The Akakhel, pronounced Akaa Khel or Akakhail (Pashto and Urdu: اکاخیل,آقاخیل), are a Pashtun sub-tribe of the Ghilji/Ghilzais confederation. Their mother language is Pashto. In the early 20th century, the tribe was generally pastoral. The Akakhel are one of the largest Ghilji Pashtun subtribes. A reasonable majority of those who were living on the Durand Line migrated since 1800s into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Punjab provinces of Pakistan to Sikander Abad (Jarra Kalay) Charsadda, Peshawar, Swat(Barikot), Buner(Topdara), Abbottabad, Nowshera, Mardan, Attock, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Gojra, Faisalabad, Lahore, Multan, Hyderabad, Karachi and Quetta. The exact population number of this clan is not known; however, it is estimated to be around 2 million all around the world The population of this tribe primarily lives in Pakistan and Afghanistan. 85% live in Pakistan and about 1% or 2% live in Afghanistan and remaining 13% lives in England, Germany, United Arab Emirates, China, Malaysia, Canada and United States of America.

Distribution

Tribal Research Cell of Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Home and Tribal Affairs Department, have provided the available old/historical record copies of the Akakhail tribe since British era i.e. 1932–34.In which it is clearly stated that: (the original words of the copies) "217. The Aka Khel are true Ghilzais and related to the Ali Khel and Sulaiman Khel with whom they are friendly. The association of Aka Khel of Katawaz and Ali Khel with the Sulaiman Khel of Katawaz is so close that, often, when asked to what tribe they belong, they say that they are Sulaiman Khel. The tribe is almost entirely nomadic. Those who come from Katawaz to the Damam of Dera Ismail Khan in winter use the Gomal route, and they form only a comparatively small portion of the whole tribe. Many of the Aka Khel spend the summer in the Hazarajat and in autumn take their families to Ningarhar, carrying on trade between Kabul and Peshawar. The population of this clan is estimated at 1 million worldwide. About 70% of the Akakhel population lives in Afghanistan and about 25% lives in Pakistan. The remainder live in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

. People of Aka Khel tribes living in Pakistan have their basic roots in Pakistan community but are still facing problems of self recognition and identity rights just because of their resemblance in Pushto dialect to the Afghan people east of the Durand.

References

* Tribal Research Cell, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Home and Tribal Affairs Department, TRC(HD) 3-25/81, Volume IV, Peshawar, 12 March 2013. {{Pashtun tribes Ghilji Pashtun tribes Pashto-language surnames Pakistani names