The Pathans of Punjab also called Punjabi Pathans.

The Pathans of Punjab also called Punjabi Pathans are originally Pashtun people who have settled in the Punjab region of Pakistan. Most of these Pashtun communities are scattered throughout the Punjab and have over time assimilated into the Punjabi identity.

These non-frontier Pathans are usually known by the town or locality in which they are settled, e.g., Qasuria Pathans or Multani Pathans.

History and origin of Punjabi Pathans.

During the Lodi and Suri dynasties, many Pathans migrated to Punjab especially during the reign of Bahlol Lodhi and Sher Shah Suri. These naturally belonged to the Ghilzai section from which those kings sprung.

Large numbers of Pathans accompanied the armies of Mahmud of Ghazni, Muhammad of Ghor and Babur, and many of them obtained grants of land in the Punjab plains and founded Pathan colonies which still exist. Mehmond Pathan of Hoshiarpur was also in the army of Mahmud of Ghazni.

The tribes most commonly to be found in the Punjab region are the Niazai, Bangash, Yusufzai, Hassan Zai, Mandanr, Lodhi, Kakar, Sherwani, Orakzai, Tanoli, Kakazai, Karlanri, Khizerzai Khetran and the Zamand Pathans. Of these the most widely distributed are the Yusufzai, of whom a body of 12,000 accompanied the Mughal Emperor Babur in the final invasion of India, and settled in the plains of India and the Punjab. But as a rule, the Pathans who have settled away from the frontier have lost all memory of their tribal divisions, and indeed almost all their national characteristics.

The main division of the Pathan tribes in thePunjab is as follows:

Pathans of Taunsa Sharif.

It includes Miana (Mianrhi), Qaisrani, a tribe related to Kakars, and the owners/sardars of the area are Khetran (According to H.A Rose "descended from Maina, brother of Tareen, and the cousin of luni").

Niazi Pathans.

The Niazi Pathans mainly live in the areas of Punjab like Mianwali, Khanewal and many other cities of Punjab. Notable and famous Niazi Pashtuns are Imran Khan, Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi, Abdul Sattar Khan Niazi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Munir Niazi, Ghulam Akbar Khan Niazi, Sher Afgan Niazi, Amir Abdullah Khan Rokhri, Inamullah Niazi, Mansoor Aslam Khan Niazi (Sami Khan), Taifoor Khan Niazi, (Tv Actor & Brother of Sami Khan)

 Pathans of Jalandhar.

The district of Jalandhar is home to a well-established community of Pashtuns, dating back to at least the 14th century. The Bangash, Burki and Lodhi tribes were closely connected with the district. In 1947 the overwhelming majority of these Jalandhar-based Pathans and others in the Indian side moved en masse to Pakistani Punjab.

Traditions of the Burki tribe point settlement in the district in the 16th century. The earliest settlements were Barikian and Rasta Ikhwand, both in Jalandhar city. After Jalandhar was burnt down by the Gurus of Kartarpur in 1757, Kot Khan Jahan was founded by Khan Jahan. This family was known as the Sadakhel; and other Burki tribes include the Guz, Aliak, and Babakhel. Communities of the Burki, in and around the city of Jalandhar were referred to as the Basti.

The Babakhel Burki are said to have come from Kaniguram in South Waziristan in 1617, accompanying Shaikh Darwesh, leader of the Roshaniya (Pir Roshan) Muslims. The founded Basti Shaikh, having bought this land from the proprietors of Jalandhar. They have also founded the town of Babakhel.

Basti Guzan was founded in the time of the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan, by three sons of Musa Khan of Guz tribe. This Musa Khan had come with Shaikh Darwesh from Kaniguram and had settled initially in Basti Shaikh. They afterward bought land from the Lodhis and Sayyids and founded Basti Guzan.

Other Bastis (villages) included Basti Ibrahim Khan, Basti Pir Dad Khan, Basti Shah Quli, Basti Daanishmandan and Basti Nau.

