Hindkowans (lit. "Indian-speakers"), also known as the Hindki, is a contemporary designation for speakers of
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages (or sometimes Indic languages) are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. As of the early 21st century, they have more than 800 million speakers, primarily ...
who live among the neighbouring
Pashtuns
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
, particularly the speakers of various Hindko dialects of
Lahnda
Lahnda () () also known as Lahndi or Western Punjabi, is a group of north-western Indo-Aryan language varieties spoken in parts of Pakistan and India. Its validity as a genetic grouping is not certain. Terms like ''Lahnda'' or ''Western Punja ...
. The origins of the term refer merely to "Indian speaking" people (i.e. speakers of
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages (or sometimes Indic languages) are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. As of the early 21st century, they have more than 800 million speakers, primarily ...
) rather than to any particular
ethnic group
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
. The term is not only applied to several forms of "Northern
Lahnda
Lahnda () () also known as Lahndi or Western Punjabi, is a group of north-western Indo-Aryan language varieties spoken in parts of Pakistan and India. Its validity as a genetic grouping is not certain. Terms like ''Lahnda'' or ''Western Punja ...
" but also to the Saraiki dialects of the districts of
Dera Ghazi Khan
Dera Ghazi Khan (), abbreviated as D.G. Khan, is a city in the southwestern part of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 19th largest city of Pakistan by population. Lying west of the Indus River, it is the headquarters of Dera Ghazi Khan District and ...
,
Mianwali
Mianwali ( Punjabi/ ur, ) is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan. The 81st largest city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse population of, Punjabi and Pashtun ethnicities.
History
Mianwali District was an agricu ...
, and
Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan (; bal, , Urdu and skr, , ps, ډېره اسماعيل خان), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 37th largest city of Pakistan ...
, which border the southern
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...
-speaking areas.
There is also a small diaspora in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, which includes members of the Sikh and Hindu community who became established there during the
Sikh Empire
The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...
in the first half of the 19th century. Most of them have emigrated since the rise of the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
, and the total population of Sikhs, Hindko-speaking or not, was estimated at around 300 families (as of 2018). They are commonly known as
Hindki
Hindki ( ps, هندکي) is a term originally used by Pashtuns to denote people or communities of Indian origin that they have been in contact with. More specifically this may include:
*Indians in Afghanistan#History, historical Indian communities ...
.
Those Hindko speakers, mainly Hindu and Sikhs, who after the
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
migrated to the independent republic, identify with the broader Punjabi community; and reside the Indian states of
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
partition of India
The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...
, the Hindu and Sikh Hindkowans exercised urban economic power in the
North-West Frontier Province
The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ps, شمال لویدیځ سرحدي ولایت, ) was a Chief Commissioner's Province of British India, established on 9 November 1901 from the north-western districts of the Punjab Province. Followin ...
of colonial India. They were primarily traders and merchants and over time, settled in areas as far as Kalat,
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
.
Origin
The word "Hindko" is a collective label for a diverse group of
Lahnda
Lahnda () () also known as Lahndi or Western Punjabi, is a group of north-western Indo-Aryan language varieties spoken in parts of Pakistan and India. Its validity as a genetic grouping is not certain. Terms like ''Lahnda'' or ''Western Punja ...
(Western Punjabi) dialects of very different groups, not all of which are even geographically contiguous, spoken by people of various ethnic backgrounds in several areas in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, primarily in the provinces of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
and
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
. The term "Hindko" is a
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...
word most commonly taken to have originally meant "the Indian language" or "language of
Hind A hind is a female deer, especially a red deer.
Places
* Hind (Sasanian province, 262-484)
* Hind and al-Hind, a Persian and Arabic name for the Indian subcontinent
* Hind (crater), a lunar impact crater
* 1897 Hind, an asteroid
Military ...
", but it has developed to denote the Indo-Aryan speech forms spoken in the northern Indian subcontinent, in contrast to the neighbouring Pashto, an Iranic language.
Social setting
There is no generic name for the speakers of Hindko because they belong to diverse ethnic groups and tend to identify themselves by the larger families or
caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
s. However, the
Hindko
Hindko (, romanized: , ) is a cover term for a diverse group of Lahnda dialects spoken by several million people of various ethnic backgrounds in several areas in northwestern Pakistan, primarily in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pun ...
-speaking community belonging to the
Hazara Division
Hazara Division is an administrative division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located along the Indus River and comprises eight districts: Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Battagram, Upper Kohistan, Kolai-Palas, Lower ...
of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...
are sometimes recognised collectively as
Hazarewal
Hazarewal (Plural; Hazarewals, alternatively spelled as Hazara or Hazarawal; ur, ) is term used for the multi-ethnic predominantly Hindko-speaking community belonging to the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Hindko speaking Hazarewals inclu ...
