Pashtuns

Pashtuns, known historically as ethnic Afghans and in the Indian subcontinent as Pathans, form an ethnic group of approximately 49 million people who mainly live in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Pashtuns (some pronounce it as Pakhtoons) speak their native Pashto language but many of them are also fluent in Persian, Urdu and Hindi.

Notable people who relate to the Pashtun ethnicity

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  Sher Shah Suri (Sher Khan), founder of the Sur Empire in India during the 1500s
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  Shah Mahmud Hotak, member of the Hotak dynasty, overthrew the Safavid dynasty and became King of Persia from 1722 until 1725
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  Dost Mohammad Khan, Nawab of Bhopal in India between 1723 and 1728
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  Shah Hussain Hotak, son of Mirwais and brother of Mahmud, was the last Hotak ruler at Kandahar from 1722 to 1738
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  Emperor Ahmad Shah Durrani (Ahmad Shah Baba), founder of the Durrani Empire (Afghan Empire) at Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 1747
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  Zaman Shah, son of Timur Shah and grandson of Ahmad Shah Baba, governed the Durrani Empire from 1793 to 1801
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  Shah Shujah Durrani governed the Durrani Empire from 1803 to 1809 and again from 1839 to 1842
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  Dost Mohammad Khan, leader of the Barakzai dynasty, took control of Afghanistan after the decline of the previous Durrani dynasty
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  Mohammad Akbar Khan, son of Dost Mohammad Khan, defeated the advancing British and Sikh army during the First Anglo-Afghan War
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  Ghulam Hyder Khan, 4th son of Dost Mohammad Khan, led Afghan forces at the Battle of Ghazni in 1839
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  Gul Mohammad Khan, leader of the Ghilzais during the First Anglo-Afghan War
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  Sher Ali Khan was King of Afghanistan during the Second Anglo-Afghan War
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  Prince Yaqub Khan of Afghanistan
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  Ayub Khan defeated the British forces in the famous Battle of Maiwand in July 1880
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  Abdur Rahman Khan was ruler of Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901
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  Prince Nasrullah Khan of Afghanistan
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  King Habibullah Khan ruled Afghanistan from 1901 to 1919
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  Mahmud Tarzi, a great intellectual who is known as the father of journalism in Afghanistan
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  King Amanullah Khan ruled Afghanistan from 1919 to 1929, during the Third Anglo-Afghan War
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  Queen Soraya Tarzi, daughter of Mahmud Tarzi and wife of King Amanaullah
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  Inayatullah Khan, brother of Amanullah, was only king for several days
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  King Nadir Khan, ruler of Afghanistan from 1929 to 1933
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  King Zahir Shah, ruler of Afghanistan from 1933 to 1973
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  Madhubala, Bollywood actress who appeared in classic Indian films of Hindi Cinema from 1942 to 1960.
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  Salim Khan, Indian actor and screenwriter since the 1960s, and father of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan
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  Ayub Khan, President of Pakistan from 1958 to 1969
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  Yahya Khan, President of Pakistan from 1969 to 1971
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  Kader Khan, appeared in over 400 Indian films since 1970, often playing the role of a Pathan such as in Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999).
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  Ali Ahmad Jalali, Afghan politician; worked for Voice of America for over 20 years, now a Professor at the National Defense University in the United States
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  Zalmay Khalilzad, served as U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations
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  Hamid Karzai, leader and President of Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014
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  Abdul Rahim Wardak, former Defense Minister of Afghanistan
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  Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan; former member of World Bank, Chairman of the Institute of State Effectiveness and a Commisioner at the UNDP
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  Taliban leaders in 2021
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  Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM)
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  Ahmed Gailani was an Afghan politician
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  Hedayat Amin Arsala, Afghan politican and former World Bank employee
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  Sher Mohammad Karimi, former Chief of Staff of the Afghan National Army
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  Abdul Salam Azimi, former Chief Justic of Afghanistan
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  Mohammad Ishaq Aloko, Afghan politican
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  Anwar-ul-Haq Ahady, Afghan politician
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  Amirzai Sangin, Afghan politican
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  Tooryalai Wesa, Afghan politician
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  Gul Agha Sherzai, Afghan politician
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  General Abdul Raziq was Afghan politician
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  Ghulam Haider Hamidi was Afghan politician
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  Dr. Mohammad Daim Kakar, Afghan politician
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  Farhad Darya, one of many Afghan musicians
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  Shahid Afridi, Pakistani cricket player
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  Mohammad Nabi, Afghan cricker player
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  Imran Khan, famous cricket player and now Prime Minister of Pakistan. He belongs to the Niazi tribe
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  Laila Khan, Pakistani singer
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  Naghma, one of many Afghan musicians
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  Shukria Barakzai, Afghan politician
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  Malala Yousafzai, rights activist from Pakistan
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  Tabassum Adnan, women's rights activist from Pakistan
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  Zarine Khan, Bollywood actress from India

Random images of Pashtuns from Afghanistan

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  Collage of images showing Pashtuns from various provinces of Afghanistan
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  Girls in Kandahar Province
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  Children in Kandahar
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  Girls in Khost Province
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  Men in Kandahar
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  Boy in Wardak Province
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  Man and his son from Urozgan Province
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  Children in Zabul Province
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  Boy in Helmand Province
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  Boy in Ghazni Province
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  Girls in Ghazni Province
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  School girls in Bamozai, Paktia Province
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  Boys and their father from Qara Bagh District in Ghazni Province
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  Street scene in Asadabad, Kunar Province
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  Men praying in Kunar Province
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  Boys in Paktika province
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  Men engaged in agriculture business
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  Men doing national dance of Afghanistan

Random images of Pashtuns from Pakistan

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  Pashtun man shopping at a store in Islamabad, Pakistan
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  Khattak is a swift martial sword-dance of the Khattak tribe of Pashtuns mainly in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa area of Pakistan