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171-659: 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 to "twice their population in Afghanistan" as per Khan Mohammad Atif, an academic at the University of Lucknow . In the 2011 Census of India , 21,677 individuals reported Pashto as their mother tongue. Large-scale Pashtun migration began in

342-556: A mother goddess , who stood variously for Bengal, India, and the Hindu goddess Kali . The unrest spread from Calcutta to the surrounding regions of Bengal when Calcutta's English-educated students returned home to their villages and towns. The religious stirrings of the slogan and the political outrage over the partition were combined as young men, in such groups as Jugantar , took to bombing public buildings, staging armed robberies, and assassinating British officials. Since Calcutta

513-538: A qawwali -style Pathan dance number, Khochey Pathan Ki Zubaan . The action film Qurbani (1980), in which a police officer named Amjad Khan (played by Amjad Khan himself) chases two fugitives (played by Feroz Khan and Vinod Khanna ), featured a song Qurbani Qurbani which was set in a "Pathan's den ". In the song, the three protagonists donned Pathan getup. Khuda Gawah (1992) stars Amitabh Bachchan as an Afghan tribesman who settles accounts with his enemies after finding himself trapped in an Indian prison, and

684-713: A Muslim India and a non-Muslim India". Lala believed in partition in response to the riots against Hindus in Kohat, North-West Frontier Province which diminished his faith in Hindu-Muslim unity. Hindu Mahasabha leader Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 's Hindutva ideology had embryonic form of a two-nation theory since 1920s. Savarkar in 1937 during the 19th session of the Hindu Mahasabha in Ahmedabad supported two-nation theory where he said "there are two nations in

855-504: A Pathan community since the 19th century, mostly originating from the tribal areas of northwest Pakistan. Afghanistan has maintained a consulate-general in Bombay since 1915, alluding to the historic presence of Afghans and Pathans in the city. The Afghan-born Karim Lala was one of the three most influential dons in the Mumbai underworld for decades. As the head of the "Pathan Gang",

1026-540: A boycott of British goods. Sporadically, but flagrantly, the protesters also took to political violence , which involved attacks on civilians. The violence was ineffective, as most planned attacks were either prevented by the British or failed. The rallying cry for both types of protest was the slogan Bande Mataram ( Bengali , lit: 'Hail to the Mother'), the title of a song by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee , which invoked

1197-507: 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 . Following the partition of India in 1947, many of them migrated to Pakistan . The majority of Indian Pathans are Urdu-speaking communities , who have assimilated into the local society over the course of generations. Pathans have influenced and contributed to various fields in India, particularly politics,

1368-546: A de jure Pakistan, which may make the League more responsible. Freedom is coming. We have 75 to 80 percent of India, which we can make strong with our genius. The League can develop the rest of the country. Following Gandhi's denial and Congress' approval of the plan, Patel, Rajendra Prasad, C. Rajagopalachari represented Congress on the Partition Council, with Jinnah, Liaqat Ali Khan and Abdur Rab Nishtar representing

1539-611: A divided India or a destroyed India." On that morning, armed Muslim gangs gathered at the Ochterlony Monument in Calcutta to hear Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy , the League's Chief Minister of Bengal, who, in the words of historian Yasmin Khan, "if he did not explicitly incite violence certainly gave the crowd the impression that they could act with impunity, that neither the police nor the military would be called out and that

1710-447: A form of art and beauty in their culture, however they were looked down upon by other Indians. The women wore a traditional hand-embroidered dress known as the kakrai kameez , similar to a firaq – the upper garment worn by Pashtun females. They also listened to Pashto music and would teach the language to their children. Due to their different culture and appearance, they were often stereotyped and considered Muslims or foreigners by

1881-600: A group of "Young Party" Muslims from the United Provinces (UP), most prominently, the brothers Mohammad and Shaukat Ali , who had embraced the Pan-Islamic cause. It gained the support of a young lawyer from Bombay, Muhammad Ali Jinnah , who later rose to leadership roles in the League and the Indian independence movement. In later years, as the full ramifications of the pact unfolded, it was seen as benefiting

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2052-608: A large share of political spoils for the Indian Muslims with the withdrawal of British rule, others believed the main political objective was the preservation of the cultural entity of Muslim India. The two-nation theory was a founding principle of the Pakistan Movement (i.e., the ideology of Pakistan as a Muslim nation-state in South Asia), and the partition of India in 1947. Theodore Beck , who played

2223-540: A mafia group comprising mostly ethnic Pathans involved in various types of organised crime, Karim Lala wielded significant political clout and was well known to both the elite and common man of Mumbai. In Gujarat state most of the pathans are seen, those are Turks, Yousafzai, Afghans, Babi, Durrani, lodi.there are many notable persons comes from gujrat pathan like cricketer Salim Durrani, Parveen Babi actress.In area of Junagadh there are turk pathan are mainly seen in indian army and business There are Pathan families present in

2394-564: A major role in founding of the All-India Muslim League in 1906, was supportive of two-nation theory. Another British official supportive of the theory includes Theodore Morison . Both Beck and Morison believed that parliamentary system of majority rule would be disadvantageous for the Muslims. Arya Samaj leader Lala Lajpat Rai laid out his own version of two-nation theory in 1924 to form "a clear partition of India into

2565-612: A mass nationalist movement of millions. In August 1942, Congress launched the Quit India Resolution , asking for drastic constitutional changes which the British saw as the most serious threat to their rule since the Indian rebellion of 1857 . With their resources and attention already spread thin by a global war, the nervous British immediately jailed the Congress leaders and kept them in jail until August 1945, whereas

2736-702: A minority of the Chitral district, which is mainly inhibated by Kho and Kalasha people who speak Khowar. The following table outlines the Pashtun population in different provinces of Pakistan : Smaller Pashtun communities outside Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan can be found in the districts of Attock and Mianwali in the Punjab Province. These and other communities of Pashtun ancestry who have long-settled in Punjab and Sindh region are often referred to as

2907-593: A new province with a Muslim majority would directly benefit Muslims aspiring to political power. World War I would prove to be a watershed in the imperial relationship between Britain and India. 1.4 million Indian and British soldiers of the British Indian Army would take part in the war, and their participation would have a wider cultural fallout: news of Indian soldiers fighting and dying with British soldiers, as well as soldiers from dominions like Canada and Australia, would travel to distant corners of

3078-547: A nominated member of the Rajya Sabha in 1989. Pathans have represented the Indian national cricket team both before and after independence. They include Jahangir Khan , a Burki Pathan who played for India between 1932 and 1936, later becoming a cricket administrator in Pakistan. Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi , the eighth Nawab of Pataudi , played for both England and India in the 1930s and 1940s, eventually captaining

3249-586: A part of British-ruled India. The Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim was established as a princely state after the Anglo-Sikkimese Treaty of 1861, but its sovereignty had been left undefined. In 1947, Sikkim became an independent kingdom under the suzerainty of India. The Maldives became a protectorate of the British crown in 1887 and gained its independence in 1965. In 1905, during his second term as viceroy of India , Lord Curzon divided

3420-558: A plan". He said that if the Muslims were not granted a separate Pakistan then they would launch "direct action". When asked to be specific, Jinnah retorted: "Go to the Congress and ask them their plans. When they take you into their confidence I will take you into mine. Why do you expect me alone to sit with folded hands? I also am going to make trouble." The next day, Jinnah announced 16 August 1946 would be " Direct Action Day " and warned Congress, "We do not want war. If you want war we accept your offer unhesitatingly. We will either have

3591-411: A quicker transfer of power. When Lord Mountbatten formally proposed the plan on 3 June 1947, Patel gave his approval and lobbied Nehru and other Congress leaders to accept the proposal. Knowing Gandhi's deep anguish regarding proposals of partition, Patel engaged him in private meetings discussions over the perceived practical unworkability of any Congress-League coalition , the rising violence, and

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3762-732: A separate homeland. Tensions heightened while the Muslim League was unable to form ministries outside the two provinces of Sind and Bengal, with the Congress forming a ministry in the NWFP and the key Punjab province coming under a coalition ministry of the Congress, Sikhs and Unionists. The British, while not approving of a separate Muslim homeland, appreciated the simplicity of a single voice to speak on behalf of India's Muslims. Britain had wanted India and its army to remain united to keep India in its system of 'imperial defense'. With India's two political parties unable to agree, Britain devised

