Pashtunistan

Use	Regional andcultural
Proportion	1:2
Adopted	2 September 1947; 78 years ago (1947-09-02)
Design	A red field with a black stripe 1/5 wide, 1/5 away from the hoist and with an image of the sun rising over the mountains.

Theflag of Pashtunistan (Pashto: د پښتونستان بیرغ) is a flag representing aproposedindependent state of Pashtunistan. The flag was adopted by Pashtun separatists who sought to carve out an independent state of Pashtunistan from Pakistan'sNorth-West Frontier Province,Balochistan and theFederally Administered Tribal Areas.^[1] The flag was promoted by the Afghan government which supported the separatist cause, with September 2 being Pashtunistan Day which was observed as a national holiday in Afghanistan until the overthrow ofMohammad Najibullah'sHomeland Party regime in 1992.^[1] The flag is still in use today byPashtun nationalists.

The flag was adopted on September 2, 1947, at the declaration of independence, following the boycott by Pashtuns on thereferendum on joining Pakistan as the referendum did not include an option to form an independent Pashtunistan as demanded by thePashtunistan Resolution.^[2] The flag was promoted by the Pashtun nationalist governments of Afghanistan which supported the separatist cause, with September 2 being becoming Pashtunistan Day and would remain a national holiday in Afghanistan from 1949 up until the overthrow ofMohammad Najibullah'sHomeland Party regime in 1992 which endedPashtun domination in Afghan politics.^[3] It was widely used in Afghanistan until thefall of the Homeland Party government in 1992. From the 1950s to the 1980s it appeared on Afghanpostage stamps.^[4] The flag made a resurgence in the early 2000s thanks to the internet and is widely used today by Pashtun nationalists but its sometimes also used when referring to the Pashtun ethnic group.

Flag	Date	Use	Details
	1709–1738 1818–1901	Flag of theHotak Empire (1709–1738) Flag of theEmirate of Afghanistan (1818–1901)
	Late 1800s	Flag of Waziri Rebels
	1928	Flag ofAfghanistan
	1928–1929	Flag ofAfghanistan
	1930s	Flag of Pashtun rebels
	1940s	Flag of Pashtunistan	Before September 2, 1947
	1947–present	Flag of Pashtunistan
	1987–present	Flag of Pashtunistan	Triband Variant[5]

The colors of the Pashtunistan flag derive from both "racial and religious traditions" as well as the Pashtun people's struggle for freedom. The red is meant to honour the martyrs who sacrificed their blood for Pashtun freedom. The flag used by the Khudai Khidmatgars which was a Pashtun resistance movement against the British, was a unicolor red and this same flag was later adopted by the National Councils of Pashtunistan with some modifications. The black stripe is to represent the Black flag used in the early Islamic era which also was used as Afghanistan's flag up until 1901 when an emblem was added to it. The red and black are also to represent the predominant colors in "the life of the Afghan race" and the traditional clothing of Pashtuns in both Pashtunistan and Afghanistan composed of these colors.Iranic tradition considers red as a sign of valour and black signifies perseverance and strength. The Emblem in the center of the Black stripe depicts the sun of freedom (Which is also referenced in the anthem of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan) rising over snowy peaks with the takbir written above the emblem.^[2][6]

• 
  1961 Stamp commemorating "Pashtunistan Day"
• 
  1965 Stamp with alternative variant
• 
  Map of Pashtunistan published in 1953

• Historical flags
• Flags of indigenous peoples
• Flags of Afghanistan
• Flags of Pakistan
• Flags introduced in 1947

• Articles with short description
• Short description with empty Wikidata description