Hindkowans
Encyclopedia
Hindkowans, ਹਿੰਦਕੋਵਾਨ (Gurmukhi)) or known locally as "Chachi's" are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces of Pakistan
. However, an indeterminate number have left the region and now live in other parts of South Asia
, such as the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir.
Hindkowans speak Hindko, a Lahnda language, and is native to the northern regions of Pakistan primarily concentrated in the Hazara
division, and urban centers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan such as Peshawar
, Kohat
, Nowshera and Swabi. It is for this reason that alternatively, the term "Kharian/Kharay or city-dweller" maybe sometimes be used for the Hindkowan.
The most important, total life of the word HINDKOWAN is about 30 to 40 years. As a matter of fact this word was used firstly by Mr.Raza Hamadani a Hindko Writer and Poet who was basically FARSIWAN and he refused to enter as a member of HINDKOON NATION. His followers were called HINDKOWANS and this group of Hindkowans was headed by Mr. Raza Hamadani. After the death of Raza Hamadani Mr. Khatar Ghaznavi became the head of this group of Hindkowans. Raza Hamadaniz forefathers were from Hamadan and Khatar Ghaznaviz forefathers were from Ghazni Afghanistan. Both were basically Persian Speakers.
The Hindkis who speaks the Hindko Language collectively they called themselves HINDKOON NATION. For reference, on the one hand, Research Books of Khatar Ghaznavi, Raza Hamadani and Mukhtar Ali Nayyer can be seen, and on the other hands Gazetter of NWFP , 1905,1930 and Gazetteer of Multan of 1032 cab be seeb, The second important Hindko speaking group is HINDKO BOLNAY WALAY PATHANZ. They were headed by Mr. Mukhtar Ali Nayyer. The grandfather of Mr. Mukhtar Ali Nayyer was migrated from tribal area of Dir. They were Pashto Speaking people, so they called themselves HINDKO BOLNAY WALAY PATHANS (for reference the first Monthly HINDKO ZUBAN Editor Mukhtar Ali Nayyer can be seen. On the title of each and every Monthly issue only for HINDKO BOLNAY WALAY PATHANS were written).
The NWFP Imperial Gazetteer of India (1905) regularly refers to their language as Hindko, which means "Indian mountains." According to the publication Hindko and Gujari: The term may well be the Persic reference meaning "Indus mountains" since the words "Hind" and "koh" mean Indus/Indic and mountains respectively in Persian. The term is also found in Greek references to the mountainous region in eastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan as Καύκασος Ινδικός (Caucasus Indicus, or the Hindu Kush
).
Hindkowans who are sometimes referred to as Punjabi Pathans. While literally, the term Punjabi Pathan can only be more correctly used to refer to Afghan/Pashtoon/Pathan tribes settled in Punjab, for example the Niazis of Mianwali and speak Seraiki language and those living in Attock district of Punjab who speak Hindko language. Outside of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the term "Pathan" may however, simply be used for anyone belonging to the area (whether they be Pashto, Hindko, Turwali, Kohistani etc. speaking), since the people are perceived by others to share similar cultural traits such as the "pathanwalgi" among the Chach and Hazarawal considered analogous to pashtunwali.
In Afghanistan, a group of Hindus still continue to speak Hindko and are referred to as Hindki
which according to Grierson is a variant of the term Hindko. However, in Pakistan the term is considered slightly pejorative and hence Hindkowan or Hindkun is preferred on par with the term Pashtun (the dominant and more numerous ethnic group in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province).
Long before the partition of British India, Grierson
, in the Linguistic Survey of India, employed the term Hindko to mean "the language of Hindus" (viii, 1:34). However, this is hotly disputed in Pakistan. Farigh Bukhari and South Asian language expert and historian Christopher Shackle believe that Hindko was a generic term applied to the Indo-Aryan
dialect continuum in the Pakistani northwest frontier territories and the adjacent district of Attock
in the Punjab
, Pakistan
province to differentiate it in function and form from Pashto. Linguists classify the language into the Indic
group.