3933-402: A subgenre of what are known as "Pathan movies". The 1947 theatrical play Pathan was produced by Prithviraj Kapoor's Prithvi Theatre , and was commercially successful across India. Prithviraj played the lead role while his sons Raj, Shammi and Shashi also acted. Kabuliwala (1961), in which Balraj Sahni essays the role of the protagonist, has been called the "mother of all Pathan movies". It

4104-653: A third-generation Sheenkhalai herself, explores the history and origins of this community and was funded by the India–Afghanistan Foundation. From the 1950s and onwards, some Pakistani Hindus from Peshawar and surrounding areas moved to India, settling chiefly in Amritsar , Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Firozpur , as well as in Delhi, Rajasthan and other places across India. As of 2005, they numbered over 3,000 families including both Hindus and Sikhs. Amritsar itself

4275-455: A transfer of populations (i.e., the total removal of Hindus from Muslim-majority areas and the total removal of Muslims from Hindu-majority areas) was a desirable step towards a complete separation of two incompatible nations that "cannot coexist in a harmonious relationship." Opposition to the theory has come from two sources. The first is the concept of a single Indian nation , of which Hindus and Muslims are two intertwined communities. This

4446-464: A two-hour speech in English, in which were laid out the arguments of the two-nation theory , stating, in the words of historians Talbot and Singh, that "Muslims and Hindus...were irreconcilably opposed monolithic religious communities and as such, no settlement could be imposed that did not satisfy the aspirations of the former." On the last day of its session, the League passed what came to be known as

4617-525: Is Khanum or Bibi . In the caste system present among medieval Indian Muslim society, the Pathans (historically also known as ethnic 'Afghans' ) were classified as one of the ashraf castes – those who claimed descent from foreign immigrants, and who claimed the status of nobility by virtue of conquests and Muslim rule in the Indian subcontinent . The earlier generations of Indian Pathans spoke their native language Pashto, while some still adhere to

4788-544: Is a common destination for Afghan students who pursue tertiary education in India. They numbered up to 500 as of 2019, and were enrolled in different institutes including Panjab University . The princely Pataudi State , which was founded by the Pataudi family and ruled by the Nawab of Pataudi , was centred in Pataudi in modern Haryana's Gurgaon district. The Pataudis were of Afghan descent, whose ancestors arrived in India in

4959-434: Is a founding principle of the modern, officially- secular Republic of India . Even after the formation of Pakistan, debates on whether Muslims and Hindus are distinct nationalities or not continued in that country as well. The second source of opposition is the concept that while Indians are not one nation, neither are the Muslims or Hindus of the subcontinent, and it is instead the relatively homogeneous provincial units of

5130-522: Is a popular snack in Indian cities. Afghan immigrants in India have popularised other unique Afghan foods , such as the Afghani burger , Afghani naan , mantu dumplings, and Kabuli pulao . Afghan and Pathan recipes rely less on spices, and tend to be flavoured with salt, garlic, pepper, raisins, pinenuts, walnuts, and various dried or fresh fruits. Lajpat Nagar in Delhi is a hub of Pathan cuisines due to its sizable Afghan population. Tandoori chicken

5301-507: Is based on the short story of the same name written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, featuring the story of a wandering Afghan merchant in Bengal in pre-partition India. Earlier, a Bengali film based on this story was released in 1957 . It is believed that the famous Pathan character of Sher Khan, which was scripted by Salim–Javed and portrayed by Pran in Zanjeer (1973), was based on

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5472-548: Is either: boiled or roasted; marinated and barbecued in the form of tikka pieces placed on skewers in a grill ; formed into different types of kebabs ; cooked in large quantities in curries with mild spices; or prepared in a clay pot (e.g. handi gosht ) – and eaten by hand with bread (e.g. Peshawari naan or roti ), which is baked on a tandoor oven. Usually, the meat is kept intact and allowed to cook in its own fat. The chapli kebab , which originated in Peshawar,

5643-601: Is home to some 100,000 Pashtuns, making it one of the most populous overseas Pashtun communities in the world and the most populous one in the West. Pashtun diaspora in UK have made their presence felt through their restaurants with traditional names like Bab-eKhyber, Hujra, Kabuli pulao etc. and Music. Its one of the most vibrant Pashtun diaspora in the west. Pashtuns have been present in California at least since agricultural labor

5814-533: Is regarded as one of the earliest Pashto writers, was a Pashtun from Waziristan who was born in Jalandhar . He inspired the Roshani movement which, during the late 16th and 17th centuries, gave rise to prominent Pashto poets and writers in the Indian subcontinent. The area forming modern-day Uttar Pradesh was among the few regions in India where Pashto literature continuously developed; Pashtun litterateurs from

5985-482: Is sometimes called the "Marilyn Monroe of Bollywood," was a Yusufzai Pathan. There have also been other Pathan film directors, producers and scriptwriters, such as Zia Sarhadi ; Farah and Sajid Khan , who have Pathan ancestry from Peshawar; and in recent times, Kabir Khan . Pathans have contributed to Indian music as well; the sarod , a stringed instrument used in Hindustani classical music, descends from

6156-446: Is thought that between 14 million and 18 million people moved, and perhaps more. Excess mortality during the period of the partition is usually estimated to be around one million. The violent nature of the partition created an atmosphere of hostility and suspicion between India and Pakistan that affects their relationship to this day. The term partition of India does not cover the secession of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971, nor

6327-803: Is today the Republic of India , and the Dominion of Pakistan—which at the time comprised two regions lying on either side of India—is now the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh . The partition was outlined in the Indian Independence Act 1947 . The change of political borders notably included the division of two provinces of British India , Bengal and Punjab . The majority Muslim districts in these provinces were awarded to Pakistan and

6498-713: The Sheen Khalai meaning 'blue skinned' (referring to the color of Pashtun women's facial tattoos ), migrated to Unniara, Rajasthan , India after partition . Prior to 1947, the community resided in the Quetta , Loralai and Maikhter regions of the British Indian province of Baluchistan . Today, they continue to speak Pashto and celebrate Pashtun culture through the Attan dance. The larger number of people claiming Pashtun ancestry in India are Urdu speaking. Despite

6669-409: The 11th and 12th centuries , as a result of the many Muslim empires and dynasties founded by Pashtuns on the Indian subcontinent. Pashtuns also arrived as traders, officers, administrators, diplomats, travelers, religious saints and preachers, students, and as soldiers serving in the armies of India's rulers. In many cases, migration and settlement occurred amongst whole clans . Today, the Pathans are

6840-509: The 1857 Rebellion and the Second Anglo-Afghan War . In the three decades since the 1871 census, Muslim leaders across North India had intermittently experienced public animosity from some of the new Hindu political and social groups. The Arya Samaj , for example, had not only supported the cow protection movement in their agitation, but also—distraught at the census' Muslim numbers—organized "reconversion" events for

7011-859: The Arab states of the Persian Gulf (primarily in the United Arab Emirates ), the United States , the United Kingdom , Netherlands , Iran , Australia , Canada , and Russia . The Pashtun people, who are classified as an Iranian ethnolinguistic group , are believed to have settled in the traditional Pashtunistan region around the early 1st millennium CE . According to Ethnologue , the total Pashtun population currently stands at around 30 million, but some sources give slightly lower or higher figures. Among Indic communities in

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7182-826: The Bengal Presidency —the largest administrative subdivision in British India—into the Muslim-majority province of Eastern Bengal and Assam and the Hindu-majority province of Bengal (present-day Indian states of West Bengal , Bihar , Jharkhand , and Odisha ). Curzon's act, the partition of Bengal —which had been contemplated by various colonial administrations since the time of Lord William Bentinck , though never acted upon—was to transform nationalist politics as nothing else before it. The Hindu elite of Bengal, many of whom owned land that

7353-477: The Cabinet Mission Plan . Through this mission, Britain hoped to preserve the united India which they and the Congress desired, while concurrently securing the essence of Jinnah's demand for a Pakistan through 'groupings.' The Cabinet mission scheme encapsulated a federal arrangement consisting of three groups of provinces. Two of these groupings would consist of predominantly Muslim provinces, while

7524-751: The Durand Line acting as the border between the two countries. The Hindu Kush mountains straddle the north of the region. Geographically, the Pathans are an eastern Iranic ethnic group who lived west of the Indo-Aryan ethnicities of the northern Indian subcontinent . Some Pashtuns from the Ghilji tribe historically used to seasonally migrate to India in winter as nomadic merchants. They would buy goods there, and transport these by camel caravan in summer for sale or barter in Afghanistan. Pathans of India descend from different tribes and clans . Some of

