Pashtunistan پښتونستان | |
|---|---|
 Pashtunistan as in the Pashtun-majority areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan (in green) | |
| Countries |  Pakistan Afghanistan |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | c. 100 million[1][2][3] |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic groups | Majority:Pashtuns Minorities:Baloch,Gujjar,Pashayis,Tajik,Hazaras,Indus Kohistani |
| • Languages | Majority:Pashto Minorities:Dari,Hindko,Gujari,Balochi,Brahui,Ormuri,Parachi,Torwali,Pashayi languages |
| Time zone | UTC+04:30 (Afghanistan) UTC+05:00 (Pakistan) |
| Largest cities | |
| Website | www |
Pashtunistan (Pashto:پښتونستان,lit. 'land of thePashtuns')[4] orPakhtunistan is ahistorical region on the crossroads ofCentral andSouth Asia, located on theIranian Plateau, inhabited by thePashtun people of southern and easternAfghanistan[5] and northwesternPakistan,[6][7] whereinPashtun culture, thePashto language, and identity have been based.[8][9][10] Alternative names historically used for the region includePashtūnkhwā orPakhtūnkhwā (پښتونخوا),[11][12] or simply thePashtun Belt.[13][14][15]
DuringBritish rule in India in 1893,Mortimer Durand drew theDurand Line, fixing the limits of the spheres of influence between theEmirate of Afghanistan andBritish India during theGreat Game and leaving about half of historical Pashtun territory under British colonial rule; after thepartition of British India, the Durand Line now forms the internationally recognized border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.[16] The traditional Pashtun homeland stretches roughly from the areas south of theAmu River in Afghanistan to the areas west of theIndus River in Pakistan; it predominantly comprises the southwestern, eastern and some northern and western districts of Afghanistan, as well as most ofKhyber Pakhtunkhwa and northernBalochistan in Pakistan.[17] The region is bordered byPunjab andHazara[a] to the east,Balochistan to the south,Kohistan andChitral to the north, andHazarajat andTajik-inhabited territory to the west.
The 16th-century revolutionaryOrmur leaderBayazid Pir Roshan ofWaziristan and the 17th-century "warrior-poet"Khushal Khan Khattak assembled Pashtun armies to fight against theMughal Empire in the region. During this time, the eastern parts of Pashtunistan were ruled by the Mughals while the western parts were ruled bySafavid Iran. Pashtunistan first gained an autonomous status in 1709, whenMirwais Hotak successfully revolted against the Safavids inLoy Kandahar. The Pashtuns later achieved unity under the leadership ofAhmad Shah Durrani, who founded theDurrani dynasty and established theAfghan Empire in 1747. In the 19th century, however, the Afghan Empire lost large parts of its eastern territory to theSikh Empire and later theBritish Empire. Many famousIndian independence activists emerged from the region includingAbdul Ghaffar Khan and his anti-colonialKhudai Khidmatgar movement to free the region from British control.[18] In 1969, the autonomousprincely states ofSwat,Dir,Chitral, andAmb were merged into the Pakistani NWFP. In 2018, the Pashtun-majorityFederally Administered Tribal Areas, formerly a federally-controlled buffer zone of Pakistan on the international border with Afghanistan, were merged into the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (previously known as the NWFP), fully integrating the region with Pakistan proper.[19]
The Pashtuns practicePashtunwali, the indigenous culture of the Pashtuns, and this remains significant for many Pashtuns. Although the Pashtuns are politically separated by the Durand Line between Pakistan and Afghanistan, manyPashtun tribes from theFATA area and the adjacent regions of Afghanistan, tend to ignore the border and cross back and forth with relative ease to attend weddings, family functions and take part in the joint tribal councils known asjirgas.[20] Depending on the source, the ethnic Pashtuns constitute 42-60% of thepopulation of Afghanistan.[21][22][23][24][25][26] In neighboring Pakistan they constitute 15.4% percent of overthe 241 million population, which includes the Pashtun diaspora in other Pakistani cities and provinces.[b][27]
The name used for the region during theMiddle Ages especially during theHigh Middle Ages andLate Middle Ages and up until the 20th century wasAfghanistan. Afghanistan is a reference to this land by its ethnicity, which were the Afghans, while Pashtunistan is a reference to this land by its language. Mention of this land by the name of Afghanistan predates mention by the name of Pashtunistan,[28] which has been mentioned byAhmad Shah Durrani in his famous couplet, 14th-century Moroccan scholarIbn Battuta,Mughal EmperorBabur, 16th-century historianFirishta and many others. While mention of Afghans have been mentioned of a community of people, chieftains of tribes ofBactria known as Abgan or Avagana (Afğân) orBactrian:αβγανο (Abgân)[29][28][30][31][32] the exact origin or etymology of the term is not known with some scholars believe it to have been derived with the nameAsvakan[c] who were a people living in theSwat valley's then in the regions of Bactria.