Lahnda is also spoken in the north of the state of Bahawalpur and of the province of Sind, in which latter locality it is known as Siraiki. Its western boundary is, roughly speaking, the river Indus, across which the language of the Afghan population is Pashto (Pushtu), while the Hindu settlers still speak Landha. In the Derajat, however, Lahnda, is the principal language of all classes in the plains west of the river. Lahnda is also known as Western Panjabi and as Jatki, or the language of the Jats, who form the bulk of the population whose mother tongue it is. In the Derajat it is called Hindko or the language of the Hindus. As such, there are a number of Hindu
Hindkowans. Some of these Hindu Hindkowans are traders and over time, have settled in areas as far as Kalat, Balochistan
. Other Hindu Hindkowans migrated to India
from their native region of Sarhad after the partition of India
in 1947. During the Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent
, which took place from the 12th century A.D. onwards, many of the Hindkowans converted to Islam
. Today, most of the Hindkowan population is Sunni Muslim
. Later, with the spread of Sikhism and the rise of the Sikh Empire beginning in the eighteenth century A.D., some Hindkowans, both Hindu & Muslim, became Sikhs. Like the Hindus, many Sikh Hindkowans migrated to India after the partition in 1947.
The largest geographically contiguous group of Hindko-speakers is concentrated in the districts of Peshawar
, Abbottabad
, Kohat, Attock District
, Nowshera, Haripur
, Mansehra
and Mardan
of Pakistan
, Awan
, Bib
, Bomba, Dhund Abbasi, Gakhar
, Karlal
, Mughals, Ghaznavis, Maliar
, Parachas, Sarrara
, Qazis, Sayyid
s, Mashwanis, Swati
s, Tanoli
s, Dilazak
s, Shilmani
s, Jadoon
s, Khattak
, Barakzai
, and Kakar
. The Pashtun tribes who settled in Districts like Abbotabad, Haripur and Mansehra, Peshawar
and Kohat
adopted Hindko as their first language and gained political power in these areas during the British rule. . The Hindko speaking people living in major cities Peshawar
, Kohat
, Nowshera and chhachh
area of Attock
are bilingual in Pashto and Hindko. Similarly many Pashto speaking people in districts like Mansehra especially in Agror Valley and northern Tanawal (Shergarh), have become bilingual in Pashto and Hindko.
Syed Mehboob,Aurangzeb Ghaznavi. Riffat Swati from Mansehrah is called madre
hindko for her promotion of Hindko language.
A monthly farogh is published from Peshawar by Aurangzeb Ghaznavi. Dr. Syed Mehboob is working for the promotion of Hindko language in Karachi and Sindh. His many articles has been published in various newspapers including Farogh Peshawar.
, Swabi
, Abbottabad
, Haripur
, Peshawar
, Nowshera
and Kohat
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as well as the Attock
and Rawalpindi
districts in the Punjab
and parts of Kashmir; Jonathan Addleton states that Hindko is the most significant linguistic minority in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, represented in nearly one-fifth of the province's total households." In Abbotabad
, 98 per cent of households reported speaking Hindko, in Mansehra District
77 per cent, in Haripur District
around 85 per cent, in Peshawar District
35 per cent, and in Kohat District
40 per cent (1986). Testing of inherent intelligibility
among Hindko dialects through the use of recorded tests has shown that there is a northern (Hazara) dialect group and a southern group. The southern dialects are more widely understood throughout the dialect network than are the northern dialects. The dialects of rural Peshawar
and Talagang
are the most widely understood of the dialects tested. The dialect of Balakot
is the least widely understood.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. However, an indeterminate number have left the region and now live in other parts of South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, such as the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir.
Hindkowans speak Hindko, a Lahnda language, and is native to the northern regions of Pakistan primarily concentrated in the Hazara
Hazara Pakistan
Hazara is a region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It comprises six districts: Abbottabad District, Battagram District, Haripur District, Kohistan District, Mansehra District and now, since 28 January 2011, the new Tor Ghar District...
division, and urban centers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan such as Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Kohat
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
, Nowshera and Swabi. It is for this reason that alternatively, the term "Kharian/Kharay or city-dweller" maybe sometimes be used for the Hindkowan.