7695-658: The Durranis , but many were brought by Maharajah Gulab Singh for service on the frontier. Pashto is also spoken in two villages, Dhakki and Changnar (Chaknot), located on the Line of Control in Kupwara District . In response to demand by the Pashtun community living in the state, Kashir TV has recently launched a series of Pushto-language programs. A further small, scattered Pashtun population still exists in some major cities of India with large Muslim populations, with

7866-546: The House of Commons , with an offer of dominion status to India at the end of the war in return for the Congress's support for the war effort. Not wishing to lose the support of the allies they had already secured—the Muslim League, Unionists of Punjab, and the princes—Cripps's offer included a clause stating that no part of the British Indian Empire would be forced to join the post-war dominion. The League rejected

8037-487: The Indian subcontinent , Pashtuns are commonly referred to by the word Pathan . The ethnonym Afghan (of Persian origin) has been historically used since the 3rd century AD to refer to the Pashtuns, and is now used to describe every citizen of Afghanistan. Pashtuns make up the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan , comprising 46-65% of the total Afghan population . Approximately 2 million Afghan refugees live in

8208-910: The Jawaharlal Nehru University . The city of Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province gave birth to several prominent actors in the Hindi film industry, Bollywood . Some Indian actors also have ancestry in Balochistan and Afghanistan. The Qissa Khwani Bazaar area of Peshawar is the location of the ancestral homes of the Kapoor family , Dilip Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan. Notably, the Hindko -origin Dilip Kumar (born Yusuf Khan) and Shah Rukh Khan , or

8379-511: The Lahore Resolution , sometimes also "Pakistan Resolution," demanding that "the areas in which the Muslims are numerically in the majority as in the north-western and eastern zones of India should be grouped to constitute independent states in which the constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereign." Though it had been founded more than three decades earlier, the League would gather support among South Asian Muslims only during

8550-568: The Minto-Morley Reforms , and more recently of the Congress-Muslim League Lucknow Pact, was reaffirmed, with seats being reserved for Muslims , Sikhs , Indian Christians , Anglo-Indians , and domiciled Europeans, in both provincial and imperial legislative councils. The Montagu-Chelmsford reforms offered Indians the most significant opportunity yet for exercising legislative power, especially at

8721-606: The Pakistan Army , remained for some time the only all-Pathan regiment in British India. From 1897 to 1908, the number of Pathan servicemen in the British Indian Army arose from 2,500 to 10,500. Around a quarter were Afridis , and a large number were drawn from the tribal areas forming British India's northwestern frontier with Afghanistan. They comprised, in total, 67 companies across 43 regiments. By

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8892-694: The Peshawari turban which some of them wear, and they converse in Pashto or the local Peshawari dialect . However, the younger generation is not fluent in these languages. Since the 1970s, thousands of Afghan Hindus have also settled in India while escaping war and persecution. Many of them had lived in the Pashtun areas for generations, spoke Pashto, and practiced a culture that was Pashtun-influenced. A secondary diaspora of Pathans from India also exists, including those who were transported from British India to various other colonies as indentured workers in

9063-430: The Rohilkhand region. Pathans are noted as one of the Muslim castes living in Diu , which is part of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu . Pathans are noted as one of the many Muslim communities in the state of Goa . They use the surname Khan , while the women may use Khatun , Khatu or Bibi . It has been noted that they freely marry outside their community. Mumbai has been home to

9234-467: The Rohilla community produced works in the language up until the late 18th century. The All India Radio (AIR) operates a Pashto-language service. Pashto was the first external radio service of AIR, broadcasting its inaugural transmission on 1 October 1939 for Pashto-listeners across British India's North-West Frontier Province and Afghanistan. Its purpose was to counter German radio propanda infiltrating Afghanistan, Iran and West Asian nations following

9405-514: The United Provinces (where Hindus attacked Muslims), and on to Rawalpindi in March 1947 in which Hindus and Sikhs were attacked or driven out by Muslims. In London, the president of the India League , V. K. Krishna Menon , nominated Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma as the only suitable viceregal candidate in clandestine meetings with Sir Stafford Cripps and Clement Attlee. Prime Minister Attlee subsequently appointed Lord Louis Mountbatten as India's last viceroy , giving him

9576-458: The Yusufzai , Lodi , Tareen , Kakar and Sherwani tribes. The rulers of the state historically shared a harmonious relationship with their Hindu and Sikh subjects, giving them protection and equal rights as minorities, which is one of the reasons why the city was mostly spared from violence during the partition. Even after independence, members of the royal Pathan family have continued to receive political support in state elections. Chandigarh

9747-526: The gharra , and the Pashto dialect which they speak. According to Sohail Hashmi, the Peshawari dress and turban were a common site on the streets of Delhi up until the 1960s. The area of Jangpura has long been a hub for Pathan Muslims, possibly due to its proximity to the Nizamuddin Dargah . Across North India, the Pathan population is chiefly spread over 74 districts . Beginning in the 17th century, tens of thousands of " Rohilla " Pashtuns migrated into modern Uttar Pradesh and settled in what became known as

9918-402: The "Great Calcutta Killing of August 1946". The next day, Hindus struck back, and the violence continued for three days in which approximately 4,000 people died (according to official accounts), both Hindus and Muslims. Although India had outbreaks of religious violence between Hindus and Muslims before, the Calcutta killings were the first to display elements of " ethnic cleansing ". Violence

10089-532: The "official majority" in unfavourable votes. Although departments like defence, foreign affairs, criminal law, communications, and income-tax were retained by the viceroy and the central government in New Delhi, other departments like public health, education, land-revenue, local self-government were transferred to the provinces. The provinces themselves were now to be administered under a new dyarchical system, whereby some areas like education, agriculture, infrastructure development, and local self-government became

10260-477: The 1850s where he became the first Nawab of Sardhana . Most of the Khans of Bollywood , however, belong to the Pathan community, including the Peshawar-born actor Jayant (born Zakaria Khan) and his son Amjad Khan ; Kader Khan , who belonged to the Kakar tribe with parents from Kandahar and Pishin ; the Tanoli -origin siblings Feroz , Sanjay and Akbar Khan , whose father settled in Bangalore from Ghazni , and their descendants Fardeen and Zayed Khan ;

10431-458: The 1911 edition of Encyclopædia Britannica , the number of Pashtuns in the British India was nearly 3.5 million, but the speakers of Pashto numbered less than 1.25 million. Most of this population were allotted, along with their respective provinces, to Pakistan after the partition of India , in 1947. Today, the Pashtuns in India can be divided into those who speak Pashto and those who speak Urdu / Hindi and other regional languages. However,

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10602-437: The 1920s, being surrounded by Labour statesmen who were affiliated with Krishna Menon and the India League , and for years had supported it. He now took charge of the government position and gave the issue the highest priority. A Cabinet Mission was sent to India led by the Secretary of State for India, Lord Pethick Lawrence , which also included Sir Stafford Cripps , who had visited India four years before. The objective of

10773-490: The 1980s and 90s, Pashtuns began settling in Perth , Melbourne , Sydney and other major cities of Australia. Pashtuns in Bangladesh are descendants of Pashtun emigrants who settled into Bangladesh during the Pathan rule of the Bengal Sultanate under the Karrani dynasty . Additional Pashtun communities of South Asia are also the Pathans of Sri Lanka , who are believed to have origins from Pathans who settled in Batticaloa , initially arriving for trade. Since

10944-422: The 64 reserved Muslim seats. In the Muslim-majority regions of the Punjab and Bengal regional parties outperformed the League. In Punjab, the Unionist Party of Sikandar Hayat Khan , won the elections and formed a government, with the support of the Indian National Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal , which lasted five years. In Bengal, the League had to share power in a coalition headed by A. K. Fazlul Huq ,

11115-602: The Afghan-Iran border, in the Khorasan Province of Iran. The settling of Pashtuns in Iran goes back to the 18th century during the Durrani reign . Timur Shah Durrani , an ethnic Pashtun, the son of Ahmad Shah Durrani and King of Afghanistan, was born in Mashhad , in the Khorasan province of Iran, which was part of the Durrani empire at that time. About 300,000 Pashtuns migrated to the Persian Gulf countries between 1976 and 1981, representing 35% of Pakistani immigrants. Many Pashtuns have migrated from their homeland in South / Central Asia to Europe . The United Kingdom

