The Kharoti (
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 ...
:خروٹی) خروټی) are a
Pashtun tribe of
Ghilji
The Ghiljī (, ; ) also spelled Khilji, Khalji, or Ghilzai and Ghilzay (), are one of the largest Pashtuns, Pashtun tribes. Their traditional homeland is Ghazni and Qalati Ghilji in Afghanistan but they have also settled in other regions throu ...
origin, originating in the central part of
Paktika Province,
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 ...
, but can be also found in other parts of the country. The Kharoti settled in
Kharotabad in
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 ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
(now
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# ...
) around 1945.
There are large Kharoti populations in the
Paktika districts of
Urgun,
Barmal,
Sar Hawza,
Zarghun Shahr,
Omna,
Surobi, and in
Ghazni
Ghazni (, ), historically known as Ghaznayn () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana (), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan with a population of around 190,000 people. The city is strategica ...
,
Zabul,
Paktia,
Khost
Khōst () is the capital of Khost Province in Afghanistan. It is the largest city in the southeastern part of the country, and also the largest in the region of Loya Paktia. To the south and east of Khost lie Waziristan and Kurram Agency, Kurram i ...
,
Logar,
Wardak,
Kabul
Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...
,
Nangarhar,
Helmand,
Gomal,
Bannu,
Lakki Marwat,
Dera Ismail Khan and
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 ...
.
Significance
As Pashtuns of the Ghilji confederacy, the heyday of the Kharotis was during the peak of the Khāns of the
Nasher-Nashir family. With the rise of the rival
Durrani
The Durrānī (, ), formerly known as Abdālī (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes, tribal confederation of Pashtuns. Their traditional homeland is in southern Afghanistan (Loy Kandahar region), straddling into Toba Achakzai in Balochistan, ...
confederacy in the 18th century, the Kharoti lost their leading role in Afghan politics but remained strong in rural Afghan regions. However, they often view themselves as the "true Pashtuns" and, being Ghilji, as the rightful leaders of Afghanistan.
Notable Kharoti’s
*
Hafizullah Amin, president of
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 ...
and organiser of the
Saur Revolution
*
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Politician, Afghan warfare leader during soviet union occupation, ( Hizb-e-Islami Chairman) and former Prime minister
* Mawlawe Arsala Rahmani Kharoti, A renowned Commander during the soviet invasion Afghanistan, prime minister of Afghanistan in Mujahideen era, member of Sana (Mashrano Jarga) and director of the Afghan peace committee and elder of Kharoti tribe.
* Haji Merajuddin Khan Kharoti former justice minister of Afghanistan and elder of Kharoti tribe.
*
Sher Khan Nasher, Loe Khan (Grand Khan) founder of Spinzar Cotton Company and founding father of Kunduz
* Haji Niaz Muhammad Amiri, Ghazni, Afghanistan, member of parliament in 2006 and Governor of Logar province
* Dr. Ahmad Shah Kharoti, general director of finance and administration of MOPH Afghanistan and elder of Kharoti tribe.
* Maulavi Abdul Hai Mutmaen, Politician, Spokesperson of
Mullah Omar, Adviser to
Mullah Akhtar Mansour, senior member of The Taliban
*
Gholam Serwar Nasher, Khan (1922–1984), president of Spinzar Cotton Company
*
Gholam Nabi Nasher, Khan (1926–2010), parliamentarian
*
Abdul Ahad Kharot, represented the
Kingdom of Afghanistan in the
1948 Summer Olympic Games
* Malak Agha Mohammad Abbaskhil from Sarobi Paktika, he was Senator from 2004 to 2010 The House of Elders or Mesherano Jirga (Pashto/Dari: مشرانو جرگه یا خانه کهن سالان), is the upper house of the bicameral National Assembly of Afghanistan,
*
Farhad Darya Khan Nasher, (born 1962), singer and composer
*
Mirwais Ashraf, Afghanistan national cricket team player
*
Sharafuddin Ashraf, Afghanistan National Cricket Team player
*Engineer Matiullah Kharoti leader of Kharoti tribe in Afghanistan .
See also
*
Urgun
*
Angur Ada
*
Loya Paktia
*
Ghoriwala
References
{{Pashtun tribes
Ghilji Pashtun tribes
Pashto-language surnames
Pakistani names
Ethnic groups in Kabul Province