Pashtuns

Pashtun people live in many lands.

Most live in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They speak a way of talking called Pashto.

They are a very large group of people. They have many different tribes. Some Pashtun people live in India too. They may call themselves Pathans there. Some even live far away in places like Australia. It is amazing how many people there are!

Many Pashtun people live in big cities.

Pashtuns are a large group of people. They are the world's largest tribal society. There are between 60 and 70 million Pashtuns. They live in many different places.

Most Pashtuns live in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, they are the second-largest group. Many live in big cities. Karachi in Pakistan has a very large Pashtun community.

Pashtuns speak the Pashto language. People in Afghanistan may also speak Dari. In Pakistan, many speak Urdu or English. Some Pashtuns live in India. In India, people often call them Pathans. Many Pashtuns in India speak Hindi now.

Pashtun people have lived in these lands for a long time. Some old books mention tribes that may be their ancestors. In the past, people often called them Afghans. Later, the word Afghan was used for all citizens in the Kingdom of Afghanistan. This was to help create one national identity.

Pashtuns are a very large group of people with a deep history. They form the largest tribal society in the whole world. There are between 60 and 70 million Pashtun people living today. They are made up of about 350 to 400 different tribes. Many of these tribes also have smaller groups called sub-tribes. Most Pashtuns live in southern and eastern Afghanistan. They also live in northwestern Pakistan.

Language is a big part of how Pashtun communities connect. Most Pashtuns speak the Pashto language. This language comes from the Eastern Iranian branch of languages. In Afghanistan, many Pashtuns also speak Dari. In Pakistan, many Pashtuns use Urdu or English to talk. Some special dialects exist in certain areas. For example, the Tareen tribe in Pakistan speaks a dialect called Wanetsi. Other groups might speak Ormuri.

History shows that Pashtuns have moved to many different lands. In the past, people often called them Afghans. In 1923, a new constitution used "Afghan" for all citizens to create a national identity. Some Pashtun groups moved to India and are often called Pathans there. Many settled in cities like Mumbai and Delhi. Some even moved to places like the Caribbean or Australia long ago. Today, many Pashtuns live in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Finding the exact number of Pashtuns can be a hard job. In 2021, Shahid Javed Burki estimated the population at 60 to 70 million. He said 15 million live in Afghanistan. Other people, like Tim Willasey-Wilsey, agree with that number. However, it is hard to be certain about these counts. There has been no official census in Afghanistan since 1979. This is because of the many conflicts that have happened there.

Pashtun culture can be found in many busy cities. In Pakistan, Karachi has the largest urban Pashtun community in the world. It is even larger than the communities in Kabul or Peshawar. Many Pashtuns also live in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. In India, Pashtun descendants have contributed to sports and politics. Some families have lived in cities like Bangalore for a long time. Even though they live far apart, these communities keep their history alive.

{ "text": "Pashtuns are a large Iranian ethnic group with a deep history. They form the world's largest tribal society. This society includes between 350 and 400 tribes and many sub-tribes. Experts estimate the total population is between 60 and 70 million people.

Most Pashtuns live in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. In Pakistan, they are the second-largest ethnic group. They make up about 42 to 47 percent of Afghans. They also represent about 15.4 percent of the Pakistani population.\n\nLanguage is a central part of Pashtun identity. Most speak Pashto, which belongs to the Eastern Iranian language branch. However, different regions use different languages. In Afghanistan, Pashtuns often use Dari as a second language. In Pakistan, many use Urdu or English. In Iran, they primarily speak Persian alongside Southern Pashto. Some specific dialects exist, such as Wanetsi spoken by the Tareen tribe. Others speak Ormuri, which is used by Wazir Pashtuns.

\n\nTracing the exact population of Pashtuns can be difficult. In 2021, Shahid Javed Burki estimated the population at 60 to 70 million. He estimated that 15 million live in Afghanistan. Tim Willasey-Wilsey and Abubakar Siddique also support this 15 million figure. However, these numbers are disputed by some researchers. There has been no official census in Afghanistan since 1979. Ongoing conflicts in the region make it hard to collect exact data.

\n\nPashtuns live in many different types of environments. Many live in major cities across Afghanistan and Pakistan. Cities like Jalalabad, Kandahar, and Peshawar have Pashtun majorities. Karachi is a very important urban center for them. It holds the world's largest urban Pashtun community. This community is even larger than those in Kabul or Peshawar. Islamabad is another major center. More than 20 percent of its population belongs to the Pashto-speaking community.

\n\nHistory shows that Pashtun communities have moved across many borders. In India, they are often called Pathans. Many settled in India during the British Raj. Large communities exist in cities like Mumbai and Delhi. In some areas, they are called Kabuliwala. Some Indian Pathans claim descent from soldiers who settled long ago. Professor Khan Mohammad Atif estimates the Pathan population in India is twice the population in Afghanistan. This diaspora includes people in Maharashtra and West Bengal.

\n\nSome Pashtun groups moved even further away. In the 19th century, some Rohilla Pashtuns were sent to work in the Caribbean. They worked in sugarcane fields in places like Trinidad and Guyana. Others traveled as far as Australia. More recently, many moved to the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Between 1976 and 1981, about 300,000 Pashtuns migrated to the Persian Gulf. This represented 35 percent of all Pakistani immigrants during that time.

\n\nAncient history offers clues about the origins of the Pashtuns. Some theories link them to the Pakthās mentioned in the Rigveda. Others connect them to the Pactyans mentioned by Herodotus in 430 BCE. The Greek geographer Strabo mentioned the Pasiani. Some scholars believe these names represent the linguistic ancestors of modern Pashtuns. Another theory suggests the name \"Afghan\" comes from the Sanskrit word Aśvakan. This word means \"horsemen\" or \"cavalier.\" This may refer to their history of handling fine horses.

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