Am I Pashtun?

[randolph85]

i don't think you can even find evidence of it close to 700 years ago for that matter.

[pashtanajan]

Here is my horrible first post, because I'm sure its a question that has been asked ad-nasuem.

Am I Pashtun?

My family says we are, but we have been in UP India (and after partition Pakistan) for many generations. There are family records tracing every male member of the family back to Afghanistan. My father's family claims we are Mohmand and my mothers family claims they are Yousefzai.

No one in my parents generation speaks Pashtu. My fathers grandparents were the last people in my family that spoke Pashtu or Dari. Since his grandparents spoke it to each other, my father can speak some Dari.

There are people in my distant family (who are also recorded in the said document that traces us back to Afghanistan) who look more Indian than my immediate family.

There are some claims in our family history which I find to be contradictory. While my family claims to be Mohmand, I am also told that at some-point our ancestors resided in Jalabad. But is that an area with many Mohmand?

So would we be considered Pastun? Pashtuns that I have discussed this with give different answers. Naturally, since I don't want to seem like I'm posing, I rarely ask this question to Pashtuns in person. Mostly, what I hear is that we would not be considered Pashtun.

Also, let me add why I am asking this. I've grown up being told I am a Pashtun. However, I realize that most Pashtuns would not regard me as such. I "look" Pashtun to most people, but I'm not even sure what that means. I'm light skinned, tall, and non-Indian looking. But I've seen Pashtuns that are dark, short and Indian looking. So I don't even know if this means anything.

Thoughts? (No Trolling)

Well, coming from me, if your ancestors were Pashtun, and you wish to be considered a Pashtun then you are a Pasthun. And yes, there are a lot of Mohmands in the Jalalabad area, my mother is from that area, and she is Mohmand. And P.S if you're not muslim, don't listen to those people who say Pashtuns are Muslims first. What were Pashtuns before they converted to islam? -_-

[Khyber Pass]

Same with my family. My ancestors were one of the important generals or whatever in Mahmud Ghazni's army, and as a reward for spreading Islam in those areas gave them land in modern day Rupnagar (?) They lived on the land for a bit but returned to Afghanistan, we still had some distant relatives who were living on the land but went back and forth from India to Afghanistan frequently, the land was mostly just used for farming and such, no one really lived on it. After partition we lost the land and that's that. Which is why I can speak fluent Punjabi as well

[Naveed Safi]

Yes brother Mohmand resides on both sides of Durrand line, so jalabad also have mohmands.
And how on earth are you saying that pashtuns are dark? (jk :p) but it isnt true brother cause when u see afridis and shinwaris u will never find a dark person, as our tutor told one of our afridi friend, che ma pa apridyano ki tor kas wanalido :D. and one thing more here in pekhawar we dont consider a man to be pukhtoon if he didnt speak pukhto (although he knew and can speak it) so if u can speak pukhto and ofcourse if u are mohmand then u are pukhtoon. Congratz

[Badlun]

You are definitely a Pashtun.
I would like to request you that you may try to establish a kind of Pashtun Cultural and Social association or organization in India where all Pashtuns are represented from India and then you can demand the government to open Pashto department in some universities and the organization may run Pashto classes for Pashtuns and non Pashtuns who want to learn Pashto language.