11286-475: The Akhil Bharatiya Parachinar Biradari, which seeks to gain Scheduled Tribal status for the community in order to secure various government incentives and opportunities committed under the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes for "displaced" communities. They are settled in a village also named "Parachinar" in Bharmour in Chamba district . These Parachinaris are noted for their Pathan dresses and turbans, their traditional Chitrali -influenced dance known as

11457-416: The British and their allies were now in conflict with the Ottoman Empire, doubts began to increase among some Indian Muslims about the "religious neutrality" of the British, doubts that had already surfaced as a result of the reunification of Bengal in 1911, a decision that was seen as ill-disposed to Muslims. In the Lucknow Pact, the League joined the Congress in the proposal for greater self-government that

11628-587: The British government decided to end British Raj in India, and in early 1947 Britain announced its intention of transferring power no later than June 1948. Attlee wrote later in a memoir that he moved quickly to restart the self-rule process because he expected colonial rule in Asia to meet renewed opposition after the war from both nationalist movements and the United States, while his exchequer feared that post-war Britain could no longer afford to garrison an expansive empire. Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee had been deeply interested in Indian independence since

11799-425: The Center weak. On 10 July 1946, Nehru gave a "provocative speech," rejected the idea of grouping the provinces and "effectively torpedoed" both the Cabinet mission plan and the prospect of a United India. After the Cabinet Mission broke down, in July 1946, Jinnah held a press conference at his home in Bombay. He proclaimed that the Muslim League was "preparing to launch a struggle" and that they "have chalked out

11970-400: The Congress itself rallied around the symbolism of Kali. It was not lost on many Muslims, for example, that the bande mataram rallying cry had first appeared in the novel Anandmath in which Hindus had battled their Muslim oppressors. Lastly, the Muslim elite, including Nawab of Dacca , Khwaja Salimullah , who hosted the League's first meeting in his mansion in Shahbag , were aware that

12141-429: The Hindu Pathans in India, especially those who migrated from the Saraiki -speaking area of Dera Ismail Khan , had their own unique vegetarian cuisine . In her historical magnum opus River of Fire , writer Qurratulain Hyder makes reference to Hindu Pathans from the NWFP who were displaced by the partition and settled in India. Some Hindus who lived in Balochistan prior to 1947, and later migrated to India following

12312-610: The Indian side in 1946. His son, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi , also played Test cricket as a batsman for India between 1961 and 1975 and became the country's youngest captain when appointed in 1962. The all-rounder Salim Durani (who in official cricketing records is referred to as the first Afghan-born Test cricketer , but was born near the Khyber Pass ) represented India in Test cricket in the 1960s and 1970s. The brother duo of Yusuf and Irfan Pathan have together represented India at

12483-759: The Kashmir Valley speak Pashto , and are found chiefly in the southwest of the valley, where Pashtun colonies have been built over time. The most interesting are the Kukikhel Afridis of Dramghaihama, who retain all the old customs and speak Pashto. They wear colorful dresses and carry swords and shields. The Afridis and the Machipurians, who belong to the Yusufzai tribe, are liable to military service, in return for which they hold certain villages free of revenue. The Pashtuns chiefly came in under

12654-489: The Mumbai mafia don Karim Lala . The song Yaari Hai Imaan Mera, Yaar Meri Zindagi ("friendship is my faith, the friend is my life") from that movie features an influence of the Pashtun instrument rubab, and is danced to by men in the attan style. In 2013, a remake of the film was released in Hindi and Telugu simultaneously, in which Sanjay Dutt and Sri Hari reprised the role of Sher Khan, respectively. They featured in

12825-424: The Muslim League was now free for the next three years to spread its message. Consequently, the Muslim League's ranks surged during the war, with Jinnah himself admitting, "The war which nobody welcomed proved to be a blessing in disguise." Although there were other important national Muslim politicians such as Congress leader Abul Kalam Azad , and influential regional Muslim politicians such as A. K. Fazlul Huq of

12996-480: The Muslim League, which functioned under state patronage, organized "Deliverance Day" celebrations (from Congress dominance) and supported Britain in the war effort. When Linlithgow met with nationalist leaders, he gave the same status to Jinnah as he did to Gandhi , and, a month later, described the Congress as a "Hindu organization." In March 1940, in the League's annual three-day session in Lahore , Jinnah gave

13167-557: The Muslim League. Late in 1946, the Labour government in Britain , its exchequer exhausted by the recently concluded World War II, decided to end British rule of India, with power being transferred no later than June 1948. With the British army unprepared for the potential for increased violence, the new viceroy, Louis Mountbatten , advanced the date, allowing less than six months for a mutually agreed plan for independence. In June 1947,

13338-479: The Muslim masses of future Hindu domination. The view that Muslims would be unfairly treated in an independent India dominated by the Congress was now a part of the public discourse of Muslims. With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Lord Linlithgow , Viceroy of India , declared war on India's behalf without consulting Indian leaders, leading the Congress provincial ministries to resign in protest. By contrast

13509-480: The Muslim minority elites of provinces like UP and Bihar more than the Muslim majorities of Punjab and Bengal. At the time, the "Lucknow Pact" was an important milestone in nationalistic agitation and was seen so by the British. Secretary of State for India Montagu and Viceroy Lord Chelmsford presented a report in July 1918 after a long fact-finding trip through India the previous winter. After more discussion by

13680-640: The Pashtun rubab and was invented by the Bangash musical gharana which migrated to India (whose descendants include ustads Sakhawat Hussain , Hafiz Ali Khan , and the latter's son Amjad Ali Khan ). G. M. Durrani was a noted Bollywood playback singer, music director and radio artist during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. In pop music, the Pakistani-origin Adnan Sami has been called the "reigning King of Indipop ." Pathan characters have been portrayed in many Bollywood films, creating

13851-600: The Pashtuns speaking Urdu/Hindi are in majority the. Khan Mohammad Atif, a professor at the University of Lucknow , estimates that "The population of Pathans in India is twice their population in Afghanistan". There are many Pashto-speaking Pakhtuns in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir . Although their exact numbers are hard to determine, they are at least more than 100,000, for it is known that in 1954, over 100,000 nomadic Pakhtuns living in Kashmir Valley were granted Indian citizenship. They still follow their traditional justice system of Jirga . Those settled and living in

14022-591: The Pathans. There are also large communities of Pathans such as Niazi and others who live in Khanewal , Kasur areas of Punjab, and the Multan area, which was formerly a part of the Durrani Empire . Pathan communities live in different district of Azad Kashmir too. There, they are mainly settled in the districts of Poonch , Sudhnuti and Bagh . In Poonch and Sudhnuti they constitute more than 70% of

14193-646: The Punjabi-origin Hindu Pathans like the Kapoor family , while not ethnically Pathans, are often referred to as "Pathans" due to their culture and origins in Peshawar. Actor Naseeruddin Shah , along with his sons Imaad , Vivaan and nephew Mohommed Ali , belong to the family of the 19th-century Afghan warlord Jan-Fishan Khan , who was born in Paghman of Saiyid descent, and moved to India in

14364-470: The Second World War. In August 1940, Lord Linlithgow proposed that India be granted dominion status after the war. Having not taken the Pakistan idea seriously, Linlithgow supposed that what Jinnah wanted was a non-federal arrangement without Hindu domination. To allay Muslim fears of Hindu domination, the "August Offer" was accompanied by the promise that a future constitution would consider

14535-575: The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1981 and during the internal Afghan conflicts in 1995–1996. Partition of India The Partition of India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions : India and Pakistan . The Dominion of India

14706-576: The ancient Pashtun regions of Afghanistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Some identify themselves as Bangash , Yusufzai , Ghouri and Durrani . Moreover, a significant number of descendants of Rohillas had migrated to Pakistan after the partition of India , in 1947. The Pashtuns make up 30% of the Muhajir community in Karachi . In India's Rohilkhand region, Pashtuns had made large settlements between 14th century and 20th century. In fact, according to

14877-530: The central and provincial legislatures. The Muslim League favoured this "communal award" as it had the potential to weaken the Hindu caste leadership. Mahatma Gandhi , who was seen as a leading advocate for Dalit rights, went on a fast to persuade the British to repeal these separate electorates. Ambedkar had to back down when it seemed Gandhi's life was threatened. Two years later, the Government of India Act 1935 introduced provincial autonomy, increasing

