The Kheshgi, Khaishgi, Kheshagi, Khweshgi, or Kheshki is a prominent Sarbani

Pashtun 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 r ...

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

and

Imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...

Administration

The Kheshgi Tribe is divided into the following sub-tribes: * Batakzi * Umerzai * Hussainzai * Azizi * Zaizai * Utmanzai * Amchuzi/Amchuzai * Shuryani * Salmahak * Kalzani * Ismail *Pir

Location

Even in the 19th-century during the British administration of India, Kheshgi tribesmen were found in

Kasur District Kasur District (Punjabi and ur, , translit=Zilā Qasūr), is a district located in Lahore Division of Punjab, Pakistan. It came into existence on 1 July 1976. Prior to its creation, it was a tehsil of the Lahore District. The district capita ...

scattered about the region and they call Kasuri Pathan. A more recent article also states that over the past few hundred years they have dispersed throughout South Asia, including the following places: *

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 borde ...

: Darrah Ghorband,

Ghorband District Ghorband District ( fa, ولسوالی غوربند), also known as Syagird District after its main town, is a district of Parwan Province, Afghanistan. Ghorband is located in the southern foothills of Hindu Kush and forms the western boundary of ...

, Parwan Province. *

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...

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 Pakista ...

Bannu Bannu ( ps, بنو, translit=banū ; ur, , translit=bannū̃, ) is a city located on the Kurram River in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the capital of Bannu Division. Bannu's residents are primarily members of the Banuchi tr ...

Lakki Marwat Lakki Marwat or Lakki ( Urdu and ps, ) is the headquarters of Lakki Marwat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Lakki Marwat has become one of the fastest growing cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Lakki Marwat is also the 20th ...

, Tanda, Muhallah Kheshgi in Ghanta Ghar (Peshawar), Charsadda, Village Kheshgi itself in Nowshera and Hazarah. * Punjab Province: Kasur, Depalpur,

BahawalPur Bahawalpur () is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. With inhabitants as of 2017, it is Pakistan's 11th most populous city. Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi fa ...

, Bahawalnagar,

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the ol ...

. *

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Khurja Khurja is a city (and a municipal board) in Bulandshahr district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated around 20 km from Bulandshahr, 85 km from Delhi. Khurja supplies a large portion of the ceramics used in the country, h ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

Culture and Society

Several British accounts state that the Kheshgi residing in Kasur hold pigeons in high esteem, for according to some Muslims they are a "Sayyid among birds", and killing them is hence forbidden.Rose, H. A. ''A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province''. New Delhi: Nirmal Publishers and Distributors, 1997. 142.

Notable Kheshgis

* Fayaz Khan Kheshgi, Pakistani musician * Zakir Husain, third President of India * Nawab Hussain Khan Kheshgi, founder of Kasur * Mahmood Hasan Khan, Indian Member of Parliament *

Ahmad Raza Khan Kasuri Ahmed Raza Khan Kasuri Kheshgi (born 1940) is a Pakistani politician and lawyer. He is the son of Muhammad Ahmed Khan Kasuri (1903-1974) who was assassinated in a car ambush in 1974. Early life and career Ahmed Raza Khan Kasuri was born int ...

, lawyer, politician, founder of multinational law firm ''Kasuri PLLC'' * Haji Bahadar Ali Abdullah Shah, Sufi saint * General Rahmuddin Khan, retired

four-star general A four-star rank is the rank of any four-star officer described by the NATO OF-9 code. Four-star officers are often the most senior commanders in the armed services, having ranks such as (full) admiral, (full) general, colonel general, army ge ...

of the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

, former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, 7th Governor of Balochistan, 16th Governor of Sindh * Nawab Muzaffar Khan Khaishgi, founder of

Muzaffargarh Muzaffargarh (Urdu and pa, , , Fort of Muzaffar) is a city in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the Chenab River, it is the capital of the district with the same name. It is the 39th largest city of Pakistan by populatio ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

* General Imran Ullah Khan, retired

three-star general Military star ranking is military terminology, used to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One–star A one–star rank is usually the lowest ranking general or flag ...

of the

, 13th Governor of Balochistan * Nawab Jamaluddin Khan Kheshgi, founder of

Mamdot The Nawab of Mamdot was the title of the hereditary rulers of Mamdot, a princely state, near Firozpur, in the Punjab region of British India. Background In 1794, Nizamuddin and his younger brother Qutbuddin, established themselves as rulers of Kas ...

* Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, former Pakistani

Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

Farida Azizi Farida Azizi is an Afghan advocate for peace and women's rights. Azizi has consulted with President George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton on women's roles in helping to rebuild Afghanistan. Azizi is a founding member of the Corporation for Peace and U ...

, Afghan women's rights activist *

Nawab Muhammad Ahmed Khan Kasuri Muhammad Ahmed Khan Kasuri (1922–1974) was a Pakistani man assassinated in 1974 in a car ambush targeting his son. Ahmad Raza Khan Kasuri, a critic of the country's prime minister, escaped the ambush. The attack was allegedly on the orders of Pak ...

, former Nawab of Kasur * Senain Kheshgi, film director, writer and producer * Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi, former Prime Minister of Pakistan * Mohammad Iqbal Azizi, Afghan governor * Nawab Sir Shahnawaz Khan Mamdot, politician,

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

landlord * Asma Mamdot, Pakistani politician * Mahmud Husain, Pakistani educationist, former Minister of Education, Minister of State for States and Frontier Regions, Deputy Minister of

Defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indus ...

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and

Finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of f ...

* Masud Husain Khan, Indian linguist * Salman Khurshid Khan, Indian politician *

Muhammad Bashir Khan Muhammad Bashir Khan is a Pakistani politician who had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 till January 2023. Early life He was born at Gambir village, Lower Dir. Political career He was elected to the Nationa ...

, Pakistani politician * Shakeel Bashir Khan, Pakistani politician *

Major General Akbar Khan Major General Mohammed Akbar Khan, DSO (1912–1993) was a decorated officer of the British Indian Army and later Pakistan Army. He commanded the Kashmiri rebels and Pashtun irregulars in the First Kashmir War under the pseudonym 'General Tari ...

, highly decorated officer of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which cou ...

, two-star general of the

* Yousuf Hussain Khan, Indian historian, scholar, educationist, critic and author * Masoud Azizi, Afghan athlete * Nawab Iftikhar Hussain Khan Mamdot, former Chief Minister of West Punjab and former

Governor of Sindh The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the chief minister and the chief secretary of S ...

References

{{Pashtun tribes Sarbani Pashtun tribes Ethnic groups in Afghanistan Social groups of Pakistan