The men ofKabul andKhilj also went home; and whenever they were questioned about theMusulmans of the Kohistan (the mountains), and how matters stood there, they said, "Don't call it Kohistan, butAfghanistan; for there is nothing there but Afghans and disturbances." Thus it is clear that for this reason the people of the country call their home intheir own language Afghanistan, and themselvesAfghans. But it occurs to me, that when, under the rule of Muhammadan sovereigns, Musulmans first came to the city ofPatna, and dwelt there, the people of India (for that reason) called them Patans—butGod knows![34]
— Firishta, 1560–1620
The Pashto name Pakhtunistan or Pashtunistan (Pashto:پښتونستان(Naskh)) evolved originally from the Indian word "Pathanistan" (Hindustani:پٹھانستان(Nastaleeq), पठानिस्तान(Devanagari)).[35][36][37] The concept of Pashtunistan was inspired by the term "Pakhtunkhwa".[35]British Indian leaders, including theKhudai Khidmatgar, started using the word "Pathanistan" to refer to the region, however the word "Pashtunistan" was more popular among Pashtuns.[35][36]
The native orindigenous people of Pashtunistan are thePashtuns (also known as Pakhtuns and historically as ethnicAfghans), anIranic ethnic group. Pashtuns are generally mixed with South Asian, Central Asian and European ethnicity. They are the largestethnic group in Afghanistan and thesecond largest in Pakistan. The Pashtuns are concentrated mainly in the south and east of Afghanistan but also exist in northern and western parts of the country as a minority group. In Pakistan they are concentrated in the west and north-west, inhabiting mainlyKhyber Pakhtunkhwa and northernBalochistan. In addition, communities of Pashtuns are found in other parts of Pakistan such asSindh,Punjab,Gilgit-Baltistan and in the nation's capital,Islamabad. The main language spoken in the delineated Pashtunistan region is Pashto. Depending on the region other languages are also spoken such asDari in Afghanistan andGujari,Balochi,Hindko, andUrdu in Pakistan.
The Pashtuns practicePashtunwali, the indigenous culture of the Pashtuns, and this pre-Islamic identity remains significant for many Pashtuns and is one of the factors that have kept the Pashtunistan issue alive. Although the Pashtuns are politically separated by theDurand Line between Pakistan and Afghanistan, manyPashtun tribes from theFATA area and the adjacent regions of Afghanistan, tend to ignore the border and cross back and forth with relative ease to attend weddings, family functions and take part in the joint tribal councils known asjirgas.[38] Though this was common before the war on terror but after several military operations conducted in FATA, this cross border movement is checked via military and has become much less common in comparison to the past.
Depending on the source, the ethnic Pashtuns constitute 42-60% of thepopulation of Afghanistan.[39][22][40][41][42][43] In neighboring Pakistan they constitute 15.42 percent ofthe 200 million population, which does not includePashtun diaspora in other Pakistani cities and provinces.[44] In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan, Pashto speakers constitute above 73 percent of the population as of 1998.[45]
Since the2nd millennium BC, the region now inhabited by the native Pashtun people had been conquered byAncient Iranian peoples, theMedes,Achaemenids,Greeks,Mauryas,Kushans,Hephthalites,Sasanians,Arab Muslims,Turks,Mughals, and others. In recent age, people of theWestern world have nominally explored the area.[46][47][48]
Arab Muslims arrived in the 7th century and began introducingIslam to the native Pashtun people. The Pashtunistan area later fell to theTurkishGhaznavids whose main capital was atGhazni, withLahore serving as the second power house. The Ghaznavid Empire was then taken over by theGhorids from today'sGhor, Afghanistan. The army ofGenghis Khan arrived in the 13th century and began destroying cities in the north while the Pashtun territory was defended by theKhalji dynasty ofDelhi. In the 14th and 15th century, theTimurid dynasty was in control of the nearby cities and towns, untilBabur capturedKabul in 1504.
