Pashtun

Pashtuns, also known as Pathans in some contexts, are an Indo-Iranian ethnic group native to and predominantly found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They form the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and are the second-largest in Pakistan, with diasporic communities in Iran, the Persian Gulf states, and in Europe and North America. Estimates of the global population range around 50–60 million.

They primarily speak Pashto, an Iranian language of the Indo-Iranian branch. Many Pashtuns are bilingual in Dari or Urdu; literacy and education levels vary by region.

Pashtun social structure is traditionally organized around tribes and clans, with the Pashtunwali code guiding customary law, hospitality, honor, and conflict resolution. Major tribal confederations include the Durrani and Ghilzai, among numerous others.

Historically, Pashtuns established powerful polities in the region, including the Durrani Empire founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani in the 18th century. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Pashtun regions became central to the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier and later to Afghan and Pakistani state-building. The concept of Pashtunistan has appeared as a nascent nationalist idea aimed at uniting Pashtuns across Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Religiously, Pashtuns are predominantly Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school, though there are Shia and other minority communities. Cultural expressions include poetry, music, and oral storytelling; dress and crafts vary by region but some distinctive traits persist.