Origin
H.A. Rose, author of Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier has defined Hindkowans or Hindkis as follows:The most important, total life of the word HINDKOWAN is about 30 to 40 years. As a matter of fact this word was used firstly by Mr.Raza Hamadani a Hindko Writer and Poet who was basically FARSIWAN and he refused to enter as a member of HINDKOON NATION. His followers were called HINDKOWANS and this group of Hindkowans was headed by Mr. Raza Hamadani. After the death of Raza Hamadani Mr. Khatar Ghaznavi became the head of this group of Hindkowans. Raza Hamadaniz forefathers were from Hamadan and Khatar Ghaznaviz forefathers were from Ghazni Afghanistan. Both were basically Persian Speakers.
The Hindkis who speaks the Hindko Language collectively they called themselves HINDKOON NATION. For reference, on the one hand, Research Books of Khatar Ghaznavi, Raza Hamadani and Mukhtar Ali Nayyer can be seen, and on the other hands Gazetter of NWFP , 1905,1930 and Gazetteer of Multan of 1032 cab be seeb, The second important Hindko speaking group is HINDKO BOLNAY WALAY PATHANZ. They were headed by Mr. Mukhtar Ali Nayyer. The grandfather of Mr. Mukhtar Ali Nayyer was migrated from tribal area of Dir. They were Pashto Speaking people, so they called themselves HINDKO BOLNAY WALAY PATHANS (for reference the first Monthly HINDKO ZUBAN Editor Mukhtar Ali Nayyer can be seen. On the title of each and every Monthly issue only for HINDKO BOLNAY WALAY PATHANS were written).
The NWFP Imperial Gazetteer of India (1905) regularly refers to their language as Hindko, which means "Indian mountains." According to the publication Hindko and Gujari: The term may well be the Persic reference meaning "Indus mountains" since the words "Hind" and "koh" mean Indus/Indic and mountains respectively in Persian. The term is also found in Greek references to the mountainous region in eastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan as Καύκασος Ινδικός (Caucasus Indicus, or the Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
).
Hindkowans who are sometimes referred to as Punjabi Pathans. While literally, the term Punjabi Pathan can only be more correctly used to refer to Afghan/Pashtoon/Pathan tribes settled in Punjab, for example the Niazis of Mianwali and speak Seraiki language and those living in Attock district of Punjab who speak Hindko language. Outside of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the term "Pathan" may however, simply be used for anyone belonging to the area (whether they be Pashto, Hindko, Turwali, Kohistani etc. speaking), since the people are perceived by others to share similar cultural traits such as the "pathanwalgi" among the Chach and Hazarawal considered analogous to pashtunwali.
In Afghanistan, a group of Hindus still continue to speak Hindko and are referred to as Hindki
Hindki
Hindki is the name given to an ethnic group who inhabit Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan. They are of the Khatri, Arora, and Brahmin caste, and are found all over the country. H. W. Bellew, in his Races of Afghanistan, estimated their number at about 300,000...
which according to Grierson is a variant of the term Hindko. However, in Pakistan the term is considered slightly pejorative and hence Hindkowan or Hindkun is preferred on par with the term Pashtun (the dominant and more numerous ethnic group in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province).
Long before the partition of British India, Grierson
George Abraham Grierson
Sir George Abraham Grierson OM KCIE was born to a prominent Dublin family in 1851. His father and grandfather, both also named George, were well-known printers and publishers.-Biography:Educated at St...
, in the Linguistic Survey of India, employed the term Hindko to mean "the language of Hindus" (viii, 1:34). However, this is hotly disputed in Pakistan. Farigh Bukhari and South Asian language expert and historian Christopher Shackle believe that Hindko was a generic term applied to the Indo-Aryan
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
dialect continuum in the Pakistani northwest frontier territories and the adjacent district of Attock
Attock District
Attock District is a district in the north-west Punjab Province of Pakistan.The district was created in April 1904 by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India.Attock...
in the Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
province to differentiate it in function and form from Pashto. Linguists classify the language into the Indic
Indo-Aryan languages
The Indo-Aryan languages constitutes a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family...
group.
Lahnda is also spoken in the north of the state of Bahawalpur and of the province of Sind, in which latter locality it is known as Siraiki. Its western boundary is, roughly speaking, the river Indus, across which the language of the Afghan population is Pashto (Pushtu), while the Hindu settlers still speak Landha. In the Derajat, however, Lahnda, is the principal language of all classes in the plains west of the river. Lahnda is also known as Western Panjabi and as Jatki, or the language of the Jats, who form the bulk of the population whose mother tongue it is. In the Derajat it is called Hindko or the language of the Hindus. As such, there are a number of Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Hindkowans. Some of these Hindu Hindkowans are traders and over time, have settled in areas as far as Kalat, Balochistan
Balochistan
Balochistan or Baluchistan is a region which covers parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. It can also refer to one of several modern and historical territories within that region:...
