Author not only presented different facts in this book. Pashtuns make up the largest ethnic group in afghanistan, comprising 4260% of the total afghan population. The pashtun people are the largest ethnic group in afghanistan and comprise the largest ethnic group in the northwest frontier province of pakistan one can only guess at their number, the highest estimate given at present is 40 million. Pakistan, islamism, and the fear of afghan nationalism. Afghan, pashtun, pukhtun have originally been synonyms and are still understood so by a large part of the local population, although the afghan state officially includes all ethnic groups under this term. In english only, for now adolescent fertility rate births per 1,000 women ages 1519. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a countrys population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. Pashtun people constituted a huge percentage of population in pakistans northern areas. In afghanistan itself, the pashtuns make up some 40 percent of the. Who are the pashtun people of afghanistan and pakistan. By the mid1990s many of the refugees returned restoring the pashtuns to their status of the largest ethnic.
The hazaras now constitute about 9% of afghanistans. The pashtuns are the worlds largest segmentary lineage ethnic group. Pashtun diplomacy in afghan foreign policy the diplomat. In this falsecolor satellite image vegetation appears fluorescent green, urban areas range in. By the mid1990s many of the refugees returned restoring the pashtuns to their status of the largest ethnic group in afghanistan constituting about 45% of the population. Sep 10, 2019 afghanistans beautiful architecture is seen in their mosques and homes. Spread over a vast geographical area and riven by socioeconomic, political, tribal and linguistic dialectical differences, pashtuns nevertheless share a unique sense.
During the delhi sultanate era, the 15th16th century lodi dynasty briefly replaced the preexisting rulers in north india until babur completely deposed the lodi dynasty. They speak the hazaragi variant of persian, one of the two official languages of afghanistan they are the thirdlargest ethnic group in afghanistan, also making up a significant minority group in the neighboring pakistan, with a population of. The afghan national anthem and the afghan constitution mention a total of 14 ethnic groups. Pashtun people are tribal people, who are sunni muslims, and speak pashto. Pashtun definition of pashtun by the free dictionary. Pakistans goal was to have afghanistan dominated by. The majority of them are pashtuns who were born in that country. Pashtun make up the largest ethnic group in afghanistan, followed by tajiks, hazara, uzbek, aimaks, baloch, and others. The population of the country is divided into the following ethnolinguistic groups.
They form the majority of the population in the province of khyber pakhtunkhwa and the federally administered tribal areas. Just as an addition, the most recent census of afgh. Estimated to be in excess of 45% of the population, the pashtuns have been the most dominant ethnic group in afghanistan. A member of an ethnic group of afghanistan and parts of western pakistan. The hazaras are mostly shia musliam, speak a distinct dialect of persian, and appear asiatic. Pashtunistan the borderlands between afghanistan and. Data tables, maps, charts, and live population clock. The hamid karzai presidency, nato takeover, and taliban resurgence. This raised the percentage of hazaras in afghanistan from 8% in 1978 to 14% in 1987. As you would expect, there is a diverse range of ethnic groups within the country. Estimates of the number of pashtun tribes and clans range from about 350 to over 400. Aug 11, 2019 the pashtuns of afghanistan and pakistan had to be distinguished from other people in afghanistan, such as the ethnic tajiks, uzbeks, and hazara. The cia world factbook estimates that afghanistans population was 31. The smart book concludes with an overview of the culture of afghanistan including religion, identity, behavior.
Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in afghanistan, accounting for about 42 percent of the population, with tajiks 27%. The pashtun of afghanistan and pakistan have been called the largest muslim tribal society in the world. Aug 28, 2015 pashtun migrants in the northern areas of pakistan this book is written on the pashtuns by author matthias weinreich in 2011. Pashtun clue to lost tribes of israel world news the. So, too, fared much of the country, its economy in shambles and its people scattered and. For more than 3,000 years, kabul has occupied a strategic location along central and southern asian trade routes. Pushton ethnic group lives in both states, pakistan and afghanistan.
Those pashtuns living within pakistans borders more than half of the total pashtun population became subject to a country governed by a punjabi majority. In pashtun areas, this has led to the growth of patronage systems along subethnic lines and fuelled tensions within communities. The pashtuns are mostly sunni muslims, speak pashto and are overwhelmingly caucasian. Pashtun clue to lost tribes of israel world news the guardian. There are more than 12 million pashtuns in afghanistan, constituting 42% of the population. The hazara people are nomads that were forced to live in the kazarasjat mountains by the government. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right.
