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The Kakar (
Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...
: کاکړ) is a Gharghashti
Pashtun tribe The Pashtun tribes (), are tribes of the Pashtun people, a large Eastern Iranian ethnic group who speak the Pashto language and follow Pashtunwali, the social code of conduct for Pashtuns. They are found primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan ...
, based in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, parts of
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, and northern
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
.


Origins of the tribe

Kakars are descendants of Dani (or Daani) who was the son of Gharghasht. Gharghasht was the son of Qais Abdul Rashid, the founder of the Pashtuns who himself was the descendant of Afghana (or Avagana) the progenitor of modern-day Pashtuns. In
Herat Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...
, the Kakar are sometimes referred to as Kak. Historically, the tribe has been called Kakar but may have been referred to as Kak-kor (lit. family of Kak). The tomb of Kakar is in front of
Herat Herāt (; Dari/Pashto: هرات) is an oasis city and the third-largest city in Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Se ...
central Jamia Masjid's gate. Some historians argue that Kakar was first buried in Kohistan, but Ghiyath al-Din Ghori brought the body to be re-buried in a mosque in the city of Herat.


History

Until the fifteenth century, Kakars along with
Tajiks Tajiks (; ; also spelled ''Tadzhiks'' or ''Tadjiks'') is the name of various Persian-speaking Eastern Iranian groups of people native to Central Asia, living primarily in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Even though the term ''Tajik'' ...
, Baloch and Farsiwans mainly inhabited the Qandahar region and because of the predominant position of Abdali and Ghilzai Pashtuns in Qandahar region during and around 14th century, Tajiks,
Hazaras The Hazaras (; ) are an ethnic group and a principal component of Afghanistan’s population. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Afghanistan, primarily residing in the Hazaristan (Hazarajat) region in central Afghanistan. Hazaras al ...
, Kakars and Baloch lost their previous possessions and were forced to pay tax or revenue to warlords from either Abdali or Ghilzai tribal divisions. Eventually, some of these indigenous people assimilated and became part of dominant Pashtun confederacy, while others moved further west or to north Afghanistan. Prior to the
partition of British India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islam ...
,
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
members of the Kakar tribe, known as Sheen Khalai, resided in the Qila Abdullah and
Qila Saifullah Killa Saifullah (), or Qilla Saifullah, is a city in the Killa Saifullah District of the Balochistan province of Pakistan. A fort (qilla) built in the district by Saifullah Khan, belonging to the Mirdadzai Khoidadza sub-clan of Kakar tribe, has le ...
,
Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...
, Loralai and Maikhter regions of
Baluchistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region of de ...
now in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. The Kakar also took part in anti-colonial resistance against the
British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...
fighting alongside neighbouring Baloch tribes. After 1947, they migrated to Unniara,
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...
and other parts of independent India.


Notable people

* Abdul Hai Habibi, Afghan historian * Nawab Ayaz Jogezai, Pashtun Nawab and member of
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
* Nashenas, Afghan Singer * Faizullah Kakar, Afghan epidemiologist and public leader * Kader Khan, Indian Actor *
Dadullah Dadullah (1966 – May 11, 2007) was the Taliban's most senior militant commander in Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asi ...
Afghan Taliban senior commander * Mohammad Fazl Afghan Taliban Deputy Defense Minister * Muhammad Sarwar Khan Kakar, was a Pakistani Senator * Hafiz Sahar, Editor-in-Chief of national newspaper in Afghanistan (1970s), Fulbright Scholar, Professor of Journalism and Mass communication in Afghanistan and USA. * Mohammad Rabbani,
Prime Minister of Afghanistan The prime minister of Afghanistan, officially the prime minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is the head of government of Afghanistan. The position was created in 1927 as an official appointed by the king of Afghanistan. The holder ...
under Taliban regime. * Abdul Waheed Kakar, Chief of Army Staff Pakistan Army (1993–1996) * Abdur Rab Nishtar, Muslim League member, Pakistani movement activist and politician. * Safwat Ghayur, commandant of Pakistan's
Frontier Constabulary The Frontier Constabulary () is a federal paramilitary force of Pakistan under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, which is largely drawn from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, but operates in several districts of Pakistan. It is res ...
* Mullah Bakht alias Mansoor Dadullah, Senior Afghan
Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...
Commander * Owais Ahmed Ghani, Governor of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
( N-W.F.P.), Governor of
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
, Federal Minister, Provincial Minister (N-W.F.P), Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf political party founding member * Palay Khan (Palay Shah), was from Khosthi Syed Tribe anti-Raj fighter * Fariba Ahmadi Kakar, Afghan lady politician * Rozi Khan Kakar, Pakistani Senator from Quetta * Usman Kakar, Pakistani politician and Senator from Muslim Bagh * Arfa Siddiq Kakar, Pakistani politician and Pashtun human rights activist from Muslim Bagh


Further reading


History of the Kakar tribe


*''History of Pashtoons'' by Sardar Sher Muhammed Gandapur *''A History of Afghan'', 1960, by Abdul-Hai Habibi *''The Pathans'', 1967, by Sir Olaf Caroe *''Tarikh-i Khan Jahani wa Makhzan-i Afghani'', 1500–1600, by Khwaja Nimatullah Heravi and Hebat Khan Abubakarzai Kakar. *


References

{{Authority control Gharghashti Pashtun tribes Pashto-language surnames Pakistani names Tribes of Afghanistan Tribes of Pakistan Ethnic groups in Kandahar Province Ethnic groups in Balochistan