| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 4,997,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| India (Uttar Pradesh andUttarakhand), | |
| Languages | |
| Hindi (Kannauji,Braj,Awadhi) •Urdu •Bhojpuri •English | |
| Religion | |
| Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Urdu-speaking people,Pathans of Gujarat and thePathans of India |
ThePathans are anUrdu-speaking community of ancestralPashtun descent in theUttar Pradesh state in India[1] who form one of the largest Muslim communities in the state with a population of 5-6 million and 2.9% of the total population of Uttar Pradesh[2] They are also known asKhans which is a commonly used surname amongst them; although not all those who use the surname are Pathans, for example theKhanzada community of easternUttar Pradesh are also commonly known as Khan. The phrasePathan Khanzada is used to describe Muslim warrior groups, found mainly inGorakhpur, who have been absorbed into the Pathan community. There are communities of partialPashtun ancestry in theRohilkhand region and in parts of theDoab andAwadh regions, such as the agrarianRohilla community.[citation needed]
The Pathan are divided into sixteen groupings, who generally take their name from the ancestralPashtun tribes. These include theBangash,Afridi, Dustukhel, Luni (Miani),Jadoon, Bakarzai,Barech,Daudzai,Dilazak,Durrani, Ghorghushti, Toia Mehsud Khel,Ghori,Khalil,Lodi,Mohmand,Mohammadzai,Orakzai,Kakarzai,Rohilla,Sherwani,Suri, Sultani andYousafzai, all of which are well known Pashtun tribes. A further differentiation exists based on an identity known as the qabila orbiradari, based on territorial subgroupings and community ties.[3]
The Pathans of the Barah-Basti villages of Bulandshahr produced a large number of volunteers who joined the BritishIrregular Cavalry, many of whom rebelled during theIndian Rebellion of 1857 under Abdul Latif Khan of Khanpur and Walidad Khan of Malagarh.[4][full citation needed]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)A well known Indian Muslim community is Pathan