Dr. Sher Ali Shah Saib :: Who are Pashtuns

The Pashtuns historically known as Afghans or Pathans. who share a common history and culture. A substantial majority of Pashtuns share Pashto—an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family—as the native language.


Pashtun men from southern Afghanistan
Globally, the Pashtuns are estimated to number around 50 million,[23] but an accurate count remains elusive due to the lack of an official census in Afghanistan since 1979. The majority of the Pashtuns live in the region regarded as Pashtunistan, which has been split between two countries since the Durand Line border was formed after the Second Anglo-Afghan War.[24] There are also significant Pashtun diaspora communities in Sindh and Punjab in Pakistan, especially in the cities of Karachi and Lahore, and in the Rohilkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, India. A recent Pashtun diaspora has also developed in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, primarily in the United Arab Emirates. The Pashtuns are a significant minority group in Pakistan, where they constitute the second-largest ethnic group or about 15% of the population. As the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan (anywhere between 42 and 60 percent of the population), Pashtuns have been the dominant ethno-linguistic group for over 300 years. During the Delhi Sultanate era, the 15th–16th century Lodi dynasty briefly replaced the preexisting rulers in North India until Babur completely deposed the Lodi dynasty. Other Pashtuns fought the Safavids and Mughals before obtaining an independent state in the early 18th century,[25] which began with a successful revolution by Mirwais Hotak followed by conquests of Ahmad Shah Durrani.[26] The Barakzai dynasty played a vital role during the Great Game from the 19th century to the 20th century as they were caught between the imperialist designs of the British and Russian empires.