In their mother tongue and national tradition, the people of the Pashtun nation call themselves Pukhtun or Pashtun, depending on the dialect. This is the natural, historical, and self-adopted name of this nation. However, in the subcontinent, especially in India, these people were generally called Pathan, while in historical Persian texts, the term Afghan was mostly used for them.
The fundamental question arises: what is the actual meaning of Pathan and Afghan? Are these two words merely names used in other languages for the Pashtun nation, or is there a specific linguistic, ethnic, and historical concept behind them?
According to available linguistic research, Pathan is not a separate nation or a distinct ethnic identity, but an altered form of Pukhtun/Pashtun in the Hindi and Urdu languages of the subcontinent. The famous Merriam-Webster dictionary also attributes "Pathan" to the Hindi and Urdu word "Paṭhān", whose root is derived from the Eastern Pashto "Paxtana" (Pashtuns). Thus, Pathan has no separate, definitive linguistic meaning; it is primarily a regional and phonetic alteration of the name Pashtun.
Therefore, it is more accurate to say that Pathan is not a separate identity but the subcontinent’s pronunciation and name for Pashtun. Over time, the use of this word became so common in Indian society, official writings, and later in British colonial records, that many Pashtun families also began to call themselves Pathans.
On the other hand, Afghan is an ancient historical term that was used for Pashtun tribes for a long time in Persian and other ancient sources. However, there is no complete consensus among scholars about the exact linguistic root and initial derivation of this word.
Historically, the word Afghan was used as an ethnic name specifically for Pashtuns for a long period, but in modern times, its meaning has expanded to become the national identity for all citizens of Afghanistan, regardless of whether their ethnic affiliation is Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, or any other nation.
It would also not be entirely correct to say that both the names Pathan and Afghan were merely imposed on the Pashtun nation with malicious intent by outsiders. Through language contact, names of nations undergo changes in pronunciation and usage. However, it is a valid question to ask: how organized of an effort did the Pashtun nation make to highlight their self-adopted identity "Pashtun" on academic, national, and international levels?
Unfortunately, we have often accepted the names used for us without understanding their historical and linguistic basis. We were called Pathans and Afghans, but rarely raised the fundamental question collectively about what our own name is.
This situation cannot be remedied by hating other names or banning their use, but rather through academic awareness. We should prioritize Pashtun as our primary ethnic identity in our writings, educational materials, family histories, cultural activities, and national discourse.
Therefore, our goal should be that, regardless of what name the world has known us by, we must clearly preserve our primary ethnic and cultural identity under the name Pashtun. It is neither possible nor necessary to erase the historical usage of Pathan and Afghan, but interpreting them correctly, understanding their changing meanings, and giving precedence to the original identity of Pashtun is our collective responsibility.
Sources
- 1. — Merriam-Webster
- 2. — Various