During theDelhi Sultanate era, the region was ruled by mainlyAfghan and various, largely Sunni, Hanafi-jurisprudential driven Turkic[49][50] dynasties fromDelhi, India. An early Pashtun nationalist was the "Warrior-poet"Khushal Khan Khattak, who was imprisoned by theMughal emperorAurangzeb for trying to incite the Pashtuns to rebel against the rule of the Mughals. However, despite sharing a common language and believing in a common ancestry, the Pashtuns first achieved unity in the 18th century. The eastern parts ofPashtunistan were ruled by theMughal Empire, while the western parts were ruled by the PersianSafavids as their easternmost provinces. During the early 18th century, Pashtun tribes led byMirwais Hotak successfully revolted against theSafavids in the city of Kandahar. In a chain of events, he declaredKandahar and other parts of what is now southern Afghanistan independent. By 1738 the Mughal Empire had been crushingly defeated and theircapital sacked and looted by forces of a new Iranian ruler; the military genius and commanderNader Shah. Besides Persian, Turkmen, and Caucasian forces, Nader was also accompanied by the youngAhmad Shah Durrani, and 4,000 well trained Abdali Pashtun troops from what is now Afghanistan.[51]
After the death of Nader Shah in 1747 and the disintegration of his massive empire, Ahmad Shah Durrani created his own large and powerfulDurrani Empire, which included all of modern-day Afghanistan, North east Iran, Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan and Kashmir. The famous couplet byAhmad Shah Durrani describes the association the people have with the regional city of Kandahar:
"Da Dili takht herauma cheh rayad kam zama da khkule Pukhtunkhwa da ghre saroona".Translation: "I forget the throne of Delhi when I recall the mountain peaks of my beautiful Pukhtunkhwa."
The lastAfghan Empire was established in 1747 and united all the differentPashtun tribes as well as many other ethnic groups. Parts of the Pashtunistan region aroundPeshawar was invaded byRanjit Singh and hisSikh army in the early part of the 19th century, but a few years later they were defeated by theBritish Raj, the new powerful empire which reached the Pashtunistan region from the east.
Following the decline of theDurrani dynasty and the establishment of the newBarakzai dynasty in Afghanistan, the Pashtun domains began to shrink as they lost control over other parts of South Asia to the British, such as thePunjab region and theBalochistan region. TheAnglo-Afghan Wars were fought as part of the overall imperialisticGreat Game that was waged between theRussian Empire and the British. Poor and landlocked, newly born Afghanistan was able to defend its territory and keep both sides at bay by using them against each other. In 1893, as part of a way for fixing the limit of their respective spheres of influence, theDurand Line Agreement was signed between Afghan "Iron"Amir Abdur Rahman and British ViceroyMortimer Durand. In 1905, the North-West Frontier Province (today'sKhyber Pakhtunkhwa) was created and roughly corresponded to Pashtun majority regions within the British domain. TheFATA area was created to further placate the Pashtun tribesmen who never fully accepted British rule and were prone to rebellions, while the city of Peshawar was directly administered as part of a British protectorate state with full integration into the federal rule of law with the establishment of civic amenities and the construction of railway, road infrastructure as well as educational institutes to bring the region at par with the developed world.
DuringWorld War I, the Afghan government was contacted by theOttoman Turkey andGermany, through theNiedermayer–Hentig Mission, to join the Central Allies on behalf of theCaliph in aJihad; some revolutionaries, tribals, and Afghan leaders including a brother of the Amir namedNasrullah Khan were in favour of the delegation and wanted the Amir to declare Jihad. Kazim Bey carried afirman from the Khalifa in Persian. It was addressed to "the residents of Pashtunistan." It said that when the British were defeated, "His Majesty the Khalifa, in agreement with allied States, will acquire guarantee for independence of the united state of Pashtunistan and will provide every kind of assistance to it. Thereafter, I will not allow any interference in the country of Pashtunistan." (Ahmad Chagharzai; 1989; pp. 138–139). However the efforts failed and the Afghan AmirHabibullah Khan maintained Afghanistan's neutrality throughout World War I.[52]
Similarly, during the 1942Cripps Mission, and1946 Cabinet Mission to India, the Afghan government made repeated attempts to ensure that any debate about the independence of India must include Afghanistan's role in the future of theNWFP. The British government wavered between reassuring the Afghan to the rejection of their role and insistence that NWFP was an integral part of British India.[53]
DuringWorld War II, the government ofNazi Germany proposed an alliance with neutral Afghanistan in order to destabilize British control over the north-west of its domain in India. In return, the Afghans sought that NWFP and thePort of Karachi would be ceded to theKingdom of Afghanistan with German military aid, so that it could gain valuable access to theArabian Sea.[54] Such a plan would require annexation of NWFP, Baluchistan and Sindh provinces.
