Pathans in India
Residents of India of ethnic Pashtun ancestry / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Pathans in India or simply known as Pathans are citizens or residents of the Indian Republic who are of ethnic Pashtun ancestry. "Pathan" is the local Hindi-Urdu term for an individual who belongs to the Pashtun ethnic group, or descends from it.[6][7] The term additionally finds mention among Western sources, mainly in the colonial-era literature of British India.[8][9] Historically, the term "Afghan" was also synonymous with the Pathans.[10] The Pathans originate from the Eastern Afghanistan and Northwestern Pakistan regions,[11][12] ethnolinguistically known as Pashtunistan.
Total population | |
---|---|
3.2 million (2018; AIPJH estimate)[1][2][3] 21,677 (2011 census figure of Pashto-speakers)[4] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Languages | |
Religion | |
Majority: Sunni Islam
Minority: Shia Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism | |
There are varying estimates of the population of Pathan descent living in India, ranging from 3.2 million people per the All India Pakhtoon Jirga-e-Hind[1][2][3] to "twice their population in Afghanistan" as per Khan Mohammad Atif, an academic at the University of Lucknow.[13] In the 2011 Census of India, 21,677 individuals reported Pashto as their mother tongue.[4]
Large-scale Pashtun migration began in the 11th and 12th centuries, as a result of the many Muslim empires and dynasties founded by Pashtuns on the Indian subcontinent.[14] Pashtuns also arrived as traders, officers, administrators, diplomats, travelers, religious saints and preachers,[5] students, and as soldiers serving in the armies of India's rulers. In many cases, migration and settlement occurred amongst whole clans.[15] Today, the Pathans are a collection of diversely scattered communities present across the length and breadth of India, with the largest populations principally settled in the plains of northern and central India.[14][15][13] Following the partition of India in 1947, many of them migrated to Pakistan.[14] The majority of Indian Pathans are Urdu-speaking communities,[14] who have assimilated into the local society over the course of generations.[16] Pathans have influenced and contributed to various fields in India, particularly politics, the entertainment industry and sports.[13]