. A portion of Hindko speakers in the Hazara Division claim Pashtun ancestry. Some of those speak Hindko as their mother tongue while others as a second language. These include the Tahirkhelis,
Yusufzai
The Yusufzai or Yousafzai ( ps, یوسفزی, ), also referred to as the Esapzai (, ) are one of the largest Pashtun tribes, tribes of ethnic Pashtuns. They are natively based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, to which they migrated to from Sulim ...
Tareen
The Tareen (or Tarin) ( ps, ترین) 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. i ...
s. The other Hindko speakers include the
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...
s,
Awans
Awans (; wa, Awan) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.
On January 1, 2006, Awans had a total population of 8,696. The total area is 27.16 km² which gives a population density of 320 inhabitants per k ...
,
Mughals
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
,
Malik
Malik, Mallik, Melik, Malka, Malek, Maleek, Malick, Mallick, or Melekh ( phn, 𐤌𐤋𐤊; ar, ملك; he, מֶלֶךְ) is the Semitic term translating to "king", recorded in East Semitic and Arabic, and as mlk in Northwest Semitic duri ...
Tanoli
The Tanoli (Hindko/ ur, تنولی ,تناولی ,تنولي) are a tribe living mostly in the Hazara area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. They form the majority of the population of Lassan Nawab union council. The Tanoli describe themselves as ...
Turks
Turk or Turks may refer to:
Communities and ethnic groups
* Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages
* Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
* Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...
Gujjars
Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...
.
The most common second language for Hindko-speakers in Pakistan is
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...
. In most Hindko-speaking areas, speakers of Pashto live in the same or neighbouring communities (although this is less true in Abbottabad and Kaghan Valley). The relationship between Hindko and its neighbours is not one of stable bilingualism. In terms of domains of use and number of speakers, Hindko is dominant and growing in the north-east; in Hazara for example, it is displacing Pashto as the language in use among the few Swatis that speak it, and in the Neelam Valley of Azad Jammu & Kashmir it is gaining ground at the expense of the minority languages like Kashmiri. In the cities of Kohat and Peshawar, on the other hand, it is Hindko that is in a weaker position. With the exodus of the Hindko-speaking Hindus and Sikhs after partition and the consequent influx of Pashtuns into the vacated areas of the urban economy, there have been signs of a shift towards Pashto.
Notable Hindko-speakers
*
Ahmad Faraz
Syed Ahmad Shah (), better known by his pen name Ahmed Faraz, ( 12 January 1931 – 25 August 2008) was a Pakistani Urdu poet, scriptwriter and became the founding Director General (later Chairman) of Pakistan Academy of Letters. He wrote h ...
Anwar Shamim
Air Chief Marshal Mohammad Anwar Shamim ( ur, ); (1 October 1931 – 4 January 2013) was a senior air officer of the Pakistan Air Force and was the Chief of Air Staff, appointed to the post in 1978 until retiring in 1985.
Born in Haripur, B ...
*
Asghar Khan
Air Marshal Muhammad Asghar Khan (Retd.) ( ur, 17 January 1921 – 5 January 2018), was a Pakistani politician and an autobiographer, later a dissident serving the cause of pacifism, peace, and human rights.
Born into a military famil ...
*
Ayub Khan
Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...
*
Azam Khan Swati
Muhammad Azam Khan Swati (Urdu, Pashto: اعظم خان سواتی; born June 22, 1948) is a Pakistani politician and a businessman who served as the Minister of Narcotics Control and Railways from 2020 to 2022. He is the elected senior vi ...
*
Baba Haider Zaman
Baba Haider Zaman (1934 – 24 October 2018) was a political personality of Hazara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He was known for Hazara Province Movement, a protest campaign against changing the name of Sarhad Province. Baba joined Hazara ...
*
Bashir Ahmad Bilour
Bashir Ahmad Bilour ( ps, بشیر احمد بلور; 1 August 1943 – 22 December 2012) was a member of the provincial assembly of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Senior Minister for Local Government and Rural Development of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Early ...
Dilip Kumar
Mohammed Yusuf Khan (; 11 December 1922 – 7 July 2021), better known by his stage name Dilip Kumar, was an Indian actor who worked in Hindi cinema. Credited with pioneering method acting in cinema, he dominated the Indian movie scene from lat ...
, stage name for ''Yusuf Khan''
*
Firdous Jamal
Firdous Jamal ( ur, ) is a Pakistani television, theatre, stage and film actor.
Beginning his career with a Hindko drama serial called ''Badnami Dey Toway'' in the mid-1970s, he has since then acted in at least 300 TV plays, 150 stage plays, 2 ...