15048-503: The city of Karachi in the Sindh province hosts the largest concentration of urban Pashtuns population in the world Some important Pashtun cities of Pakistan include Peshawar , Quetta , Zhob , Loralai , Killa Saifullah , Attock , Swat , Mardan , Charsada , Mingora , Bannu , Parachinar , and Swabi . The province of Baluchistan is although named after the Baloch, but Pashtuns are

15219-513: The city of Ranchi . Odisha was historically one of the territories conquered by Pathans, most notably under Khwaja Usman . The Bengal region was historically one of the territories ruled by Pathan dynasties in India. The Karrani dynasty , the last of the dynasties to hold the Bengal Sultanate , was of Pashtun origin. The city of Kolkata has been home to a large Afghan and Pathan community for generations, where they are known by

15390-477: The common Pashtun tribes found in India including the influential Ahmadzai and others like Afridi , Barakzai , Bettani , Panni , Sulemanzai , Tareen , Kakar , Sherani , Khattak , Orakzai and the Shinwari , Yusufzai including the mighty Ghilzai , Durrani and Lodi . There is also a population of Muslim Rajput Pathans in India (also known as Khanzada Rajputs ) whose ancestors were Rajputs but got

15561-570: The communities among the Manipuri Muslims . In Sikkim , the Muslims are categorised into two main social classes: the ashraf (aristocracy) and ajlaf (commoners). The former usually includes people of " Sayyad , Shaikh , Mughal and Pathan ethnic backgrounds." In India, the Muslim surname Khan is largely synonymous with and commonly used by Pathans as per Pashtun naming conventions, although not all Khans are necessarily of Pathan descent. The female equivalent used by Pathan women

15732-478: The disemboweling of pregnant women, the slamming of babies' heads against brick walls, the cutting off of the victim's limbs and genitalia, and the displaying of heads and corpses. While previous communal riots had been deadly, the scale and level of brutality during the Partition massacres were unprecedented. Although some scholars question the use of the term ' genocide ' concerning the partition massacres, much of

15903-428: The displacement of any of its inhabitants, whether they were Sikhs or Hindus. The theory is also a source of inspiration to several Hindu nationalist organizations, with causes as varied as the redefinition of Indian Muslims as non-Indian foreigners and second-class citizens in India, the expulsion of all Muslims from India , the establishment of a legally Hindu state in India, prohibition of conversions to Islam , and

16074-404: The dispute and division of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir between India, Pakistan, and later China; the incorporation of the enclaves of French India into India during the period 1947–1954; and the annexation of Goa and other districts of Portuguese India by India in 1961. Nepal and Bhutan , having signed treaties with the British designating them as independent states , were not

16245-671: The early 1900s there have been many generations of Pashtuns who migrated from Afghanistan and the tribal areas of Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). Pashtun settlements in Thailand have been common throughout the provinces. There is even a Thai-Pashtun Friendship Association and they are fiercely independent, as a result they often are well treated and respected by the Thai locals. Countries like Indonesia , Singapore , Brunei and Malaysia , Myanmar also have similar cases of Pashtun settlements, which those who are of descent are quickly assimilated to

16416-710: The early 19th century. In July 1954, over 100,000 Pashtun tribes people living in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir were granted Indian nationality. They are a mostly endogamous , Pashto-speaking community whose ancestors migrated from what is now Pakistan and Afghanistan prior to India's independence. The village of Gotli Bagh in Ganderbal district is home to around 10,000 Pashtuns. The community observes Pashtun customs such as jirga for mediation on disputes, and Pashto television channels like Khyber TV are followed to keep up to date with news in

16587-723: The entertainment industry and sports. The Pathans of India are a community who trace their ancestry to the Pashtun regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan . The Pashtun homeland is located in Central Asia and the northwestern region of South Asia ; it roughly stretches from areas south of the Amu River in Afghanistan to west of the Indus River in Pakistan, mainly consisting of southwestern, eastern and some northern and western districts of Afghanistan , and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan in western Pakistan, with

16758-540: The experiences of such men. The former Hyderabad State had a Pathan community, and also an organisation known as the Pakhtoon Jirga which looked after the interests of the Pashtuns living within that state. There are some Afghan businessmen who have been living in Assam for several decades. They are also known as Kabuliwalas . Rajkumar Jhalajit Singh in A Short History of Manipur mentions Pathans as one of

16929-628: The form of the 1946 elections with the Congress winning 91 percent of the vote among non-Muslim constituencies, thereby gaining a majority in the Central Legislature and forming governments in eight provinces, and becoming the legitimate successor to the British government for most Hindus. If the British intended to stay in India the acquiescence of politically active Indians to British rule would have been in doubt after these election results, although many rural Indians may still have acquiesced to British rule at this time. The Muslim League won

17100-718: The government and parliament in Britain, and another tour by the Franchise and Functions Committee to identify who among the Indian population could vote in future elections, the Government of India Act of 1919 (also known as the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms ) was passed in December 1919. The new Act enlarged both the provincial and Imperial legislative councils and repealed the Government of India's recourse to

17271-522: The infamous trial of three senior officers − Shah Nawaz Khan , Prem Sahgal , and Gurubaksh Singh Dhillon − of Subhas Chandra Bose 's defeated Indian National Army (INA) who stood accused of treason . Now as the trials began, the Congress leadership, although having never supported the INA, chose to defend the accused officers and successfully rescued the INA members. British rule had lost its legitimacy for most Hindus, and conclusive proof of this came in

17442-526: The introduction of microfinance . During the British Raj in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Pashtun prisoners were amongst those who were transported "across the water" to the penal colony on the Andaman Islands for incarceration. One such incarceree who was serving life imprisonment on the island, Sher Ali Afridi , became known as the assassin of Lord Mayo , the Viceroy of India , while

17613-402: The late 15th century as mercenaries of the Pashtun emperor Bahlul Lodi , during the latter's reign. According to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi , the family are "basically Afghans with a bit of Turkish blood." There is a small community of Pashto-speaking Hindus and Sikhs who migrated from Parachinar (in Pakistan's Kurram District ) to Himachal Pradesh in 1948. They have an organisation known as

17784-549: The latter part of the 19th century several thousand men from Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Kashmir, Sind, Rajasthan, Egypt, Persia, Turkey and Punjab, but collectively known as "Afghans", were recruited during the initial British development of the Australian Outback , especially for the operation of camel trains in desert areas. These consisted of men who were not allowed to bring their families with them, many married local Aborigines and are now known as Ghans . During

17955-622: The latter was visiting the settlement in 1872. According to Kumar Suresh Singh , in the state of Karnataka , the Pathans are "distributed in all districts ." According to S. N. Sadasivan , the Travancore region was home to a group of Pathan Muslims who were descendants of sepoys employed by the maharajas of Travancore . Susan Bayly notes that the 18th-century Travancorean maharajas actively recruited Pathan soldiers to train and lead their armies, as did many other South Indian kingdoms, who were keen to bolster their military capacities with

18126-481: The leader of the Krishak Praja Party . The Congress, on the other hand, with 716 wins in the total of 1585 provincial assemblies seats, was able to form governments in 7 out of the 11 provinces of British India . In its manifesto, Congress maintained that religious issues were of lesser importance to the masses than economic and social issues. The election revealed that it had contested just 58 out of

18297-659: The leaders of the Indian National Congress , it would lead to calls for greater self-government for Indians. The 1916 Lucknow Session of the Congress was also the venue of an unanticipated mutual effort by the Congress and the Muslim League, the occasion for which was provided by the wartime partnership between Germany and Turkey. Since the Ottoman Sultan, also held guardianship of the Islamic holy sites of Mecca , Medina , and Jerusalem , and, since

18468-551: The leftist Krishak Praja Party in Bengal, Sikander Hyat Khan of the landlord-dominated Punjab Unionist Party , and Abd al-Ghaffar Khan of the pro-Congress Khudai Khidmatgar (popularly, "red shirts") in the North West Frontier Province , the British were to increasingly see the League as the main representative of Muslim India. The Muslim League's demand for Pakistan pitted it against the British and Congress. The 1945 United Kingdom general election

