Pashtuns
Pashtuns (/ˈpʌʃˌtʊn/, /ˈpɑːʃˌtʊn/, /ˈpæʃˌtuːn/; Pashto: پښتانه, romanized: Pəx̌tānə́;[16] Pashto pronunciation: [pəxˈtɑːna]), also known as Pakhtuns,[17] or Pathans,[a] are a nomadic,[21][22][23] pastoral,[24][25] Eastern Iranic ethnic group[17] primarily residing in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan.[26][27] They historically were also referred to as Afghans[b] until the ratification of the 1964 Constitution of Afghanistan, which stated anyone with citizenship is Afghan, and the 1970s[33][34] after the term's meaning had become a demonym for members of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan.[33][35]
"Pathan" and "Pakhtoon" redirect here. For other uses, see Pathan (disambiguation).
The Pashtuns speak the Pashto language, which belongs to the Eastern Iranian branch of the Iranian language family. Additionally, Dari serves as the second language of Pashtuns in Afghanistan,[36][37] while those in Pakistan and India speak Hindi-Urdu and other regional languages as their second language.[38][39][40][41]
There are an estimated 350–400 Pashtun tribes and clans with a variety of origin theories.[42][43][44] The total population of the Pashtun people worldwide is estimated to be around 49 million,[45] although this figure is disputed due to the lack of an official census in Afghanistan since 1979.[46] They are the second-largest ethnic group in Pakistan and one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan,[47] constituting around 18.24% of the total Pakistani population and around 47% of the total Afghan population.[48][49][50] In India, significant and historical communities of the Pashtun diaspora exist in the northern region of Rohilkhand as well as in major Indian cities such as Delhi and Mumbai.[51][52]
Etymology
Ancient historical references: Pashtun
A tribe called Pakthās, one of the tribes that fought against Sudas in the Dasarajna, or "Battle of the Ten Kings", are mentioned in the seventh mandala of the Rigveda, a text of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dated between c. 1500 and 1200 BCE:[84][85]
Genetics
The majority of Pashtuns from Afghanistan belong to R1a, with a frequncy of 50-65%.[205] Subclade R1a-Z2125 occurs at a frequency of 40%.[206] This subclade is predominantly found in Tajiks, Turkmen, Uzbeks and in some populations in the Caucasus and Iran.[207] Haplogroup G-M201 reaches 9% in Afghan Pashtuns and is the second most frequent haplogroup in Pashtuns from southern Afghanistan.[205][208] Haplogroup L and Haplogroup J2 occurs at an overall frequncy of 6%.[205] According to a Mitochondrial DNA analysis of four ethnic groups of Afghanistan, the majority of mtDNA among Afghan Pashtuns belongs to West Eurasian lineages, and share a greater affinity with West Eurasian and Central Asian populations rather than to populations of South Asia or East Asia. The haplogroup analysis indicates the Pashtuns and Tajiks in Afghanistan share ancestral heritage. Among the studied ethnic groups, the Pashtuns have the greatest mtDNA diversity.[209] The most frequent haplogroup among Pakistani Pashtuns is haplogroup R which is found at a rate of 28-50%. Haplogroup J2 was found in 9% to 24% depending on the study and Haplogroup E has been found at a frequency of 4% to 13%. Haplogroup L occurs at a rate of 8%. Certain Pakistani Pashtun groups exhibit high levels of R1b.[210][211] Overall Pashtun groups are genetically diverse, and the Pashtun ethnic group is not a single genetic population. Different Pashtun groups exhibit different genetic backgrounds, resulting in considerable heterogeneity.[212]
Y haplogroup and mtdna haplogroup samples were taken from Jadoon, Yousafzai, Sayyid, Gujar and Tanoli men living in Swabi District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. Jadoon men have predominantly East Asian origin paternal ancestry with West Eurasian maternal ancestry and a lesser amount of South Asian maternal ancestry according to a Y and mtdna haplogroup test indicating local females marrying immigrant males during the medieval period. Y Haplogroup O3-M122 makes up the majority of Jadoon men, the same haplogroup carried by the majority (50-60%) of Han Chinese. 82.5% of Jadoon men carrying Q-MEH2 and O3-M122 which are both of East Asian origin. O3-M122 was absent in the Sayyid (Syed) population and appeared in low numbers among Tanolis, Gujars and Yousafzais. There appears to be founder affect in the O3-M122 among the Jadoon.[213][214][215] 76.32% of Jadoon men carry O3-M122 while 0.75% of Tanolis, 0.81% of Gujars and 2.82% of Yousafzais carry O3-M122.[216][217]
56.25% of the Jadoons in another test carried West Eurasian maternal Haplogroup H (mtDNA).[218] Dental morphology of the Swabi Jadoons was also analyzed and compared to other groups in the regions like Yousufzais and Sayyids.[219]