TheKhudai Khidmatgars (also known as the "Red Shirts") were members of acivil rights movement. Its leaderBacha Khan claimed to have been inspired by the IndianactivistMahatma Gandhi. While the Red Shirts were willing to work with theIndian National Congress from a political point of view, the Pashtuns living in the NWFP desired independence from India. However, the Bacha Khan wanted the Pashtuns areas in British India to remain part ofUnited India instead of gaining independence.
In June 1947,Mirzali Khan (Faqir of Ipi),Bacha Khan, and otherKhudai Khidmatgars declared theBannu Resolution, demanding that the Pashtuns be given a choice to have an independent state of Pashtunistan composing all Pashtun majority territories of British India, instead of being made to join the new state of Pakistan.[55] However, the British Raj refused to comply with the demand of this resolution.[56][57]
The NWFP joined theDominion of Pakistan as a result of the1947 NWFP referendum, which had been boycotted by the Khudai Khidmatgar movement, including Bacha Khan and then-chief minister Dr. Khan Sahib, as they were ditched by the leadership of Congress. About (99.02%) of the votes were cast in favor of Pakistan and only 2,874 (0.98%) in favor of India.[58][59][60][61]
The concept of Pashtunistan has varying meanings across Pakistan and Afghanistan.[62]In Afghanistan, Pashtun nationalists look after the interests of the Pashtun ethnic group and have support only from them.[63] They favor the ideas ofLōy Afghānistān or "Greater Afghanistan", and maintain anirredentist claim on the entire Pashtun-populated region.[63][64] The Pashtunistan demand also served the cause of domestic Afghan politics, where several successive governments used the idea to strengthen "Pashtun ethnic support" for the state. This policy intensified ethno-linguistic rivalry between Pashtuns and non-Pashtuns in the country.[62] These claims are contested in Pakistan, where Pashtun politics centers on political autonomy rather than irredentist politics.[18]
Since the late 1940s with the dissolution of British India andindependence of Pakistan, some rigid Pashtunnationalists proposed merging with Afghanistan or creating Pashtunistan as a futuresovereign state for the local Pashtun inhabitants of the area. At first, Afghanistan became the only government to oppose the entry of Pakistan into theUnited Nations in 1947, although it was reversed a few months later. On July 26, 1949, whenAfghanistan–Pakistan relations were rapidly deteriorating, aloya jirga was held in Afghanistan after amilitary aircraft from thePakistan Air Force bombed a village on the Afghan side of the Durand Line. As a result of this violation, the Afghan government declared that it recognized "neither the imaginary Durand nor any similar line" and that all previous Durand Line agreements werevoid.[65]Bacha Khan when took an oath of allegiance to Pakistan in 1948 in legislation assembly and during his speech he was asked by PMLiaquat Ali Khan about Pashtunistan to which he replied that it's just a name to thePashtun province inPakistan same likePunjab,Bengal,Sindh andBaluchishtan are the names ofprovinces of Pakistan as ethno-linguistic names,[66] contrary to what he believed and strived for Pashtunistan an independent state. During the 1950s to the late 1960s, Pashtuns were promoted to higher positions within the Pakistani government and military, thereby integrating Pashtuns into the Pakistani state and severely weakening secessionist sentiments to the point that by the mid-1960s, popular support for an independent Pashtunistan had all but disappeared.