18639-663: The local Indian ethnic minority community while those recent migrants or settlers belong to the Pakistani diaspora , since most of the migrants came from Pakistan . There may be some Pashtun communities living in parts of China , Taiwan and Japan . Some people living in Guyana and Suriname claim to be of Afghan descent. Most of them moved to South American countries during the Indian immigration. Many Pashtuns from Afghanistan came to Argentina , Brazil , Chile , Panama , Colombia , Paraguay and Peru as refugees during

18810-787: The locals. The Sheenkhalai, numbering up to 500 at the time of partition, settled mostly in Rajasthan (in Uniara , Jaipur and Chittorgarh ) and Punjab, and adopted Indian culture. In recent years, there have been efforts to revive their indigenous culture. In 2018, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai met members of this community and inaugurated the Sheenkhalai Art Project during the Jaipur Literature Festival . A feature-length documentary titled Sheenkhalai – The Blue Skin produced by Shilpi Batra Adwani,

18981-648: The loss of most of the Raj -era Pashtun population, India still has a community of Hindustani speakers who can trace some of their ancestry to ancient Pashtun settlers. They are often referred by the Hindustani pronunciation of the word Pashtun, "Pathan". Major Indian Pathan tribes lived in the following areas. While many persons belonging to these tribes moved to the Afghan-Pakistan border, others chose to stay and thus, descendants of these tribes still reside in

19152-453: The main: the Hindus and the Muslims, in India". Muhammad Ali Jinnah undertook the ideology that religion is the determining factor in defining the nationality of Indian Muslims in 1940. He termed it as the awakening of Muslims for the creation of Pakistan. However, Jinnah opposed Partition of Punjab and Bengal, and advocated for the integration of all Punjab and Bengal into Pakistan without

19323-653: The majority non-Muslim to India. The other assets that were divided included the British Indian Army , the Royal Indian Navy , the Royal Indian Air Force , the Indian Civil Service , the railways , and the central treasury. Self-governing independent Pakistan and India legally came into existence at midnight on 14 and 15 August 1947 respectively. The partition caused large-scale loss of life and an unprecedented migration between

19494-500: The majority of Pashto -speaking individuals residing in the states of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh India; who also have adopted local languages of the respective areas they live in, as their second language. These Pathans, numbering around 14,161, have retained the use of the Pashto language and are still able to speak and understand it. This is partially because until recently, most of these Indian Pashtuns were able to travel to Pakhtunkhwa , Pakistan. A small Hindu community, known as

19665-469: The majority of the Muslim vote as well as most reserved Muslim seats in the provincial assemblies, and it also secured all the Muslim seats in the Central Assembly. Recovering from its performance in the 1937 elections, the Muslim League was finally able to make good on the claim that it and Jinnah alone represented India's Muslims and Jinnah quickly interpreted this vote as a popular demand for

19836-618: The majority there and the Baloch population is in fact less than Pashtuns in the Balochistan province. However most of the land of Baluchistan is covered by Balochs and Brahuis while Pashtuns are concentrated only in the north of the province. Pashtuns make up a minority of the total population of Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pashtuns are mostly found In Battagram and Torghar District , Pashtun tribes speak Pashto language while Jadoons, Tareens and Dilazaks of Abbottabad & Haripur District speak Hindko language and sometimes Pashto as their second language. Pashtuns also make up

20007-415: The ministry would turn a blind eye to any action they unleashed in the city." That very evening, in Calcutta, Hindus were attacked by returning Muslim celebrants, who carried pamphlets distributed earlier which showed a clear connection between violence and the demand for Pakistan, and directly implicated the celebration of Direct Action Day with the outbreak of the cycle of violence that would later be called

20178-460: The mission was to arrange for an orderly transfer to independence. In February 1946, mutinies broke out in the armed services, starting with RAF servicemen frustrated with their slow repatriation to Britain. These mutinies failed to turn into revolutions as the mutineers surrendered after the Congress and the Muslim League convinced the mutineers that they won't get victimised. In early 1946, new elections were held in India. This coincided with

20349-491: The national level across all formats. Pashtun diaspora Pashtun diaspora ( Pashto : بهر میشت پښتانه) comprises all ethnic Pashtuns . There are millions of Pashtuns who are living outside of their traditional homeland of Pashtunistan , a historic region that is today situated over parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan . While the (erstwhile) Pashtunistan is home to the majority of Pashtun people, there are significant local Pashtun diaspora communities scattered across

20520-592: The national level, they constituted only 10% of the total adult male population, many of whom were still illiterate. In the provincial legislatures, the British continued to exercise some control by setting aside seats for special interests they considered cooperative or useful. In particular, rural candidates, generally sympathetic to British rule and less confrontational, were assigned more seats than their urban counterparts. Seats were also reserved for non- Brahmins , landowners, businessmen, and college graduates. The principle of "communal representation," an integral part of

20691-486: The nationalist leaders, including Nehru , Valllabh Bhai Patel and J B Kripalini on behalf of the Congress, Jinnah, Liaqat Ali Khan, and Abdul Rab Nishtar representing the Muslim League, and Master Tara Singh representing the Sikhs , agreed to a partition of the country in stark opposition to Gandhi's opposition to partition. The predominantly Hindu and Sikh areas were assigned to the new India and predominantly Muslim areas to

20862-457: The neighboring Pakistan . The majority of them are Pashtuns who were born in that country. The Pashtuns are scattered all over Afghanistan, they can be found in almost every province of the country. Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan and a stronghold of the Pashtun culture . The city of Lashkargah in the south, Farah in the west, Jalalabad in the east, and Kunduz in

21033-490: The neighbouring Pakistani provinces of Sindh and Punjab , particularly in their respective provincial capital cities of Karachi and Lahore . Additionally, people with Pashtun ancestry are also found across India ; particularly in Rohilkhand , a region in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh ; and in the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Outside of South Asia , significant Pashtun diaspora communities are found in

21204-532: The new nation of Pakistan; the plan included a partition of the Muslim-majority provinces of Punjab and Bengal. The communal violence that accompanied the publication of the Radcliffe Line , the line of partition, was even more horrific. Describing the violence that accompanied the partition of India, historians Ian Talbot and Gurharpal Singh wrote: There are numerous eyewitness accounts of the maiming and mutilation of victims. The catalogue of horrors includes

21375-518: The newly independent India. Notable people from these regions, mainly Peshawar, who identified as Hindu Pathans include independence activist Bhagat Ram Talwar and union minister Mehr Chand Khanna ; Prithviraj Kapoor , the progenitor of Bollywood's Kapoor family (along with his sons Raj , Shammi and Shashi Kapoor ), also of Punjabi descent; his cousin, Surinder Kapoor (father of Anil Kapoor ); actor Vinod Khanna , and film producer F.C. Mehra (father of Umesh Mehra ). Pushpa Kumari Bagai writes that

21546-409: The north are other prominent cultural centres whose populations are predominantly Pashtuns. Most Pashtuns are based in Pakistan. Pashtuns are one of the largest ethnic minorities in Pakistan, making up to 18% of the total population of Pakistan. Pashtuns form the majority ethnic group in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Balochistan . With as many as 7 million by some estimates,

21717-492: The number of voters in India to 35 million. More significantly, law and order issues were for the first time devolved from British authority to provincial governments headed by Indians. This increased Muslim anxieties about eventual Hindu domination. In the 1937 Indian provincial elections , the Muslim League turned out its best performance in Muslim-minority provinces such as the United Provinces , where it won 29 of

21888-419: The offer, seeing this clause as insufficient in meeting the principle of Pakistan. As a result of that proviso, the proposals were also rejected by the Congress, which, since its founding as a polite group of lawyers in 1885, saw itself as the representative of all Indians of all faiths. After the arrival in 1920 of Gandhi, the pre-eminent strategist of Indian nationalism, the Congress had been transformed into

22059-490: The office of prime minister . Mountbatten remained in New Delhi for 10 months, serving as the first governor-general of an independent India until June 1948. Gandhi remained in Bengal to work with the new refugees from the partitioned subcontinent. At a press conference on 3 June 1947, Lord Mountbatten announced the date of independence – 14 August 1947 – and also outlined the actual division of British India between

22230-448: The outbreak of World War II . The Centre of Persian and Central Asian Studies (CPCAS) at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University offers bachelor-level degrees in Pashto. The language is also used by Afghan Pashtun expatriates living in India. In British colonial India , the Pathans were classified as one of the " martial races " and enlisted in large numbers into the British Indian Army . The 40th Pathans , which later became part of

