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**badmash_khel** · 01-19-2013, 12:41 PM

Peshawar valley is not a native pashtun land but the original resident of peshawar valley (Gandahar) spoke prakrit. I think the natives are Hindkowans and other indo aryan speakers. Pashtuns however have made peshawar their own specially since the influx of Afghan pashtuns.

**torkham** · 01-19-2013, 12:43 PM

Not my area, i concede, but i think the reason is that pre-47 peshawar was British India, ergo, the free native British Indians could live there. Secondly, what was formerly known as suba sarhad or frontier province was so named because it formed the limit or sarhad after the major province of panjab, which is the hearland of the Sikh, their capital was Lahore. Very probable that the Sikh prevailed across the Abaseen (river indus) and into the Vale of Peshawar, as the Brits called it.

Supplementary to this, you will notice panjabi and pashto share a few words. I know only a couple, like khiRkai and Gwandai. (Not to confuse with pinjarai and hamsaye which are persian origin).

Maybe the few pashto speakers of panjabi ancestry can shed light on this.

**Kushan Prince** · 01-19-2013, 01:20 PM

Pashtuns have been in Peshawar since the times of Alexander the great. It is their native land. Any thing east of the Indus is afghan land. That's like asking why there are so many pasthuns in punjab when their not native there.

One answer: Migration.

Also Hindkowans are just pashtuns who speak a special dialect of pastho.

**Michin Khel** · 01-19-2013, 10:10 PM

Originally posted by Karachi View Post

I have noticed one thing that pre 1947 there were so many indians muslims,sikhs, hindus etc... living in Peshawar, what was the exact reason for it? were they actual residents of Peshawar or did they live there just for business/job purposes?

Pashtuns were basically hill tribes, after mongol invasion many pashtun tribes begin to settle in plain areas of present day KPK. Pashtuns were not city dwellers so they never bothered much to settle in large number in peshawer city. It should be noted that except old peshawer city , the landowners and masters of peshawer were always khalils and some other pashtun tribes. For some reasons pashtuns didnt consider many professions suitable for their status, they allowed hindi artisans and traders (both muslim and hindu) from across indus to settle among themeselves while they continued in their hobby of engaging in warfare and playing with swords. It should be noted that pre-1947 hindu population was settled in only cities and towns of NWFP. Many of them could read and write, do maths and business and trade was mostly in their hands. Sikhs came to peshawer in ranjeet singh times, they also brought many punjabi musalmans with them who are ancestors of many of hindkowans of nowadays. And by the way big cities are always mixed like this. ..

**Midnight_Sun** · 01-20-2013, 10:42 AM

Peshawar was part of ancient Gandhara
Peshawar was a major trade center
Peshawar was occupied by Sikhs
Peshawar had British (and Indian) cantonments

That's my guess at least.

**abassinafghan** · 01-20-2013, 12:22 PM

This is the same with Kabul which is 75% Tajik and 25% Pashtun

dirtbag have never been in kabul , not now and not before ...

**Toramana** · 01-20-2013, 04:34 PM

I agree with Luffy, Torkham, Midnight_Sun, etc...will add to it that Pashtun tribes like Dalazaks, Swatis, Shilmanis, etc. were present in Peshawar Valley long before the two powerful Pashtun tribal confedercies of Khakhi/Kashi Khels (Yousafzais+MohamadZais+Turklanris+Jadoons+Utman Khels+Gigyanis) and Ghori Khel (Momands+Khalils+Daudzais+Safis+Mulaguris+Shinwari s) descended on the greater Peshawar-Nangarhar Valley (so you see most Shinwaris on the other side of Torkham a significant percentage in Landi Kotal though).

And one can agree with Luffy (no matter how devious) that Pashtuns until recently were mostly rural nomadic or semi-nomadic people very happy in their helmets and landholdings. The migration to cities is a very recent phenomenon ---that started in the first half of 19th century and became very rapid since 1970s.

In Peshawar you find a significant minority of non-Pashto speakers (previously, a majority but now a minority). I think some of these i.e. Hindko-speakers were native people...Some moved to Peshawar during Mughal, Sikh, and British period. Some people from Hindustan came to Pashtun villages and towns because Pashtuns needed their services (they were people of art and trade).

Many also came to Peshawar when Islamia College Peshawar was established and Peshawar University was established. I met a professor of Chemistry of Peshawar University, who was an Urdu speaker. His son's name was Zarak. Many people from UP and eat Punjab came after partition because they had been allotted lands evacuated by migrating Sikhs and Hindus. The properties in Peshawar Cantt are owned by these people.

I met two brothers in Peshawar who spoke Urdu. They told me they are actually Afridis from Malih Abad but had been allotted lands in Laki Marwat.

Peshawar belong to all. All are sons of the soil.

**Toramana** · 01-20-2013, 04:42 PM

I see the demographics of Kabul etc. to become more Pashtun heavy in the coming one or two decades. Pashtuns are going to migrate to Kabul in huge numbers in a desire for urbane life, education, jobs, businesses, amenities, civic life, etc.

**Kushan Prince** · 01-20-2013, 09:23 PM