Punjabis in Afghanistan, also referred to as Afghan Punjabis, are residents of Afghanistan who are the descendants of Punjabi settlers. In present-day, most of the community consists of Muslims, who used to speak a group of related Punjabi dialects which are reported to be extinct. There was, historically, a community of Sikhs and Hindus amongst them, which in recent years has left the country to avoid persecution.[3]
Punjab lies to the east of the Pashtun region and has shared borders with Afghanistan at various points in history.[4] For several centuries, dynasties centered in modern Afghanistan expanded towards Punjab, such as the Kushans, Kidarites, Hephthalites, Ghaznavids, Ghurids, Khaljis and Durranis. Other kingdoms common to both regions include the Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians and Kabul Shahis. In his 1857 review of J.W. Kaye's The Afghan War, Friedrich Engels describes Afghanistan as "an extensive country of Asia" which "formerly included... a considerable part of the Punjab."[5] In the 19th century, the Sikh Empire originating in Punjab made a series of incursions towards the Afghan frontiers, capturing large swathes of territories to the Khyber Pass. Several Punjabi Muslim tribes from central Punjab settled in the region for trade.
Afghan Sikh history is considered to stretch back 200 to 500 years.[6][7] Not all Sikhs are of Punjabi origin however; a small minority include locals whose ancestors adopted Sikhism during Guru Nanak's 15th century expeditions to Kabul.[7] In the 18th century, KhatriPunjabi Hindu merchants settled in Afghanistan and dominated regional trade.[8][9] The Sikh and Hindu population in Afghanistan may have numbered as much as 250,000 in the 1940s.[7] Both communities were particularly well-represented in business and government positions. The reign of Zahir Shah was considered prosperous.[7] Some of them were wealthy landowners.[10] In 1947, some Punjabi Sikhs from Potohar in northern Punjab arrived in Afghanistan while fleeing violence during the partition of India.[7]
The Punjabi Muslims mostly spoke Inku, a group of related Punjabi dialects which were close to the dialects of central-western Punjab. In present-day, Inku is reported to be extinct and has been replaced with Dari. Some speculate that Inku is still spoken amongst small communities in rural areas. The Punjabi Muslim population was much less than that of the Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus in the era preceding the wars. However after the exodus of the Sikh and Hindu population, the Muslim population is the only remaining community of Punjabi descent. Many Punjabi Muslims also entered Pakistan as refugees during the wars, however their population is less than 1 percent.
The population of Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan stood up to 100,000 prior to the 1990s.[10] The Soviet invasion in 1979 and the ensuing Afghan civil wars sparked a mass exodus and the community declined drastically. Most migrated to Pakistan or India, while others resettled in North America and Europe.[11] The current population is around 3,000.[6][3] The majority live in Kabul.[9] During the Taliban regime, Sikhs and Hindus were forced to wear yellow arm bands for identification as well as hang yellow flags over their homes.[6] Some discrimination still persists as they are often barred from government jobs, viewed as immigrants or threatened for ransom because they are considered rich.[7]
Most of the Afghan Sikhs and Hindus adopted Afghan customs and assimilated into the local culture, speaking Pashto or Dari.[7] However, Punjabi is still spoken by some at home.[10] There have been efforts to teach Punjabi to the younger generation, as it is also the language of Sikh religious texts.[9] The Afghan government opened two Punjabi schools in Kabul and Jalalabad, facilitating the Sikh community.[3]
^Effendi, M.Y. (2007). Punjab Cavalry: Evolution, Role, Organisation and Tactical Doctrine 11 Cavalry, Frontier Force, 1849-1971. Oxford University Press. p. 30. ISBN9780195472035. Before 1894, the Afghan border ran along the boundary of the trans-Indus frontier districts, formerly occupied by the Sikhs, and was virtually defined by the extreme limits of the Indus plain's westward extension.
^Manchanda, Rita (2010). States in Conflict with Their Minorities: Challenges to Minority Rights in South Asia. SAGE Publications India. p. 182. ISBN9788132105985.