22401-682: The partition, had a highly Pashtunized culture and spoke a form of Pashto or Balochi . They identified themselves culturally as Pathans and members of the Kakari tribe. Originating from Quetta and Loralai , they brought their customs and practices with themselves to India, where they became known as the Sheenkhalai (Pashto for "the blue skinned"). This name stemmed from a novel tradition their womenfolk practiced, who would adorn their faces, hands and skin with permanent tattoos to enhance their appearance. These decorative, tribal tattoos were considered

22572-468: The partition, the Peshawari Hindus cited economic issues, security challenges and religious violence as reasons for their emigration after independence. A wave of similar migrations continued in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. After living in India for some time, these Hindus are able to secure Indian citizenship . The elderly Peshawari Hindus are distinguishable due to their Peshawari clothing and

22743-713: The parts of India listed below: There are major Pashtun settlements in Saharanpur , Farrukhabad , Bihar and Kolkota . Hundreds of thousands of Pashtuns serving as migrant workers reside in the Middle East , particularly in the United Arab Emirates , Saudi Arabia , Qatar , Kuwait , Oman and other Arab countries. Many of them are involved in the transport business, while others are employees of construction companies. There were over 100,000 Pashtuns living in Iran in 1993. The Pashtuns there are mainly concentrated in

22914-795: The population. Kashmiri Pashtuns mainly consist of the Sadozai tribe, which is locally known as Sudhan . Approximate population of Sadozais in AJK is 1 million. Sadozai tribe has a strong hold in the Rawalakot city of Azad Kashmir . A small number of other Pashtun tribes in Kashmir include Durrani , Tareen , Lodhi , Yousafzai , Shinwari and Afridi tribes, whose populations extend from Azad Kashmir to India's Jammu and Kashmir . They speak local languages. In addition to this, some Urdu -speaking communities in Pakistan also trace their ancestry to

23085-438: The preserve of Indian ministers and legislatures, and ultimately the Indian electorates, while others like irrigation, land-revenue, police, prisons, and control of media remained within the purview of the British governor and his executive council. The new Act also made it easier for Indians to be admitted into the civil service and the army officer corps. A greater number of Indians were now enfranchised, although, for voting at

23256-704: The promotion of conversions or reconversions of Indian Muslims to Hinduism. There are varying interpretations of the two-nation theory, based on whether the two postulated nationalities can coexist in one territory or not, with radically different implications. One interpretation argued for sovereign autonomy, including the right to secede, for Muslim-majority areas of the Indian subcontinent, but without any transfer of populations (i.e., Hindus and Muslims would continue to live together). A different interpretation contends that Hindus and Muslims constitute "two distinct and frequently antagonistic ways of life and that therefore they cannot coexist in one nation." In this version,

23427-640: The provincial level, though restricted by the still limited number of eligible voters, by the small budgets available to provincial legislatures, and by the presence of rural and special interest seats that were seen as instruments of British control. The two-nation theory is the assertion, based on the former Indian Muslim ruling class' sense of being culturally and historically distinct, that Indian Hindus and Muslims are two distinct nations . It argued that religion resulted in cultural and social differences between Muslims and Hindus. While some professional Muslim Indian politicians used it to secure or safeguard

23598-460: The purpose of welcoming Muslims back to the Hindu fold. In the United Provinces , Muslims became anxious in the late-19th century as Hindu political representation increased, and Hindus were politically mobilized in the Hindi–Urdu controversy and the anti-cow-killing riots of 1893. In 1905, Muslim fears grew when Tilak and Lajpat Rai attempted to rise to leadership positions in the Congress, and

23769-762: The region. They mostly marry within their community, which has allowed their language and culture to be preserved intact. The city of Malerkotla is home to a significant population of Punjabi Muslims , some of whom are of Pathan origin. It is notably the only Muslim-majority city in Indian Punjab , since the partition in 1947. The princely Malerkotla State was established and ruled by a Pathan dynasty of Sherwani and Lodi origins. The Pathans in Malerkotla were considered an influential group and were principally landowners. Their numbers dwindled after many of them migrated to Pakistan. They are principally divided into

23940-793: The renowned screenwriter Salim Khan and his sons Salman , Arbaaz and Sohail Khan (see Salim Khan family ), whose Alakozai or Akazai ancestors migrated to Indore from the Swat region; the director-cum-producer siblings Nasir and Tahir Hussain – the former being the father of Mansoor Khan and maternal grandfather of Imran Khan , and the latter known as the father of Aamir , Faisal and Nikhat Khan – along with their nephew Tariq Khan , whose Pathan ancestors hailed from Herat ; Saif Ali Khan , along with his sister Soha Ali Khan and daughter Sara Ali Khan , who, of royal Pataudi lineage , have relatives in Pakistan and ancestors that migrated from Afghanistan; and Irrfan Khan . Actress Madhubala , who

24111-517: The separation of Burma (Myanmar) from the British Raj in 1937 or the much earlier separation of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from the rule of the EIC in 1796. Other political entities or transformations in the region that were not a part of the partition were: the political integration of princely states into the two new dominions; the annexation of the princely states of Hyderabad and Junagadh by India;

24282-633: The subcontinent which are true nations and deserving of sovereignty ; the Baloch have presented this view, Sindhi , and Pashtun sub-nationalities of Pakistan and the Assamese and Punjabi sub-nationalities of India. In 1933, Choudhry Rahmat Ali had produced a pamphlet, entitled Now or Never , in which the term Pakistan , 'land of the pure,' comprising the Punjab , North West Frontier Province (Afghania) , Kashmir , Sindh , and Balochistan ,

24453-562: The supposed merits of the Cabinet Mission Plan. Except for a few honourable exceptions, Muslim officials from the top down to the chaprasis ( peons or servants) are working for the League. The communal veto given to the League in the Mission Plan would have blocked India's progress at every stage. Whether we like it or not, de facto Pakistan already exists in the Punjab and Bengal. Under the circumstances, I would prefer

24624-461: The task to oversee British India's independence by 30 June 1948, with the instruction to avoid partition and preserve a united India, but with adaptable authority to ensure a British withdrawal with minimal setbacks. Mountbatten hoped to revive the Cabinet Mission scheme for a federal arrangement for India. But despite his initial keenness for preserving the centre, the tense communal situation caused him to conclude that partition had become necessary for

24795-568: The term Kabuliwala ("people of Kabul ") and have historically constituted an integral part of the city's cultural fabric. The term is derived from the iconic and much-romanticised short story of the same name written by Rabindranath Tagore in 1892, which essays the tale of an Afghan merchant who journeys all the way to Kolkata and sells dry fruit. Once numbering over 10,000 in 2001, their population has reduced to no more than 2,000 to 5,000 as of 2015. Many of them were famous for working as traditional moneylenders, an industry which declined following

24966-418: The third grouping would be made up of the predominantly Hindu regions. The provinces would be autonomous, but the centre would retain control over the defence, foreign affairs, and communications. Though the proposals did not offer independent Pakistan, the Muslim League accepted the proposals. Even though the unity of India would have been preserved, the Congress leaders, especially Nehru, believed it would leave

25137-623: The threat of civil war. At the All India Congress Committee meeting called to vote on the proposal, Patel said: I fully appreciate the fears of our brothers from [the Muslim-majority areas]. Nobody likes the division of India, and my heart is heavy. But the choice is between one division and many divisions. We must face facts. We cannot give way to emotionalism and sentimentality. The Working Committee has not acted out of fear. But I am afraid of one thing, that all our toil and hard work of these many years might go waste or prove unfruitful. My nine months in office have completely disillusioned me regarding

25308-405: The time of World War I , their numbers had increased to 28,000. Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a Pashtun nationalist and close friend of Mahatma Gandhi who, as leader of the Congress -allied Khudai Khidmatgar , was one of the prominent members of the Indian independence movement against British rule before the partition. After 1947, he became a Pakistani citizen. Zakir Husain , an Afridi Pathan,

25479-469: The title Khan after converting to Islam. After many generations, they are now intermixed with Pathans. The term "Hindu Pathan" is used for Hindus who hailed or were born in the predominately Pashtun regions of British India (now Pakistan), as well as those who arrived from Afghanistan. The 1947 partition of India led to an exodus of Hindus settled in the former North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Baluchistan , which are part of modern Pakistan, into

