Who is a Pashtun?

[Toramana]

Some say being a Pashtun should be by lineage while others contend that it should be both by lineage and language. I think this lineage concept as the basis of identity is a hangover from the tribal/fudal period where claim to resource ownership (resources e.g. pastures, land, water) derived from inheritance and blood membership. Another factor was security in an environment where there was no state or law and where clan/tribal structure served as a shield against potential enemies/foes.

I have question for forum members. Who is a Pashtun or more Pashtun...?

Khyal Mohammad or Ahmad Zahir
Bahadar Shah Zafar Kakakhel or Ustad Khalili or Dr. Zakir Hussain
Mian Iftikhar Hussain (ANP) or Shahi Said(ANP) or Nawabzada Nasarullah Khan (who claimed to be a Kakaizai)
Sher Ali Bacha (PMAP) or Shiekh Rashid Ahmad (claims to be Kakaizai)
Akhund Khail of Swat (descendents of Akhun Darwaiza who was originally a Tajak) or Khakwanis of Multan

Around 60% of today's Pakhtunkhwa population is not Pashtun by lineage. Nevertheless, they speak Pashto, practice Pashtunwali, and are actively contributing to the culture, politics, economy, etc. of Pashtuns.

[Shayesta]

I think it's fair enough to say Pukhtoons can't be 'recognized' by just one 'appearance'. A guy can argue he is 100% a Pukhtoon because of the blood running through his vein and because of his last name, even if he doesn't know what Pukhto sounds like. Another guy, who can be a non-Pukhtoon by blood, but has been raised amongst Pukhtoons for decades and speaks our language as well can also claim he is Pukhtoon (by tongue and culture). We can argue that a Pukhtoon who can't speak his own language (but is Pukhtoon by blood) can't be one of ours since he can't communicate with us, then a non-Pukhtoon who is raised with our culture and language should be accepted with open arms, since culturally and linguistically we do match. But if we refuse to accept a non-Pukhtoon (by blood) who wants to be recognized as a Pukhtoon, as a Pukhtoon, because we don't share the same 'Pukhtoon blood', then we don't have the right to dismiss the Pukhtoon guy (by blood) for not speaking his own language. Are you guys following me?

This is my own point of view and as far as who is a Pukhtoon and who is not, that's completely up to the individual himself as by what name he wants to be known. I don't like being criticized at all and therefore won't do the same to anyone else. But for those who are concerned about who is a Pukhtoon who is not, first decide whether a Pukhtoon (or non-Pukhtoon) by tongue is more important to you or a Pukhtoon (or non-Pukhtoon) by culture? You can't always have it both ways.

[Saifullah]

I agree wid shayesta that you cannot contradict yourself.

If a person says oh pashtun is somebody who is by blood a pashtun, then that means if he doesnt speak pashto and even doesnt follow his culture, he is still a pashtun!

But if a person says no if he cannot speak pashto then we cannot call him pashtun, then that means we are rejecting his claim of being a pashtun by blood. Then there are many non-pashtuns as shayesta said who can speak pashto and follows pashtun culture and so on, so why not call them pashtuns?

[Feroza_Banu]

I know this lady who was married to a hazara guy. she is a kandahari pashtana... pure kandahari from mom and dad and speaks pashto. they had a son. Their marriage didn't work out and now they are divorced. The son is about 8 years old and has been raised by his mom, speaks pashto. What about his case? Is he pashtoon? Born to a hazara dad. He speaks pashto as a first language and is raised amongst pashtoon.

will the pashtoonwali call him pashtoon?

i think u know the answer.

[Nick]

Some say being a Pashtun should be by lineage while others contend that it should be both by lineage and language. I think this lineage concept as the basis of identity is a hangover from the tribal/fudal period where claim to resource ownership (resources e.g. pastures, land, water) derived from inheritance and blood membership. Another factor was security in an environment where there was no state or law and where clan/tribal structure served as a shield against potential enemies/foes.
I have question for forum members. Who is a Pashtun or more Pashtun...?

Khyal Mohammad or Ahmad Zahir
Bahadar Shah Zafar Kakakhel or Ustad Khalili or Dr. Zakir Hussain
Mian Iftikhar Hussain (ANP) or Shahi Said(ANP) or Nawabzada Nasarullah Khan (who claimed to be a Kakaizai)
Sher Ali Bacha (PMAP) or Shiekh Rashid Ahmad (claims to be Kakaizai)
Akhund Khail of Swat (descendents of Akhun Darwaiza who was originally a Tajak).


Around 60% of today's Pakhtunkhwa population is not Pashtun by lineage. Nevertheless, they speak Pashto, practice Pashtunwali, and are actively contributing to the culture, politics, economy, etc. of Pashtuns.

I will answer your question

I have question for forum members. Who is a Pashtun or more Pashtun...?