Pashtun migrants in the northern areas of pakistan this book is written on the pashtuns by author matthias weinreich in 2011. Though they have been living in pakistan since 1947, pakistans dominant punjabi state apparatus has never accepted them wholeheartedly as genuine pakistani citizens. There are conflicting theories about the origin of the pashtun people, both among. In 1504 the region fell under a new empire, the mughals of northern india, who for the next two centuries contested afghan territory with the iranian safavi dynasty. In 1933 amanullahs nephew mohammad zahir shah, the last king of afghanistan, began a 40year reign. Pashtun migrants in the northern areas of pakistan. Depending on the source, the ethnic pashtuns constitute 4260% of the population of afghanistan. Afghanistans ethnic groups share a ychromosomal heritage. Fearing secession, pakistan set out to destroy pashtun nationalism by islamizing pakistani pashtuns and killing afghan pashtun nationalists. Pashtun also spelled pashtoon about 42% of the countrys population are pashtuns, making pashtuns the largest ethnic group in the country. In mid2008, a new international conference in support of. They stepped up their military operations and aerial bombardments of the pashtun areas in the south, while leaving the nonpashtun areas in relative calm and virtually intact.
Ive always been interested in afghanistan it seems like a true melting pot of various nationalities according to a study by the asia foundation in 2012, pashtuns accounted for 40% of the afghanistani population, with tajiks at 33%, hazaras at 11%, and uzbeks at 9%. Pashtuns or pakhtuns are the second largest ethnolinguistic group of pakistan. Apr 05, 2019 but it has left 70% pashtuns in pakistan and just 30% in afghanistan, even though they assume afghanistan as a land of pashtun forefathers. The cia world factbook estimates that afghanistan s population was 31. Despite some progress in recent years in both security and energy, a challenging security environment, electricity shortages, and a burdensome investment climate have traditionally deterred investors. The population of afghanistan is around 37,5,635 in 2019, which includes the roughly 3 million afghan citizens living as refugees in both pakistan and iran.
Pashtun introduction, location, language, folklore. The pashtuns of afghanistan and pakistan had to be distinguished from other people in afghanistan, such as the ethnic tajiks, uzbeks, and hazara. A team of afghan academics has some explaining to do after their. Pashtun migrants in the northern areas of pakistan pakistan. In the late eighteenth century, kabul was established as afghanistan s capital. Indeed, at one point, the soviets contemplated the idea of moving. As the largest ethnic group in afghanistan anywhere between 42 and 60 percent of the population, pashtuns have been the dominant ethnolinguistic group for. The ethnonym afghan has been historically used since the 3rd century ad to refer to the pashtuns, and is now used to describe every citizen of afghanistan. Pashtun synonyms, pashtun pronunciation, pashtun translation, english dictionary definition of pashtun. The world population of pashtuns is estimated at 42 million, and they make up the majority of the population of modernday afghanistan. The size of the pashtun population in afghanistan is disputed and no definitive census data exist in afghanistan. Perspectives on attitudes and behaviors of pashtun women. Pakistan and afghanistan institute for the study of war.
Population of afghanistan 2020 live world population clock. This paper will deal mainly with pashtuns the largest single ethnic group in afghanistan. As the largest ethnic group in afghanistan anywhere between 42 and 60 percent of the population, pashtuns have been the dominant ethnolinguistic group for over 300 years. The republic of afghanistan 197378 civil war, communist phase 197892 civil war, mujahideentaliban phase 19922001 struggle for democracy.
Afghanistan is a multiethnic and mostlytribal society. Just to tell you in advance, no recent census has been conducted in afghanistan. The newspaper goes on to report that the book, which rferl was unable to. The capital of afghanistan is its largest city, kabul. The author criticizes both nations for their unwillingness to incorporate pushtoon in the state structure and give them space to effectively participate in the economics and politics and be a part of the process of nation building. Every single one of the percentages people give you is an estimate. Mar 11, 2020 the taliban is a predominantly pashtun, islamic fundamentalist group that ruled afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when a u. This book is the best available survey and analysis of the interrelations of the wars on. This, accordingly, lowered the percentage of pashtuns inside afghanistan temporarily and raised the percentages of the countrys other ethnic groups.
Ethnic violence in afghanistan demographics of afghanistan. India, as a british colony, once had a large pashtun population roughly equal to that of afghanistan, mostly concentrated in what were then the british indian provinces of the northwest frontier province and baluchistan. Durand line is the most hated structure among pashtuns and its existence pains them most. The pashtun question the unresolved key to the future of. If this estimate is true, it puts the pashtuns in good stead for being the largest muslim tribal group in the world.