25650-407: The total 482 Muslim seats, and of these, it won in only 26. In UP, where the Congress won, it offered to share power with the League on condition that the League stops functioning as a representative only of Muslims, which the League refused. This proved to be a mistake as it alienated Congress further from the Muslim masses. Besides, the new UP provincial administration promulgated cow protection and

25821-428: The total population, reflecting both their status as former rulers and their record of cooperating with the British. This would result in the founding of the All-India Muslim League in Dacca in December 1906. Although Curzon by now had returned to England following his resignation over a dispute with his military chief, Lord Kitchener , the League was in favor of his partition plan. The Muslim elite's position, which

25992-435: The traditional code and Pashtun way of life known as Pashtunwali . The Pashtun empires in India historically used the Dari Persian language. As a result of cultural assimilation with Indians over the course of several centuries, most Pathans in India lost the ability to speak Pashto and instead adopted Hindustani or other local dialects. Pathan cuisine is known for its high emphasis on meat -based dishes. Typically, meat

26163-407: The turn of the 19th century, even while Persian remained the dominant language of the region during the Mughal period. It was a provincial language spoken mainly by Pashtun administrative and military elites, and other Pashtun settlers and temporary dwellers in India. Extant manuscripts have provided evidence of Pashto verses and poetry emerging from the Ganges region . Pir Roshan , a Sufi who

26334-455: The two dominions. Among refugees that survived, it solidified the belief that safety lay among co-religionists. In the instance of Pakistan, it made palpable a hitherto only imagined refuge for the Muslims of British India. A poll conducted by Gallup Pakistan in 2011 shows that an overwhelming majority (92%) of Pakistanis held the view that separation from India was justified in 1947. The migrations took place hastily and with little warning. It

26505-442: The two new dominions in what became known as the "Mountbatten Plan" or the "3 June Plan". The plan's main points were: The Indian political leaders had accepted the Plan on 2 June. It could not deal with the question of the princely states , which were not British possessions, but on 3 June Mountbatten advised them against remaining independent and urged them to join one of the two new Dominions. The Muslim League 's demands for

26676-461: The use of Hindi. The Muslim elite in UP was further alienated, when they saw chaotic scenes of the new Congress Raj, in which rural people who sometimes turned up in large numbers in government buildings, were indistinguishable from the administrators and the law enforcement personnel. The Muslim League conducted its investigation into the conditions of Muslims under Congress-governed provinces. The findings of such investigations increased fear among

26847-457: The views of minorities. Neither the Congress nor the Muslim League were satisfied with the offer, and both rejected it in September. The Congress once again started a program of civil disobedience . In March 1942, with the Japanese fast moving up the Malayan Peninsula after the Fall of Singapore , and with the Americans supporting independence for India, Winston Churchill , then Britain's prime minister, sent Sir Stafford Cripps , leader of

27018-623: The violence was manifested with genocidal tendencies. It was designed to cleanse an existing generation and prevent its future reproduction." Mountbatten administered the independence oath to Jinnah on the 14th, before leaving for India where the oath was scheduled on the midnight of the 15th. On 14 August 1947, the new Dominion of Pakistan came into being, with Muhammad Ali Jinnah sworn in as its first Governor-General in Karachi . The following day, 15 August 1947, India, now Dominion of India , became an independent country, with official ceremonies taking place in New Delhi , Jawaharlal Nehru assuming

27189-436: The world both in newsprint and by the new medium of the radio. India's international profile would thereby rise and would continue to rise during the 1920s. It was to lead, among other things, to India, under its name, becoming a founding member of the League of Nations in 1920 and participating, under the name, "Les Indes Anglaises" (British India), in the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp . Back in India, especially among

27360-459: Was an economist and politician who served as the third president of India from 1967 to 1969. Prior to that, he was the second vice president of India , and also served as the governor of Bihar . His maternal grandson Salman Khurshid served as India's minister for minority affairs, law and justice, and external affairs in successive terms. Mohammad Yunus was a career diplomat who served as India's ambassador in various countries, and also became

27531-432: Was campaigned for by Tilak and his supporters; in return, the Congress accepted separate electorates for Muslims in the provincial legislatures as well as the Imperial Legislative Council. In 1916, the Muslim League had anywhere between 500 and 800 members and did not yet have its wider following among Indian Muslims of later years; in the League itself, the pact did not have unanimous backing, having largely been negotiated by

27702-410: Was coined for the first time. It did not attract political attention and, a little later, a Muslim delegation to the Parliamentary Committee on Indian Constitutional Reforms gave short shrift to the idea of Pakistan, calling it "chimerical and impracticable." In 1932, British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald accepted Ambedkar 's demand for the " Depressed Classes " to have separate representation in

27873-439: Was home to over 500 Peshawari families, and most of them lived in an area known as the Peshawari Mohalla where they had set up a Hindu temple for the community. They were mainly businesspeople. According to the Hindustan Times, around 250 Hindu and Sikh families were living in an area named "Mini Peshawar" near Chheharta in Amritsar as of 2016. Although Peshawar was not as violently affected by communal riots as other regions during

28044-586: Was imported in the early 20th century. Since the late 1970s and onwards, Pashtuns began immigrating to the USA in large numbers and are well established there. Pashtuns in the United States are famous for running top Afghan cuisine restaurants and as owners of the fast-food restaurant chain Kennedy Fried Chicken that is based in New York City . 1,690 persons characterized their ethnicity as "Pashtun" in Canada's 2006 census. However, in question 17 of Canada's Statcan census form most Pashtuns don't put their ethnicity as Pashtuns but rather Afghan or Pakistani. In

28215-447: Was leased out to Muslim peasants in East Bengal, protested strongly. The large Bengali-Hindu middle-class (the Bhadralok ), upset at the prospect of Bengalis being outnumbered in the new Bengal province by Biharis and Oriyas , felt that Curzon's act was punishment for their political assertiveness . The pervasive protests against Curzon's decision predominantly took the form of the Swadeshi ('buy Indian') campaign, involving

28386-483: Was not confined to the public sphere, but homes were entered and destroyed, and women and children were attacked. Although the Government of India and the Congress were both shaken by the course of events, in September, a Congress-led interim government was installed, with Jawaharlal Nehru as united India's prime minister. The communal violence spread to Bihar (where Hindus attacked Muslims), to Noakhali in Bengal (where Muslims targeted Hindus), to Garhmukteshwar in

28557-402: Was partially shot in Afghanistan. Urdu poetry in India developed under the influence of Pathans, in addition to various other communities belonging to the Perso-Arabic sphere of influence. One such prominent poet was Josh Malihabadi , an Afridi Pathan. His cousin, Abdur Razzaq Malihabadi , was also a writer. Pashto literature thrived in North India from the early 16th century up until

28728-640: Was popularised in India by Kundan Lal Gujral , a Punjabi Hindu -"Pathan" chef from Peshawar who moved to Delhi in 1947 and founded the Moti Mahal Delux chain of restaurants. Due to the Peshawari influences on Gujral's cooking, it is often regarded as a Punjabi-Pathan dish. Kundal Lal also invented the iconic butter chicken and dal makhani . Each year, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations grants 2,325 scholarships to international students, with six-hundred and seventy-five spots being reserved especially for Afghans. In India, an increasing number of native students are learning Pashto at academic institutions such as

28899-409: Was reflected in the League's position, had crystallized gradually over the previous three decades, beginning with the 1871 Census of British India , which had first estimated the populations in regions of Muslim majority. For his part, Curzon's desire to court the Muslims of East Bengal had arisen from British anxieties ever since the 1871 census, and in light of the history of Muslims fighting them in

29070-423: Was the imperial capital, both the outrage and the slogan soon became known nationally. The overwhelming, predominantly-Hindu protest against the partition of Bengal, along with the fear of reforms favouring the Hindu majority, led the Muslim elite of India in 1906 to the new viceroy Lord Minto , asking for separate electorates for Muslims. In conjunction, they demanded representation in proportion to their share of

29241-440: Was won by the Labour Party . A government headed by Clement Attlee , with Stafford Cripps and Lord Pethick-Lawrence in the Cabinet, was sworn in. Many in the new government, including Attlee, had a long history of supporting the decolonization of India. The government's exchequer had been exhausted by the Second World War and the British public did not appear to be enthusiastic about costly distant involvements. Late in 1945,

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