*
Gohar Ayub Khan
Gohar Ayub Khan ( ur, گوہر ایوب خان; born 15 January 1937) is a Pakistani politician, business oligarch, retired army officer, and conservative figure of the Pakistan Muslim League, who held ministerial positions during the administ ...
*
Ghulam Ahmad Bilour
Ghulam Ahmad Bilour (; born 25 December 1939) is a Pakistani politician who served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to 2018. He additionally served as Federal Minister for Railways twice and as Federal Minister for L ...
*
Haider Zaman Khan
Baba Haider Zaman (1934 – 24 October 2018) was a political personality of Hazara, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He was known for Hazara Province Movement, a protest campaign against changing the name of Sarhad Province. Baba joined Hazara Q ...
*
Imran Ashraf
Imran Ashraf Awan (born 11 September 1989) is a Pakistani actor and writer. Ashraf appeared in ''Dil Lagi'', ''Alif Allah Aur Insaan'' and ''Raqs-e-Bismil''. He is best known for portraying mentally challenged Bhola in ''Ranjha Ranjha Kardi'' ...
Mohammad Abdul Ghafoor Hazarvi
Akhundzada Mohammad Abdul Ghafoor Hazarvi ( ur, اخوندزادہ محمد عبدالغفور ہزاروی چشتی) (1 January 1909 – 9 October 1970) was a Muslim theologian, jurist, and scholar of ahadith in Pakistan (''South Asia' ...
Adams, pp. 100–101Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi . Official website of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
*
Mulk Raj Anand
Mulk Raj Anand (12 December 1905 – 28 September 2004) was an Indian writer in English, recognised for his depiction of the lives of the poorer castes in traditional Indian society. One of the pioneers of Indo-Anglian fiction, he, togethe ...
*
Murtaza Javed Abbasi
Murtaza Javed Abbasi ( ur, ; born 15 March 1970) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, since August 2018. Previously, he was a member of the National Assembly from 2008 to May 2018 and served as th ...
*
Omar Ayub Khan
Omar Ayub Khan ( ur, ; born 26 January 1970) is a Pakistani politician who is the current Federal Minister for Economic Affairs. He served as Federal Minister for Energy from 11 September 2018 to 16 April 2021. He has been a member of the N ...
*
Qateel Shifai
Muhammad Aurangzeb or Qateel Shifai ( ur, ), (24 December 1919 – 11 July 2001) was a Pakistani Urdu poet and lyricist.
Early life and career
Qateel Shifai was born in Haripur District as Muhammad Aurangzeb in 1919 in British India (now Paki ...
*
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
Shibli Faraz
Shibli Faraz ( ur, ) is a Pakistani politician who served as the Minister of Science and Technology, in office from 16 April 2021 to 10 April 2022. He has been a member of the Senate of Pakistan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since 2015.
Previous ...
*
Vinod Khanna
Vinod Khanna (6 October 1946 – 27 April 2017) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who is best known for his work in Hindi films; while also being a notable spiritual seeker. In Bollywood, he was the recipient of two Filmfare awa ...
*
Yasir Hameed
Yasir Hameed Qureshi (Urdu: یاسر حمید قریشی) (born 28 February 1978) is a former Pakistani cricketer, who played 25 Tests and 56 ODIs for Pakistan. He scored two centuries on his Test debut against Bangladesh, becoming only the sec ...
*
Zahirul Islam Abbasi
Major General Zahirul Islam Abbasi ( ur, ﻇﻬﻴﺮ ﺍﻹﺳﻼﻡ ﻋﺑﺎﺳﻰ; 12 January 1943 – 30 July 2009) was a former commander and general of the Pakistan Army. Serving in the Siachen region of the disputed territory of Kashmir, ...
See also
*
Hazarewal
Hazarewal (Plural; Hazarewals, alternatively spelled as Hazara or Hazarawal; ur, ) is term used for the multi-ethnic predominantly Hindko-speaking community belonging to the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Hindko speaking Hazarewals inclu ...
*
Tribes and clans of the Pothohar Plateau
The Potohar plateau, sometimes pronounced Pothohar Plateau ( ur, سطح مرتفع پوٹھوہار), is a large region of plateau situated in northern Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. It is bounded on the east by the Jhelum River, on the wes ...
*
Pahari people (Kashmir)
The Pahari people or Pahari-speaking people (پہاڑی بولنے والے لوگ) is a cover term for a number of heterogeneous communities inhabiting the Indian regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, and also parts ...
*
Farsiwan
Fārsīwān (Pashto/ fa, فارسیوان or its regional forms: Pārsīwān or Pārsībān,The ''Encyc. Iranica'' makes clear in the article on Afghanistan — Ethnography that "The term Farsiwan also has the regional forms Parsiwan and Pars ...