An important development in Pakistan during the Ayub period (1958–1969) was the gradual integration into Pakistani society and the military-bureaucratic establishment. It was a period of Pakistan's political history which saw a large number of ethnic Pashtuns holding high positions in the military and the bureaucracy. Ayub himself was a non-Pashto speaking ethnic Pashtun belonging to theTarin sub-tribe of the Hazara District in the Frontier. The growing participation of Pashtuns in the Pakistani Government resulted in the erosion of the support for the Pashtunistan movement in the Province by the end of the 1960s.[18]
— Rizwan Hussain, 2005
Afghanistan and Pashtun nationalists did not exploit Pakistan's vulnerability during the nation's1965 and1971 wars with India, and even backed Pakistan against a largely Hindu India. Further, had Pakistan been destabilized by India, nationalists would have had to fight against a much bigger country than Pakistan for their independence.[67]
SardarDaoud Khan, who was the-then prime minister of Afghanistan supported a nationalistic reunification of the Pashtuns in Pakistan with Afghanistan. He wanted Pashtun-dominated areas likeKhyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baloch-dominated areas likeBalochistan to become part of Afghanistan. However, his policy of reunification ofPashtuns antagonized Non-Pashtuns likeTajiks,Uzbeks andHazaras living in Afghanistan. Non-Pashtuns believed that the aim of reunification of Pashtuns areas was to increase the population of Pashtuns in Afghanistan. As a result, Daoud Khan was extremely unpopular with Non-Pashtun Afghans.[68]
Bacha Khan stated that "Daoud Khan only exploited the idea of reunification of Pashtun people to meet his own political ends".[69] In 1960 and later in 1961, Daoud Khan made two attempts to captureBajaur District inKhyber Pakthunkhwa, Pakistan. However, all of Daoud Khan attempts failed as the Afghan army was routed with heavy casualties. Several Afghan army soldiers were also captured by Pakistani soldiers and they were paraded in front of international media which in turn caused embarrassment for Daoud Khan.[70] As a consequence of Daoud Khan's actions, Pakistan closed its border with Afghanistan which caused economic crisis in Afghanistan. Because of continued resentment against Daoud'sautocratic rule, close ties with theSoviet Union and economic downturn caused by the blockade imposed by Pakistan, Daoud Khan was forced to resign by KingZahir Shah.[70] Under King Zahir Shah rule, relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan improved and Pakistan opened its border with Afghanistan. However, later on in 1973, Daoud Khan seized power from King Zahir Shah in a militaryCoup d'état and declared himself the first president of Afghanistan. After seizing the power, the Daoud Khan's government started proxy war against Pakistan. Daoud Khan's government established several training camps for anti-Pakistani militants inKabul and Kandahar with the aim of training and arming those militants to carry out their activities against Pakistan.[71]On the other hand,Mirzali Khan and his followers continued their guerilla war against the Pakistani government from their base inGurwek.[72][73] In 1960,Afghan Prime MinisterMohammed Daoud Khan sent theAfghan military across the poorly-demarcated Durand Line into the PakistaniBajaur Agency in order to manipulate events in the region and press the Pashtunistan issue; these plans ultimately came to nothing after the Afghan troops were defeated by Pakistani irregular forces. In support of the quasi-invasion, theAfghan government engaged in an intense propaganda war via radio broadcasts.[74]
Pakistani government decided to retaliate against the Afghan government's Pashtunistan policy by supporting Non-Pashtun opponents of the Afghan government including future Mujaheddin leaders likeGulbuddin Hekmatyar andAhmad Shah Massoud.[75] This operation was remarkably successful, and by 1977 the Afghan government of Daoud Khan was willing to settle all outstanding issues in exchange for a lifting of the ban on theNational Awami Party and a commitment towards provincial autonomy for Pashtuns, which was already guaranteed by Pakistan's Constitution, but stripped by the Bhutto government when theOne Unit scheme was introduced.[clarification needed]
Bacha Khan who previously strived greatly for Pashtunistan later on in 1980 during an interview with an Indian journalist, Haroon Siddiqui said that the "idea of Pashtunistan never helped Pashtuns. In fact it was never a reality". He further said that "successiveAfghan governments have exploited the idea for their own political ends". It was only towards the end ofMohammed Daoud Khan regime that he stopped talking about Pashtunistan. Later on, evenNur Muhammad Taraki also talked about the idea of Pashtunistan and caused trouble for Pakistan. He also said that "Pashtun people greatly suffered because of all this."[69]
In 1976, the then president of Afghanistan,Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan recognised Durand Line as international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. He made this declaration while he was on an official visit toIslamabad,Pakistan.[76][77][78]
