The Kundi ( ps, کُنډی; ur, کُنڈی ) is a sub-tribe of the

Niazi Niazi (; , ps, نيازي; ur, نیازی) Niazai, Nyazi, Nyazai, Niyazi or Niyazai is one of the largest Pashtun tribes which resides in Afghanistan and northwestern part of Pakistan. The earliest work which provides the details about ...

tribe of

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 r ...

, that inhabit most areas of

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful ...

and D.I.Khan.

Background

The Kundi are a sub-tribe of the

tribe that live in Di khan,

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 agricult ...

Waziristan Waziristan (Pashto and ur, , "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Waziristan covers some . ...

. In

, they have spread along the Tank- Darra Pezu road, extending up to Amakhel And Mulazai and the adjoining

Bettani The Bettani ( ps, بېټني), also spelled Baittani or Bhittani, is a Pashtun tribe located mostly in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Bettani are named after ''Shaykh Beṭ'', their legendary ancestor who is said to be the second son of Qais Abd ...

area. The Mulazai is accessible through a road that begins at the old Gul Imam railway station. The area around this road is mainly inhabited by Kundis, with a little pocket of

Marwat The Marwat ( ps, مروت) is a Pashtun tribe, a branch of the Lohani tribe and belong to Lodi section, located primarily in Lakki Marwat District, parts of Dera Ismail Khan District, some villages of Tank district in Pakistan and in the Kataw ...

s. The Kundi area acts as a

buffer zone A buffer zone is a neutral zonal area that lies between two or more bodies of land, usually pertaining to countries. Depending on the type of buffer zone, it may serve to separate regions or conjoin them. Common types of buffer zones are demili ...

between Tank and Marwats connected through the Pezu and Bayan pass. These were the old caravan routes on which the British constructed as

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

roads. The main villages of Kundis in Tank are Amakhel, Gul Imam, Shahalam, Abezari, Daraki (Mekhani), Pai, Nandoor and wandazallo (malagan). Mulazai is a mixture of Kundi and

Syeds ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhammad' ...

from

Kaniguram Kānīgūram ( ps, کانيګورم) is a town in South Waziristan, Pakistan about 10 km south of the town of Ladha. Located within the heart of Mahsud land in Waziristan, Kaniguram is the principal place associated with the Ormur or Burki ...

and Marwats in some parts. Pai‚ Abizari and Shahalam are the ancestral home villages of Kundi Khans. Kundis populate the majority of

Tank District Tank District ( ps, ټانک ولسوالۍ, ur, '; skr, ') is a district in Dera Ismail Khan Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The city of Tank is the capital of the district, which consists of Union Council City I and U ...

of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan, some areas in D.I. Khan, some parts of

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 ...

(Zabul), some of the parts in

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. ...

. The ancestors of this tribe are from Zabul (Afghanistan) and Kundayghar in

South Waziristan Agency South Waziristan District ( ps, سويلي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) was a district in Dera Ismail Khan Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before splitting in to Lower South Waziristan District and Upper South Waziristan District and t ...

. Many Kundis have rendered their services in the fields of education, politics, civil services and judiciary research in Pakistan. The tribe fought many wars against the

Nawabs of Tank Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...

in the late 1800s; outcomes included both victories and losses. Moreover, this tribe is constantly involved in internal conflicts as other

Pashtun tribes The Pashtun tribes ( ps, پښتانه قبايل), historically also known as Afghan tribes, are the tribes of the Pashtun people, a large Eastern Iranian ethnic group who use the Pashto language and follow Pashtunwali code of conduct. They a ...

are involved.

Ancestry

Kundi or Kondi bin Esa bin Khako bin Niazi bin Ibrahim Loede bin Shah Hussain. Kundi had two sons: Minak or Sinak and Ibrahim. Descendants of Kundi are divided into two tribes: Minakzai and

Ibrahimzai Ibrahimzai ( ps, ابراهيمزی), also called Burhan, Boran or Brahim, are one of the two main branches of the Ghilji Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are ...

Sub-tribes

* AstanKhel * MianKhel * Karkikhel * Burakhel * Achakhel * Shirkikhel * Mali Khel (Shadi Khel) Nandoor * Ibrahim Khel * Tajo Khel * Noor Khani Khel * Daras Khel (Daraki) * Tinikhial (Darraki) * Fathekhel (Amakhel) * Dewanshahkhel (Malagan) * Niazikhel (Malagan) * Firdoskhel (Malagan) * Gulbazkhel (Malagan) * Darreykhel (Malagan) * Lawangkhel (Malagan)

References

Pakistani names History of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pashtun tribes {{Pakistan-stub