date=4 October 2012|access-date=20 August 2012|publisher=University of Wisconsin|location=Madison, Wisconsin}}</ref><ref name="Henderson 1983">{{cite journal|last=Henderson|first=Michael|year=1983|title=Four Varieties of Pashto|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=103|issue=3|pages=595–8|doi=10.2307/602038|jstor=602038}}</ref> It is one of the two [[national language]]s of [[Afghanistan]].<ref name="Pashto-language">{{cite web|title=Pashto language|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/445534/Pashto-language|access-date=7 December 2010|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref><ref name="socioling">Modarresi, Yahya: "Iran, Afghanistan and Tadjikistan, 1911–1916." In: ''Sociolinguistics'', Vol. 3, Part. 3. Ulrich Ammon, Norbert Dittmar, Klaus J. Mattheier, Peter Trudgill (eds.). Berlin, De Gryuter: 2006. p. 1915. {{ISBN|3-11-018418-4}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=LMZm0w0k1c4C&pg=PA1914]</ref> In Pakistan, although being the second-largest language being spoken,<ref>[http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/tables/POPULATION%20BY%20MOTHER%20TONGUE.pdf Population by Mother Tongue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141010134307/http://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/tables/POPULATION%20BY%20MOTHER%20TONGUE.pdf |date=10 October 2014 }}, Population Census – [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]], [[Government of Pakistan]]</ref> it is often neglected officially in the education system.<ref name="Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan">{{Cite book|author=Hallberg|first=Daniel|url=http://www-01.sil.org/sociolx/pubs/32847_SSNP04.pdf|title=Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan|publisher=Quaid-i-Azam University & Summer Institute of Linguistics|year=1992|isbn=969-8023-14-3|volume=4|page=36 to 37|access-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712204446/http://www-01.sil.org/sociolx/pubs/32847_SSNP04.pdf|archive-date=12 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=د کرښې پرغاړه (په پاکستان کې د مورنیو ژبو حیثیت)|url=http://www.mashaalradio.org/content/article/25466375.html|access-date=18 July 2016|work=mashaalradio.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.britishcouncil.org/pakistan-ette-role-of-language-in-education.htm|title=TEACHING AND LEARNING IN PAKISTAN: THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN EDUCATION|author=Hywel Coleman|publisher=[[British Council]], Pakistan|access-date=24 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104060039/http://www.britishcouncil.org/pakistan-ette-role-of-language-in-education.htm|archive-date=4 November 2010|year=2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Mohmand|first=Mureeb|date=27 April 2014|title=The decline of Pashto|work=The Express Tribune|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/700836/the-decline-of-pashto|quote="...because of the state's patronage, Urdu is now the most widely-spoken language in Pakistan. But the preponderance of one language over all others eats upon the sphere of influence of other, smaller languages, which alienates the respective nationalities and fuels aversion towards the central leadership...If we look to our state policies regarding the promotion of Pashto and the interests of the Pakhtun political elite, it is clear that the future of the Pashto language is dark. And when the future of a language is dark, the future of the people is dark."}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Carter|first=Lynn|title=Socio-Economic Profile of Kurram Agency|url=|journal=Planning and Development Department, Peshawar, NWFP|volume=1991|pages=82}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Carter and Raza|title=Socio-Economic Profile of South Waziristan Agency|url=|journal=Planning and Development Department, Peshawar, NWFP|volume=1990|pages=69|quote=Sources say that this is mainly because the Pushto text books in use in the settled areas of N.W.F.P. are written in the Yusufzai dialect, which is not the dialect in use in the Agency}}</ref> This has been criticised as adversely impacting the economic advancement of Pashtuns,<ref>{{cite web|title=Education in Pashto language stressed|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/793981-education-in-pashto-language-stressed|access-date=2021-03-18|website=www.thenews.com.pk|quote=Khpalwaak Pakhtunistan Ghurzang on Sunday demanded the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to introduce Pashto as a medium of instruction for the Pakhtun children as that was needed for their socio-economic development.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Report|first=Dawn|date=2021-02-22|title=Govt urged to declare Pashto as medium of instruction in schools|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1608698|access-date=2021-03-18|website=DAWN.COM|quote=Besides Peshawar, literary and cultural organisations in Swat, Malakand, Buner, Swabi, Mardan, Nowshera, Charsadda, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Karak and tribal districts organised events to mark the importance of mother tongue.They were of the view that Pashto curriculum from 1st grade to 12th grade was already evolved but it was yet to be implemented.}}</ref> as students do not have the ability to comprehend what is being taught in other languages fully.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hallberg|first=Daniel|title=Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan|url=https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/10/21/84/102184639558058261191157258320075530940/32847_SSNP04.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/10/21/84/102184639558058261191157258320075530940/32847_SSNP04.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|journal=National Institute of Pakistan Studies Quaid-i-Azam University and Summer Institute of Linguisitics|volume=4|pages=36|quote=A brief interview with the principal of the high school in Madyan, along with a number of his teachers, helps to underscore the importance of Pashto in the school domain within Pashtoon territory. He reported that Pashto is used by teachers to explain things to students all the way up through tenth class. The idea he was conveying was that students do not really have enough ability in Urdu to operate totally in that language. He also expressed the thought that Pashto-speaking students in the area really do not learn Urdu very well in public school and that they are thus somewhat ill prepared to meet the expectation that they will know how to use Urdu and English when they reach the college level. He likened the education system to a wall that has weak bricks at the bottom.}}</ref> Robert Nichols remarks:<ref>{{cite book|url=https://brill.com/view/title/17296|title=Language Policy and Language Conflict in Afghanistan and Its Neighbors: The Changing Politics of Language Choice |date=2011-12-09 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-21765-2 |pages=278}}</ref>