Daoud would beoverthrown byKhalqist military officers in 1978 leading to the formation of theDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan which was dominated byPashtunKhalqists who would go on to "reopen the Pashtunistan wound". In 1979 under General SecretaryNur Muhammad Taraki theKhalqists regime inAfghanistan changed the official map to includeNWFP andBalochistan as new "frontier provinces" of theDRA.[79] The Khalqist regime also sought to makePashto the sole language of the Afghan government and the lingua franca, they did so by underminingDari.[80] TheAfghan anthem under the communist regime was only in Pashto and not Dari with non-Pashtuns being required to sing it inPashto.[81] Up until theoverthrow ofDr Najibullah'sHomeland Partyregime in 1992, Afghan governments had favored Pashto in the media and over 50% of Afghan media was in Pashto.[80] After 1992 with the formation of theTajik ledIslamic State of Afghanistan, this number dropped drastically.[80]
Following the outbreak of theSoviet-Afghan War in Afghanistan, millions ofAfghans including non-Pashtun people fled toKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.[82]
Pashtuns in Pakistan make up the second largest ethnic group afterPunjabis making up around 15.4% of the total population which equates to about 39 million (This figure includes all Pashtuns in Pakistan including the diaspora in Punjab and Sindh).[d][27] In addition, there are 1.7 million Afghan refugees of whom majority are Pashtuns. These refugees, however, are expected to leave Pakistan and settle in Afghanistan in the coming years. Three Pakistani presidents belonged to the Pashtun ethnic group. Pashtuns continue to occupy important places in the military and politics, with the former Prime Minister of PakistanImran Khan who leadsPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) andAwami National Party led byAsfandyar Wali . In addition to this, some Pashtun media, music and cultural activities are based out of Pakistan, withAVT Khyber being aPashto TV channel in Pakistan. Pashto cinema is based out of the Pakistani city ofPeshawar. The Pakistani city ofKarachi is believed to host the largest concentration of Pashtuns.
There are more than 19 million Pashtuns in Afghanistan, constituting 48% of the population. Other sources say that up to 60% of Afghanistan's population is made up of ethnic Pashtuns, forming the largest ethnic group in that country. Pashto is one of theofficial languages of Afghanistan,[84] theAfghan National Anthem is recited in Pashto language and thePashtun dress is the national dress of Afghanistan. Since the late 19th century, the traditional Pashtunistan region has gradually expanded to theAmu River in the north. However, most Pashtun living in north of theHelmand River tend to speakDari instead ofPashto.[85]
Important government positions in Afghanistan have historically been held by Pashtuns. TheAfghan Armed Forces was also traditionally dominated by Pashtuns however the fall of theNajibullahregime in 1992 led to the creation of theTajik dominatedIslamic State of Afghanistan.[80]
The majority of theAfghan Taliban[86] are ethnic Pashtuns,[87] with past Pashtun leaders such asMullah Mohammed Omar,Mohammad Rabbani andJalaluddin Haqqani. The current leaders of theTaliban include Pashtuns such asAbdul Kabir,Hibatullah Akhundzada andSirajuddin Haqqani.
Afghanistan makes its claim on the Pashtun areas on the ground that it served as the Pashtun seat of power since 1709 with the rise of theHotaki dynasty followed by the establishment of theDurrani Afghan Empire. According to historic sources, Afghan tribes did not appear in Peshawar valley until after 800 AD, when the Islamic conquest of this area took place.[88]
Agreements cited by the Afghan government as proof of their claim over the Pashtun tribes include Article 11 of theAnglo-Afghan Treaty of 1921, which states: "The two contracting parties, being mutually satisfied themselves each regarding the goodwill of the other and especially regarding their benevolent intentions towards the tribes residing close to their respective boundaries, hereby undertake to inform each other of any future military operations which may appear necessary for the maintenance of order among the frontier tribes residing within their respective spheres before the commencement of such operations."[89] A supplementary letter to the Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1921 reads: "As the conditions of the Frontier tribes of the two governments are of interest to the Government of Afghanistan. I inform you that the British government entertains feelings of goodwill towards all the Frontier tribes and has every intention of treating them generously, provided they abstain from outrages against the people of India."[89]
The Durand Line and Pashtunistan issues have been raised by different Afghan regimes in the past. However, it may no longer be a concern. Pashtuns are now so well integrated in Pakistani society that the majority will never opt for Pashtunistan or Afghanistan. Afghan-Pashtun refugeeshave been staying inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa for more than 30 years. Threat perceptions about Afghanistan need re-evaluation so that suitable changes are made in our Afghan policy.[90]
— Asad Munir, Retiredbrigadier who has served in senior intelligence postings in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA
Prominent 20th century proponents of the Pashtunistan cause have includedKhan Abdul Wali Khan andKhan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. Ghaffar Khan stated in thePakistan Constituent Assembly in 1948 that he simply wanted "the renaming of his province as Pashtunistan same likePunjab,Sindh andBaluchishtan are the names ofprovinces of Pakistan as ethno-linguistic names,[66] Another name mentioned isAfghania where the initial "A" inChoudhary Rahmat Ali Khan'stheory stated in the "Now or Never" pamphlet stands for the second letter in "Pakistan". However, this name has failed to capture political support in the province.
