Afġānistān vic Panjābī | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 3,000[1][2]This number excludes those who now identify as Pashtuns and members of other ethnic groups. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Kabul and other regions | |
| Languages | |
| Pashto · Dari · Punjabi | |
| Religion | |
| Sikhism · Hinduism · Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Punjabi diaspora |
Punjabis in Afghanistan were residents ofAfghanistan who were ofPunjabi ancestry. There was historically a small Punjabi community in the country, mainly consisting of AfghanSikhs andHindus.[3]
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Punjab lies to the east of thePashtun region and has shared borders with Afghanistan at various points in history.[4] For several centuries, dynasties centered in modern Afghanistan expanded towards Punjab, such as theKushans,Kidarites,Hephthalites,Ghaznavids,Ghurids,Khaljis andDurranis. Other kingdoms common to both regions include theIndo-Scythians,Indo-Parthians andKabul Shahis. In his 1857 review ofJ.W. Kaye'sThe Afghan War,Friedrich Engels describes Afghanistan as "an extensive country of Asia" which "formerly included... a considerable part of the Punjab."[5] In the 19th century, theSikh Empire originating in Punjab made aseries of incursions towards the Afghan frontiers, capturing large swathes of territory to theKhyber Pass.
Afghan Sikh history is considered to stretch back 200 to 500 years.[6][7] Not all Sikhs are of Punjabi origin however; a small minority include locals whose ancestors adopted Sikhism duringGuru Nanak's 15th century expeditions to Kabul.[7] In the 18th century, HinduKhatri merchants from Punjab settled in Afghanistan and dominated regional trade.[8][9] The Sikh and Hindu population in Afghanistan may have numbered as much as 250,000 in the 1940s.[7] Both communities were particularly well-represented in business and government positions. The reign ofZahir Shah was considered prosperous.[7] Some of them were wealthy landowners.[10] In 1947, some Sikhs fromPotohar in northern Punjab arrived in Afghanistan while fleeing violence during thepartition of India.[7]
The population of Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan stood up to 100,000 prior to the 1990s.[10] TheSoviet invasion in 1979 and the ensuing Afghan civil wars sparked a mass exodus and the community declined drastically. Most migrated toPakistan orIndia, while others resettled in North America and Europe.[11] The population in 2014 was around 3,000.[6][3] The majority lived inKabul.[9] During theTaliban regime, Sikhs and Hindus were forced to wear yellow armbands for identification as well as hang yellow flags over their homes.[6] Some discrimination still persists as they are often barred from government jobs, viewed as immigrants or threatened for ransom because they are considered rich.[7]
Most of the Afghan Sikhs and Hindusadopted Afghan customs and assimilated into the local culture, speakingPashto orDari.[7] However,Punjabi is still spoken by some at home.[10] There have been efforts to teach Punjabi to the younger generation, as it is also the language of Sikh religious texts.[9] TheAfghan government opened two Punjabi schools in Kabul andJalalabad, facilitating the Sikh community.[3]
Before 1894, the Afghan border ran along the boundary of the trans-Indus frontier districts, formerly occupied by the Sikhs, and was virtually defined by the extreme limits of the Indus plain's westward extension.
The principal cities of Afghanistan are Kabul, the capital,Ghuznee,Peshawer, and Kandahar.
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