[[File:Mosque in Kandahar-2011.jpg|thumb|The [[tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani]] in [[Kandahar|Kandahar City]], which also serves as the [[Congregational Mosque]] and contains the [[Shrine of the Cloak|sacred cloak]] that the [[Islamic Prophet]] [[Muhammad]] wore.]]

Recently, Pashto literature has received increased patronage, but many Pashtuns continue to rely on [[oral tradition]] due to relatively low [[literacy rate]]s and education. Pashtun society is also marked by some [[matriarchy|matriarchal]] tendencies.<ref name="Pashtun poetess">{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2005/05/22/the_tale_of_the_pashtun_poetess/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Ideas+Section |title=The tale of the Pashtun poetess |first=Leela |last=Jacinto |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=22 May 2005 |access-date=18 January 2007}}</ref> Folktales involving reverence for Pashtun mothers and matriarchs are common and are passed down from parent to child, as is most Pashtun heritage, through a rich oral tradition that has survived the ravages of time.

Despite obstacles, many Pashtun women have begun a process of slow change. A rich oral tradition and resurgence of poetry has inspired many Pashtun women seeking to learn to read and write.<ref name="Pashtun poetess" /> Further challenging the status quo, [[Vida Samadzai]] was selected as Miss Afghanistan in 2003, a feat that was received with a mixture of support from those who back the individual rights of women and those who view such displays as anti-traditionalist and un-Islamic. Some have attained political office in Afghanistan and Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4434782.stm|title=Warlords and women in uneasy mix|first=Andrew|last=North|work=BBC News|date=14 November 2005|access-date=10 October 2006}}</ref> A number of Pashtun women are found as TV hosts, journalists and actors.<ref name=Khyber /> [[Nigar Johar]] is a [[three-star rank|three-star general]] in the Pakistan Army. [[Khatol Mohammadzai]] served as [[brigadier general]] in the Afghan Army, another Pashtun female became a fighter [[Aviator|pilot]] in the [[Pakistan Air Force]].<ref name="Female Pilots">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4533367.stm |title=Pakistan's first women fighter pilots |first=Zaffar |last=Abbas |work=BBC News |date=11 May 2005|access-date=10 October 2006}}</ref> Some other notable Pashtun women include [[Aisha Uqbah Malik]], [[Armeena Khan]], [[Fauzia Gailani]], [[Ghazala Javed]], [[Gulalai Ismail]], [[Gul Panra]], [[Humaira Begum]], [[Laila Khan (singer)|Laila Khan]], [[Malala Yousafzai]], [[Naghma]], [[Najiba Faiz]], [[Nilofar Bakhtiar]], [[Sana Safi]], [[Bushra Gohar]], [[Shinkai Karokhail]], [[Shukria Barakzai]], [[Suhaila Seddiqi]], [[Tabassum Adnan]], [[Zartaj Gul]], [[Zeenat Karzai]], [[Marina Khan]], [[Neelam Muneer|Neelum Muneer]] and [[Mahira Khan]].