There was support, however, to rename North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) asPakhtunkhwa (which translates as "area of Pashtuns").Nasim Wali Khan (the wife of Khan Abdul Wali Khan) declared in an interview: "I want an identity. I want the name to change so that Pashtuns may be identified on the map of Pakistan..."[91]
On 31 March 2010, Pakistan's Constitutional Reform Committee agreed that the province be named and recognized asKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[92][93] This is now the official name for the former NWFP.
Ethnic population: 49,529,000 possibly total Pashto in all countries.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)The Afghan Government is actively sympathetic towards their demand for a Pathanistan. It has been declared by the Afghan Parliament that Afghanistan does not recognise the Durand line...
Instead it adopted the programme of an independent "Pathanistan" — a programme calculated to strike at the very roots of the new Dominion. More recently the Pathanistan idea has been taken up by Afghanistan.
A majority of Pashtuns live south of the Hindu Kush (the 500-mile mountain range that covers northwestern Pakistan to central and eastern Pakistan) and with some Persian speaking ethnic groups. Hazaras and Tajiks live in the Hindu Kush area, and north of the Hindu Kush are Persians and Turkic ethnic groups.
Ghaffar Khan, who opposed the partition, chose to live in Pakistan, where he continued to fight for the rights of the Pashtun minority and for joining Afghanistan. Afghanistan means literally land of the pashtun people! the Homeland of the Pashtuns is Afghanistan
Even within the largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns (about 50 percent of the population)...
Paṧtō (1) is the native tongue of 50 to 55 percent of Afghans...
Pashto, which is mainly spoken south of the mountain range of the Hindu Kush, is reportedly the mother tongue of 60% of the Afghan population.
Over 60 percent of the population in Afghanistan is Pashtun...
The name Pakhtunistan or in soft Pashtu dialect Pashtunistan evolved originally from the Indian word Pathanistan. The very concept of Pakhtunistan was taken from the old word Pakhtunkhwa. Obaidullah Sindhi used Pashtania for Pashtu speaking area of his Proposed People's Republic of India or Saro-Rajia-i-Hind (Obaidullah's letter to Iqbal Shaidai on 22 June 1924), Muhammad Aslam, Maulana Obaidullah Sindhi Kay Siasi Maktubat, Lahore: Niduatal Musanifeen, 1966, p. 34
The name Pakhtunistan or in soft Pashtu dialect Pashtunistan evolved originally from the Indian word Pathanistan. The very concept of Pakhtunistan was taken from the old word Pakhtunkhwa. The British, Indian leaders and even the Khudai Khidmatgars were using Pathanistan for Pakhtunistan in the beginning, but later on they started using the word Pakhtunistan.
The word Pathanistan is not Persian but Indian. It shows that the Khalifa had already acquired the consent of the Muslim leaders of India or these leaders might have motivated the Khalifa to first liberate the Pukhtuns' land (Pathanistan) to build up a strong base against the British Empire in India
Even within the largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns (about 50 percent of the population)...
Paṧtō (1) is the native tongue of 50 to 55 percent of Afghans...
Pashto, which is mainly spoken south of the mountain range of the Hindu Kush, is reportedly the mother tongue of 60% of the Afghan population.
Over 60 percent of the population in Afghanistan is Pashtun...
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