Peshawar a Part of Central Asia

[maneatinglizard]

The city of Peshawur is not only a great commercial centre, but situated as it is at the gate of Central Asia, it is regarded as the most important military outpost in our Indian Empire.

During the winter months Peshawur is the great commercial mart for the whole of Central Asia, and its streets are crowded with motley groups of strangers from Cabul, Ghuznee, Chitral, Kohistan, Pugwar, Khawak, and hundreds of unheard-of-places known only to Europeans who take Lord Salisbury’s advice, and study “large maps” of Central Asian Provinces.

Emphasis mine

Some quotes from before the Peshawar valley was fully integrated into the British Indian empire, clearly showing that Peshawar was a hub for Central Asian peoples, not Indians. Nowadays even Kabul, let alone Peshawar, is considered "South Asia," which is ridiculous. The British have redefined Pashtuns and Afghans as "South Asians" because of their political reality of interacting with us through India, and this has in turn influenced Afghans and Pashtuns into over-emphasizing our historical relationship with India, at the expense of our historically stronger ties to the Muslim world to our west and north.

Some other interesting quotes about Peshawar circa the 1870's:

It contains an area of 2,400 square miles, and is divided through its whole extent by the Cabul River (the ancient Cophes), which falls into the Indus immediately above Attock. The population of the entire district is estimated at 524,000, and the whole of the village population consists of Afghans, speaking the Afghan language (Pushto), and intermarrying with the Afghans of the surrounding hills, as well as with those of the kingdom of Cabul.

The native city of Peshawur is a flourishing town about five miles in circuit, and contains 60,000 inhabitants of mixed races of Afghans, Sikhs, and Hindus, about two-thirds of the inhabitants being Mahomedans.

But Peshawur is not only known to the Central Asian world as a place of merchandise, but it has always had its reputation as a centre of learning, for Akhund Darweza, Pir Baba, Kaka Sahib, and more recently the Akhund of Swat, are names as well known in the Mahomedan theological world as Westcott, and Pusey, and Stanley, are known to modern Englishmen. Consequently an extensive book trade is carried on at Peshawur, and every year numerous camel-loads of Korans and other religious books find their way over the steep mountain passes to the regions of Turkistan and Badakshan, for the cheapness of litho- graphic printing has promoted the study of Maliomedan books, which are printed by thousands at Delhi, Lucknow, Cawnpore, and Bombay. Peshawur has also been the source of most of the Afghan literature, and the great national poet of the Afghans, Abdur Rahman, lies buried 111 a graveyard not far from the city.

All quotes are from "The Graphic, Volume XVIII (18), page 507, published in 1878.

[Kakar-Wardak]

Peshawar is an Indic city which Was gradually pashtunized over the last 1000 years, the actual city was indic as recant as 100 odd years ago but the surrounding areas were inhabited by pashtuns.

The reason why pashtuns are linked more to Indics is because historically our influence has been over our indic neighbours, not so much to our central Asian neighbours. We always invaded to the east rarely to the west, obvious reason for this is because our neighbours to the west were already muslims and the infidels resided to the east.

[Sarbani]

Peshawar is an Indic city which Was gradually pashtunized over the last 1000 years, the actual city was indic as recant as 100 odd years ago but the surrounding areas were inhabited by pashtuns.

The reason why pashtuns are linked more to Indics is because historically our influence has been over our indic neighbours, not so much to our central Asian neighbours. We always invaded to the east rarely to the west, obvious reason for this is because our neighbours to the west were already muslims and the infidels resided to the east.

Hindkowans aren't native to Peshawar. They came to Peshawar after Pashtuns and became the majority there before Pashtuns retook the city. Notice how when Peshawar was Hindkowan-majority during the early 20th century, districts closer to Punjab such as Nokhar ("Nowshera") and Kohat were never Hindkowan majority.

When Peshawar was inhabited by the Indian Gandharis, then it wasn't considered a part of Central Asia. When Peshawar got colonized by Iranic Pashtuns, then it was considered part of Central Asia. The people living in the area have a lot to do with how the area is classified.

Peshawar is only seen as part of South Asia for geopolitical reasons i.e. it is part of a South Asian-majority country (Pakistan). And most "Regions of Asia" maps rarely ever divide countries.

Central Asian Turks also have long historical links to both Pashtuns and Indians. For much of the Middle Ages, the primary rulers of North India were Turks from Central Asia.

[zainabgul]

Friends ..... Peshawar is the Central Asia of Pakistan . I love my KPK