Pashtun women often have their legal rights curtailed in favour of their husbands or male relatives. For example, though women are officially [[women's suffrage|allowed to vote]] in Afghanistan and Pakistan, some have been kept away from [[ballot box]]es by males.<ref name="BBC Women">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/ihavearightto/four_b/report-azami.shtml|title=I have a right to – Muhammad Dawood Azami: Pashto|publisher=BBC World Service|access-date=10 October 2006}}</ref> Another tradition that persists is [[Swara (custom)|swara]] (a form of [[child marriage]]), which was declared illegal in Pakistan in 2000 but continues in some parts.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/pakistani-women-hope-change-malala-nobel-win-062613944.html|title=Pakistani women hope for change after Malala Nobel win|work=National Geographic|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=13 October 2014|access-date=13 October 2014}}</ref> Substantial work remains for Pashtun women to gain [[Social equality|equal rights]] with men, who remain disproportionately dominant in most aspects of Pashtun society. Human rights organisations continue to struggle for greater women's rights, such as the [[Afghan Women's Network]] and the [[Aurat Foundation]] in Pakistan which aims to protect women from [[domestic violence]].

* [[Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan]], independence activist against [[British Raj|British rule]] in India, known as "Badshah Khan", "Bacha Khan", and "Frontier Gandhi."

* [[Abdul Ghafoor Breshna]], painter, music composer, poet and film director. He is the artist behind the painting 1747 coronation of [[Ahmad Shah Durrani]], sketch of [[Sher Shah Suri]] and the Afghan national anthem of the [[Republic of Afghanistan (1973—1978)|Republic of Afghanistan]].

* [[Sikandar Lodi]], Sultan of the [[Delhi Sultanate|Lodi dynasty]]. He gained control of [[Bihar]] and founded the modern city of [[Agra]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lodī dynasty {{!}} Indian history {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lodi-dynasty |access-date=2022-03-25 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

*  

* [[Ahmad Zahir]], Afghan singer dubbed the "[[Elvis]] of Afghanistan". He sang mostly in [[Persian language|Persian]], albeit he also made many songs in [[Pashto]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[English language|English]] and [[Urdu]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://qz.com/india/311241/the-west-has-just-discovered-the-elvis-of-afghanistan/|title=The West has just discovered the Elvis of Afghanistan|first=Nate|last=Rabe|website=Quartz|date=12 December 2014 |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20181206-ahmad-zahir-the-enduring-appeal-of-the-afghan-elvis|title=Ahmad Zahir: The enduring appeal of the Afghan Elvis|first=Arwa|last=Haider|website=Bbc.com|access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.historyextra.com/period/20th-century/ahmad-zahir-who-afghan-elvis-extraordinary-life-death/

|title=The 'Afghan Elvis': the extraordinary life of Ahmad Zahir |work=Monica Whitlock; BBC World Histories magazine |date=4 July 2019| access-date=2019-10-10 |quote=He sang mostly in – Persian – but also in Urdu and English.}}</ref>

* [[Imran Khan]], Pakistani cricketer turned politician who served as the 22nd [[Prime Minister of Pakistan]].

* [[Pir Roshan]], warrior, [[poet]], [[Sufi]] and revolutionary leader. Created the first known [[Pashto]] alphabet. He's also the founder of the [[Roshani movement|Roshani movement/the enlightened movement]].

* [[Khushal Khan Khattak]], warrior and [[Pashto]] [[poet]].

* [[Malala Yousafzai]], Pakistani female education activist, awarded the [[2014 Nobel Peace Prize]] at age 17, the first Pashtun to receive a Nobel Prize.

* [[Mirza Mazhar Jan-e-Janaan]], renowned [[Hanafi]] [[Maturidi]] [[Naqshbandi]] [[Sufi]] poet, distinguished as one of the "four pillars of [[Urdu]] poetry".

* [[Wazir Akbar Khan]], Afghan prince, general and emir. Famous for his role in the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]], particularly for the [[1842 retreat from Kabul|massacre of Elphinstone's army.]]

* [[Karnal Sher Khan]], Pakistani military captain and recipient of [[Nishan-e-Haider]] for his role in the [[Kargil War]], one of the only eleven holders of the highest military award.

* [[Mohammed Daoud Khan]], Afghan politician.

* [[Yahya Khan]], military general who served as the third [[President of Pakistan]].

* [[Mohammed Zahir Shah]], last king of Afghanistan.

* [[Ahmad Faraz|Ahmed Faraz]], renowned [[Urdu]] poet, scriptwriter and lecturer.

* [[Rashid Khan]], Afghan cricketer.

* [[Shaheen Afridi]], Pakistani cricketer.

* [[Shahid Afridi]], Pakistani cricketer.

* [[Jahangir Khan]], Pakistani squash player.

* [[Jansher Khan]], Pakistani squash player.

* [[Fawad Khan]], Pakistani actor, producer, screenwriter, and model.