The most important and oldest Pashtun settlement in the district was that of the Lodhi tribe. Kot Bure Khan, north of the city of Jalandhar, was said to be the original settlement of the tribe. According to the Ain-i-Akbari, the Jalandhar Mahal was occupied by the Lodhi who paid revenue of 14 lakh of dams. The Lodhis of the town of Dhogri, six miles northeast of Jalandhar, were among the oldest landowners in the district. Their ancestor Tatar Khan, accompanied, Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni to India, and settled in the region. Lodhi's are now found in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan.

Pathans of Hoshiarpur.

These include descendants of Khwaja Khan and Mehdi Khan. There were also Musakhel tribes in Hoshiarpur.

Kasuri Pathans.

Qusuri or Kusuri, a Pathan of Kasur - Tashrih al-Aqvam (1825)

When the Zamand section was broken up, the Khweshgi (or also pronounced Kheshki) clan migrated to the Ghorband defile, and a large number marched thence with the Mughal Emperor Babar and found great favor in his hands and those of his son Humayun, One section of them settled at Kasur, and are known as "Qasuria or Kasuri Pathans"

The Qasuria or Kasuri Pathans increased in numbers and importance until the chiefs thought themselves strong enough to refuse to pay tribute to the Mughals. After some severe fighting, the Qasuria Pathans were compelled to give in, they never lost heart however and maintained their independence until 1807, when they were finally subdued by the Sikhs. After the confiscation of Kasur by Ranjit Singh, the Pathans were ordered to remain on the left bank of the Sutlej where their leader was assigned the Jagir of Mamdot, in Firozpur District. The Mamdot family immigrated to Pakistani Punjab, after the independence in 1947. One portion of Kasuri Pathan most called Amchozi settled in Bahawalnagar district at Nadir Shah Village near to Bahawalnagar city. Bahawalnagar one Bazar name is Nadir Shah Bazar. These Pathan are the landlord as well as in government services. Akbar Khan Amchozi is a graduate civil engineer and working as director engineer in Punjab province.

Malerkotla Pathans.

In the Indian Punjabi city of Malerkotla, sixty-five percent of the total population is Muslim and out of this population, twenty percent are Punjabi Pathans.

These Pathans trace their ancestry to Shaikh Sadruddin, a pious man of the Shirani tribe of the Darband area of what is now the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Behlol Lodhi (1451–1517), the Afghan king who had most of the western parts of India under his control, desired to rule Delhi and on his way, he was caught in a sand drift. While there was nothing visible in the darkness, the King spotted a dim light of a lamp still burning in the wind. It was the hut of Shaikh Sadruddin and when the king found out, he came to the hut to show his respect and asked the holy man to pray for him to bear a son and have victory. During 1451 and 1452, the king married off his daughter Taj Murassa to Shaikh Sadruddin after being enthroned in Delhi, and also gave him the area of Malerkotla. The descendants of Shaikh Sadruddin branched into two groups. One started ruling the state and were given the title of Nawab. The other branch lived around the Shrine of Shaikh Sadruddin, controlling its revenue.

One notable thing about the Punjabi Pathans of Malerkotla is the fact the women strictly observe pardah, albeit they are no longer required to wear the burqa. In regards to language, Pashto was their primary language until 1903. Afterward, the Malerkotla Pathans began to speak Punjabi and Hindustani. In the city, there are twenty-nine shrines to saints from Afghanistan, whom the Malerkotla Pathans revere. Although the level of education is low among the community, many of these Pathans serve in the civil service, particularly in the Indian Police Service. Others maintain businesses, rent property, and rear horses. Because the level of religiosity amongst Malerkotla Pathans is high, many families sent their children to madrasahs where Qur'anic education is compulsory. For higher education, many children study in schools in Patiala or Ludhiana.

Pathans of Mianwali, D.I.KHAN and Attack District.

The districts of Mianwali and Attock, which border the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province are a home to substantial Pathan communities. The Isakhel Tehsil of Mianwali is home to the Niazis and Khasors. They speak local language but very rarely some of them speak Pashto as well. They reside in the Union Council “Kirri Khaisore” Tehsil Pahar Pur of Dera Ismail Khan, Turkhel and Bhangi Khel Khattaks. The Khattaks still speak Pashto. Sumbal, a prominent Pathan clan, lives in Kundian, Mianwali and many other cities of Punjab.

