Pathans of Sind or Sindhi Pathan ( Sindhi: پٺاڻ) are communities of

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghans until 1964 after the ...

descent settled in

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

and can be referring to Sindhified

communities. They are living in

for centuries and have adopted the norms and culture of Sindh. Many bear the tribes Tareen, Naghar, Agha, and

Kakar The Kakar (Pashto: کاکړ) is a Gharghashti Pashtun tribe, based in Afghanistan, parts of Iran, and northern Balochistan in Pakistan. Origins of the tribe Kakars are descendants of Dani (or Daani) who was the son of Gharghasht. Gharghasht wa ...

. The vast majority of Sindhi Pathans originate from

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 ...

and southern

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 a few come from

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 ...

. Shikarpur, New Zarkhail, Pir Bux Khan Wandh,

Garhi Yasin Garhi Yasin Sindh ( ', ') is a town and taluka of Shikarpur District, Sindh, Pakistan. One of the three talukas (sub-districts) of Shikarpur, Garhi Yasin is of political and historical significance to Pakistan. On 1 June 1977 the old Shika ...

, and Sultan Kot

Shahpur Chakar Shahpur Chakar is a small town proximate to the city of Shahdadpur in the Sanghar District of Sindh province, Pakistan. It is located at an altitude of . The word "Shahpur" comes from an Iranian language which means "a virile, dynamic and resour ...

, whereas others live in other urban, sub-urban, and rural areas of Sindh. The tribes most commonly found in the Sindh region are the

Tareen The Tareen (or Tarin) () is a Pashtun tribe inhabiting southern Afghanistan, and western region of Pakistan.Caroe O. ''The Pathans 550 B.C.- A.D. 1957'' Oxford University Press . Page 521.Muhammad Hyat Khan, "Hayat i Afghan" (Orig. in Persian 186 ...

Muhammadzai Mohammadzai (), also spelled Moḥammadzay (meaning "descendants of Mohammad"), is a Pashtun sub-tribe or clan of the Barakzai which is part of the Durrani confederacy of tribes. They are primarily centered on Kandahar, Kabul and Ghazni in Afgh ...

Niazi Niazi (; , ), Niazai or Niyazai is one of the largest Pashtun tribes which resides in Afghanistan and northwestern part of Pakistan. Origin The earliest work which provides the details about origin of Niazis is '' Makhzani-i-Afghani'' (1610 A ...

, Kundi, Miana,

Bangash The Bangash, Bungish, Bangaš or Bangakh () are a tribe of Pashtuns, inhabiting their traditional homeland, the Bangash district which stretches from Kohat to Tall in Hangu and Spīn Ghar, Kurram in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. They also live ...

Yusufzai The Yusufzai or Yousafzai (, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ), or Yusufzai Afghans historically, are one of the largest tribes of Pashtuns. They are natively based in the northern part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( Malakand, Dir, Swat, Shangl ...

, Hassan Zai,

Mandanr The Mandanr, also known as Mandar or Mandan are a Pashtun tribe who are a branch of the larger Yusufzai tribe of Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. History Originating from Kandahār, the people of the tribe were historically a p ...

, Lodi,

Shinwari The Shinwari () are an ethnic Pashtun tribe of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Among the greatest poets of the Pashto language in the 20th century was the late Ameer Hamza Shinwari, also known as "Hamza Baba". The Shinwari tribe are descended from ...

Sherwani A sherwani is a long-sleeved outer coat worn by men in South Asia. Like the Western frock coat, it is fitted, with some waist suppression; it falls to below the knees and is buttoned down the front. It can be collarless, have a shirt-style col ...

Orakzai The Orakzai (Pashto: وركزۍ) are a Pashtun tribe native to the Orakzai Agency and parts of Kurram and Khyber Agencies in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Additionally, a sub-tribe of the Orakzai resides in Afghanistan's Maidan W ...