Ahmad shah durrani is regarded as the founder of the modern state of afghanistan, while bacha khan was a pashtun independence. However, resistance to his domestic reform program forced his abdication in 1929. Afghanistan population 2020 demographics, maps, graphs. Since the formation of the afghan national unity government in 2014, kabul has used pashtun diplomacy as an instrument to bring the bilateral afghanistanpakistan relationship back. Nobody knows the pashtuns in afghanistan and pakistan the way that. The pashtun community was further divided when pakistan gained its independence from india in 1947. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search.
Afghanistan history, map, flag, capital, population. The epub format uses ebook readers, which have several ease of reading features already built in. With the death of the great safavi leader nadir shah in 1747, indigenous pashtuns, who became known as the durrani, began a period of at least nominal rule in afghanistan that lasted until 1978. The people of afghanistan are a very diverse group of people, belonging to many different and distinct ethnic groups. Current numbers suggest that roughly 42 per cent of afghans consider themselves pashtun, whereas the rest of the population is constituted of tajik sunni persianspeakers 27 per cent, the shiite hazara also persianspeakers, but of another. Abdur rahman khan favored the pashtun people and despised the hazara people. Pakistans pashtun unease that just triggered durand. After world war ii, in which afghanistan remained neutral, the longstanding division of the pashtun tribes caused tension with the neighboring state of pakistan, founded on the other side of the durand line in 1948. Author closely examines the phenomenon of pashtun migration into the pakistans hilly areas.
They practice subsistence farming and also keep livestock. Afghanistan is a multiethnic society consisting of a wide variety of ethno linguistic groups. Difference between hazara and pashtun hazara vs pashtun. In pakistan, pashtun predominate north of the town of quetta and between the sulaiman mountain ranges and the indus river. Feb 14, 2009 the world population of pashtuns is estimated at 42 million, and they make up the majority of the population of modernday afghanistan.
Alternative names historically used for the region include pashtunkhwa. The conflict between the hazara and the pashtun started when abdur rahman khan became the ruler of afghanistan. Update to date information about population of afghanistan in 2020. Pashtun have lived for centuries between khurasan and the indian subcontinent, at the crossroads of great civilizations.
The nation is composed of a multiethnic and multilingual society, reflecting its location astride historic trade and invasion routes between central asia, southern asia, and western asia. Pashtun are made up of about sixty tribes of varying sizes. The pashtun today most pashtuns today are sunni muslims, although a small minority are shia. Library of congress federal research division country profile. In rohilkhand, they made large settlements subsequent to 14th century and prior to the 20th century. Pashtun clue to lost tribes of israel this article is more than 10 years old genetic study sets out to uncover if there is a 2,700yearold link to afghanistan and pakistan.
Afghanistans hazara minority outraged by science academy insults. Hazaras are considered as persian speaking people and they mainly inhabit central afghanistan. Some of the ethnic groups of the afghanistan are pashtun, tajik, hazara, uzbek, aimak, turkmen, baloch, pashai and many more. Pashtuns make up an estimated 42% of the population of contemporary afghanistan.
Jan 16, 2010 pashtun clue to lost tribes of israel this article is more than 10 years old genetic study sets out to uncover if there is a 2,700yearold link to afghanistan and pakistan. The present population of afghanistan contains many diverse elements, the. Any legitimate pashtun grievance regarding the government, pakistan army or institutions has always invited furious counterreaction from. In the late eighteenth century, kabul was established as afghanistans capital. Of the 31 million or so afghan residents, 42% are pashtun, 27% tajik, 9% hazara, 9% uzbek, 4% aimak, 3% turkmen, 2% baloch and 4% fall into an unspecified other group.
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. Pashtun, tajik, hazara, uzbek, aymaq, turkmen, baloch, pashai, nuristani, gujjar, arab, brahui, pamiri and a few others. Pakistan has a large englishspeaking population, with englishlanguage skills less prevalent outside urban centers. Perspectives on attitudes and behaviors of pashtun women in. The pashtuns are the principal tribal group in afghanistan, estimated to be 40 to 42 percent of the total population, which would number about 12. There have been many notable pashtun people throughout history. This, accordingly, lowered the percentage of pashtuns in afghanistans population and raised the percentages of the countrys other ethnic groups until the mid1990s when many of the refugees returned.
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