Attock district is home to large Pathan/Pashtun communities which are found in two parts of the district, those of Sarwala, and those of Chhachh. The Chhachh Pathans have very little in common with the Sagri, as they are separated by the Kala Chita Mountains. The Chhachhies are also known as Chhachi (Both Pathans (Hindko speakers) and Pashtuns). The Chhachh area has Hindko and Pashto-speaking communities and the Pashtuns have much in common with the Pashtun tribes settled in the neighboring Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Inayat Khel is the Khan tribe of Ghourgushti. Saidukhels or Asad Khel (a Yousafzai sub-clan) are a prominent Pathan clan in Ghourghushti-which is considered the capital of Chhachh. There is a small presence of Kakar Pathans in the village of Ghorghushti.The Najab Khel tribe descend from the Header Khel tribe which are known for their short temper and willingness to fight no matter what. Bhangi Khel [khattak] also live in Village Kani (Tehsil Jand of District Attock). The Chhachh area has Pashtun culture and the Pashtun tribes strictly follow Pashtunwali code of conduct.

Multani Pathans.

The descendants of Zamand very early migrated in large numbers to Multan, to which province they furnished rulers, till the reign of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, when a number of the Abdali tribe under the leadership of Shah Husain were driven from Kandahar by tribal feuds, took refuge in Multan, and being early supplemented by other of their kinsmen who were expelled by Mir Wais, the great Ghilzai chief, conquered Multan and founded the tribe well known in the Punjab as Multani Pathans.

Zahid Khan Abdali was appointed Governor of Multan with the title of Nawab, at the time of Nadir Shah's invasion. Multan was Governed by different members of this family, until in 1818 the city was captured by the Sikhs under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, after a heroic defense in which the Nawab and five of his sons were slain.

Their main clans were the Alizai, Badozai, Bamzai and Saddozai, all clans of the Durrani tribe. Other tribal communities include the Babar, Khakwani, Tareen.

In Muzaffargarh District, the Pathans of the district are related to the Multani Pathans. They settled in Muzaffargarh in the 18th century, as small groups of Multani Pathan extended their control from the city of Multan. Their distribution is as follows; the Alizai Durrani are found at Lalpur, and the Popalzai is found in Docharkha, while the Babars are based in Khangarh and Tareen in Kuhawar are other important tribes.

The language of Pathans settled in the Punjab.

Almost all the Pathans settled in the Punjab region now speak Punjabi native languages. The only exemption is the Sagri Khattaks of Attack District and the Chhachh area, where the Pashto language is still spoken in some villages (Waisa, Sirka, TTajak and Shadi khan) and practice Pashtun culture known as Pashtunwali. Sections of Niazi i.e. Sultan Khel also speak Pashto. Niazi tribe has retained tribal system and the Pathan culture as compared to other Punjabi Pathans.

Famous Punjabi-Pathans.

Munir Ahmad Khan, Pakistani nuclear scientist and engineer.

Ishaq Khan Khakwani, Former Federal Minister of State for Pakistan Railways And IT & Telecom

Javed Burki, Pakistani cricketer

Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan

Maulana Kausar Niazi, former Federal Minister

Amir Abdullah Khan Rokhri, former Senator

Gul Hameed Khan Rokhri, politician

Amir Abdullah Khan Rokhri, politician, and member of Pakistan Movement

Humair Hayat Khan Rokhri, member of the National Assembly of Pakistan

Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, Sitara-i-Jurat twice and Military Cross

Tariq Niazi, Pakistani field hockey player

Aamir Hayat Khan Niazi, member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly

Munir Niazi, poet of Urdu and Punjabi languages

Shahryar Khan, foreign secretary, and Chairman PCB

Zulfiqar Ali Khan, Pakistan Air Force Chief of Air Staff

Tariq Kamal Khan, Pakistan Navy Chief of Naval Staff

Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistani cricketer

Intikhab Alam, Pakistani cricketer

Fawad Khan, actor