, Sulemankhel Sulemani,

Afridi The Afrīdī ( ''Aprīdai'', plur. ''Aprīdī''; ) are a Pashtun tribe present mostly in tribal areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The Afridis are most dominant in the Spin Ghar range west of Peshawar in Tribal areas of modern-day Khyb ...

Khattak The Khattak () tribe is a prominent Pashtun tribe located in the Khattak territory, which consists of Karak, Nowshera, Kohat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. History Origins Multiple British Raj historians have identified the Khat ...

Kakazai The Kakazai (, Urdu, ),

Karlani Karlāṇī or Karrani () is a Pashtun tribal confederacy. They primarily inhabit the FATA region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan and certain parts of eastern Afghanistan. In the 16th century the Karlani founded the Karrani dynasty, th ...

Barakzai Bārakzai (, plur. , ) is the name of a Pashtun tribe from present-day Kandahar, Afghanistan. '"Barakzai" is a common name among the Pashtuns and it means "son of Barak" in Pashto. According to the Encyclopædia Iranica, "In the detailed Pash ...

, Khizerzai,

Babar Babar (), also variously spelled as Baber, Babur, and Babor is a male given name of Persian language, Persian origin, and a popular male given name in Pakistan. It is generally taken in reference to the Persian language, Persian ''babr'' (Persian ...

, and the

Zamand Zamand () is a village in Joghatai Rural District, in the Central District of Joghatai County, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 1,310, in 320 families. Zamand is a Sarbani Pashtun/Afghan tribe living in Iran, ...

Pathans. Moreover, a large minority of

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 ...

-speaking

Pashtuns Pashtuns (, , ; ;), also known as Pakhtuns, or Pathans, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group primarily residing in southern and eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. They were historically also referred to as Afghan (ethnon ...

exist in the cities of Karachi and, to a lesser extent, Interior Sindh, who have migrated after around the 60's and 70's and even a portion of these Pashtuns are Afghan refugees. Also, it's estimated that 30% of the

Urdu-speaking Native speakers of Urdu are spread across South Asia. The vast majority of them are Muslims of the Hindi Belt, Hindi–Urdu Belt of northern India, followed by the Deccanis, Deccani people of the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in south-central I ...

Muhajirs of

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

and

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

make a claim to the ancestry of Pashtuns that mostly assimilated into North Indian culture. They have arrived in the cities after the India-Pakistan partition. Pashto-speaking Pashtuns are highly distinct from ancestrally Pashtun Urdu-speaking Muhajirs as well as ancestrally Pashtun Sindhi-speakers.

Notable people

* Agha Siraj Durrani, Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh * Nuzhat Pathan, member of the National Assembly of Pakistan *

Bilal Abbas Khan Bilal Abbas Khan (born 4 June 1993) is a Pakistani film and television actor. Known for his portrayal of characters fitting the boy next door prototype, he features among the list of the nation's popular personalities and is the recipient of th ...

, actor *

Sahir Lodhi "Sahir Lodhi" is a Pakistani actor, Tv host and a Radio jockey. He made his first TV appearance in Chai Time on Indus TV, which became a hit morning show. Some of his most popular shows are Shair Online, Kuch Tum Kahao Kuch Hum Kahain, Ranjhey ...

, actor *

Shaista Lodhi Shaista Lodhi () is a Pakistani television host, and actress. Early life and education Shaista Lodhi was born in Karachi to Ali Gohar Lodhi and Roshan Taj Lodhi. She grew up in a family with three brothers (Amir Lodhi, Tahir Lodhi and Sahir L ...

, doctor, actress, and television host *

Rafiq Ghaznavi Rafiq Ghaznavi (1907 – 4 March 1974) was a British Indian and later a Pakistani musician and actor in pre-partition Indian cinema and later Pakistani cinema. Early life and education Rafiq Ghaznavi's ancestors were from Ghazni, Af ...

, musician and actor of British Indian era.

Notable people

References

See also