Khyal Mohammad or Ahmad Zahir
Bahadar Shah Zafar Kakakhel or Ustad Khalili or Dr. Zakir Hussain
Mian Iftikhar Hussain (ANP) or Shahi Said(ANP) or Nawabzada Nasarullah Khan (who claimed to be a Kakaizai)
Sher Ali Bacha (PMAP) or Shiekh Rashid Ahmad (claims to be Kakaizai)
Akhund Khail of Swat (descendents of Akhun Darwaiza who was originally a Tajak) or Khakwanis of Multan

Khyal Mohammad.
Shahi Said
Bahadur Shah Zafar Kakakhel
Sher Ali Bacha



Main Iftikhar is a hinkdo, and Nawabzada seems that his 400 years of backround was Pashtun but not him. LOL

Ustad Khalili Farsiwan, Dr Zakir Hussian an Indian Afghan or they call "Pathan"
LOL Shiekh Rashid Ahmad claims to be Kakaizai how? his father hindko or kashmiri and mother Punjabi (from India). BTW Akhun Darwaiza was an Afghan not Tajik, so just because he wrote in Dari doesn't mean he was Tajiks, Tajiks are not the only people who speaks Dari, in old days half of northern India as well as turkey and whole of Turkistan and today modern Iran. So don't make conclusion very fast.

Despite that I have answered your question needless to say but most of them were of Afghan origin.

Around 60% of today's Pakhtunkhwa population is not Pashtun by lineage. Nevertheless, they speak Pashto, practice Pashtunwali, and are actively contributing to the culture, politics, economy, etc. of Pashtuns

Actually around 30% of Pakhtunkhwa are not Afghan by linkage but ANP wants to claim them as Pashtun because they all speak Pashtu. Yes you are right these 30% are active in Politics, trying F around with Pakhtun Culture, make fake BS, and also control the economy, do they practice Pashtunwali? How do you know? I don't think so.

(BTW in my above comments by Afghan I meant racially not by nationality)

[BehavedMaseed]

How can a Kandahari give his daughter to a Hazara. That is very dissapointing.

The new generation of claim to be Pashtuns will be farsi/dari speakers and this will decline the true pashtuns.

Inter-racial marriages should be banned or prohibited or even discouraged.

You cant screem law o bar Pukhtun and then marry a Russian or Arab woman.

Kind Regards

[Saifullah]

We should ban inter-tribal marriages as well. Like ban marwats from marryin maseeds...

[Nora]

but they r u r own pashtun from same conutry ^

[Michin Khel]

Blood+Pashto

A person who do not belong to one of the 60 tribes of pashtuns, is not a pashtun for me. Pashto speaking syeds, qureshis, sheikhs, awans, hinkis, karigars, mullahs, damans etc constitute perhaps 50% of pashto speakers in pashtunkhwa...but i dont accept them as true pashtuns. Even proper pashtuns do not marry with these "kamayas" which means of low caste. That is there caste system in pashtuns, true & false pashtuns.

[Saifullah]

but they r u r own pashtun from same conutry ^

Im joking, im trying to show how its wrong to ban stuff like that....U shud be allowed to marry any muslim and you cannot enforce a ban, that is pure rascist. You should say stuff like we shouldn't allow our daughters to marry bad men even if they might be pashtun or from wherever

[Michin Khel]

Note the "kamayas" i.e tarkanan, kumaran, hajaman, damans etc speak only pashto, they do not practice pashtunwali.

[Nora]

as long as ur muslim it doesnt matter

[Michin Khel]

Dear sholambay maseed has raised the question in response to feroza banu post in which she has mentioned about a couple with hazara husband and kandari pashtun wife.. read her post in this thread.

Inter-ethnic marraiges are quite common in afghanistan especially in the cities and mixed areas, there is no point in denying it.
These mixed marraiges are good for genetic reshuffling and variety lol

[akhan]

How can a Kandahari give his daughter to a Hazara. That is very dissapointing.

The new generation of claim to be Pashtuns will be farsi/dari speakers and this will decline the true pashtuns.

Inter-racial marriages should be banned or prohibited or even discouraged.

You cant screem law o bar Pukhtun and then marry a Russian or Arab woman.

Kind Regards

Hum, this sounds really racist. The prophet Muhammed PBUH said O people, Remember that your Lord is One. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a black has no superiority over white, nor a white has any superiority over black, except by piety and good action (Taqwa). Indeed the best among you is the one with the best character (Taqwa). Listen to me. Did I convey this to you properly? People responded, Yes. O messenger of God, The Prophet then said, then each one of you who is there must convey this to everyone not present. (Excerpt from the Prophet's Last Sermon as in Baihiqi)

"O people, know that the Lord and Sustainer is One. Your ancestor is one, your faith is one. The Arabism of anyone of you is not from your mother or father. It is no more than a tongue (language). Whoever speaks Arabic is an Arab." (As quoted in Islam The Natural Way by Abdul Wahid Hamid p. 125)

[IamDZJ]

being born to a pakhtoon father means nothing if you don't have the characteristics of a pakhtoon yourself.