. Other Hindu Hindkowans migrated to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
from their native region of Sarhad after the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
in 1947. During the Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent
Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent
Muslim conquest in South Asia mainly took place from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though earlier Muslim conquests made limited inroads into the region, beginning during the period of the ascendancy of the Rajput Kingdoms in North India, from the 7th century onwards.However, the Himalayan...
, which took place from the 12th century A.D. onwards, many of the Hindkowans converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. Today, most of the Hindkowan population is Sunni Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. Later, with the spread of Sikhism and the rise of the Sikh Empire beginning in the eighteenth century A.D., some Hindkowans, both Hindu & Muslim, became Sikhs. Like the Hindus, many Sikh Hindkowans migrated to India after the partition in 1947.
Demographics
There are no fresh and authentic figures on the speakers of Hindko language. However, according to indirect method of household rate employed in the 4th Population Census of 1981, an estimated 2.4 per cent of the total population of Pakistan and estimated 22.8 per cent of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa speak Hindko as their mother language, with more rural than urban households reporting Hindko as their household language.No information was gathered on the Hindko language in the 5th Population Census carried out in 1998 as Hindko language column was removed from the census form much to the dismay of Hindkowans.The largest geographically contiguous group of Hindko-speakers is concentrated in the districts of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Abbottabad
Abbottabad District
Abbottabad is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 1,969 km with the city of Abbottabad being the principal town...
, Kohat, Attock District
Attock District
Attock District is a district in the north-west Punjab Province of Pakistan.The district was created in April 1904 by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India.Attock...
, Nowshera, Haripur
Haripur District
Haripur is a district in the Hazara region of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, province of Pakistan with an altitude of around above sea level. Haripur District has the highest Human Development Index of all the districts in the Hazara....
, Mansehra
Mansehra District
Mansehra District is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, an area still unofficially known as the Northwest Frontier. Mansehra district and town are named after Man Singh, a leading general of Mughal Emperor Akbar...
and Mardan
Mardan
Mardan , known as The city of hospitality, is a city and headquarters of Mardan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is the de facto headquarters of the Yousafzai tribe and the second most populous city in the province, located at 34°12'0N 72°1'60E and an altitude of in the south...
of Pakistan
Tribal Communities
People here tend to associate themselves with larger families instead of a language per se. The major tribes of Hazara include the GujjarGujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
, Awan
Awan
Awan and Awans may refer to:*the Awan dynasty, an Elamite dynasty of Iran*Awan , a South Asian tribe*Awan , Azad Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir dynasty*Awan *Awan languages, spoken in South America...
, Bib
Bib (tribe)
The Bib are an Hindkowan tribe found in the Abbotabad District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. They occupy two villages between the Rash plains and Thandiani range. The Bib claim to be a branch of the Awan tribe, a claim generally not accepteb by the Awans. They, like the Awans...
, Bomba, Dhund Abbasi, Gakhar
Gakhar
Gakhar may refer to:*Gakhars, an ancient clan predominantly in present day Punjab, Pakistan.*Gakhar Hindus, the Hindu section of the Gakhar clan*Ghakhar Mandi, a small city in northeastern Punjab, Pakistan...
, Karlal
Karlal
The Karlal are a tribe found in the Abbottabad and Haripur districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan...
, Mughals, Ghaznavis, Maliar
Maliar
The Maliar are a tribe found in the Potohar region of Punjab, Pakistan as well as the Peshawar valley of the North West Frontier Province. Many Maliar now refer to themselves as Arain, another well known Punjabi caste.-History and origin:...
, Parachas, Sarrara
Sarrara
The Sarrara are a tribe found in the Hazara Division of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.-History and origin:They connect themselves with the Dhund Abbasi and the Tanoli tribes, which also found in the Hazara Division. According to of their traditions,they say at some time they came from...
, Qazis, Sayyid
Sayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
s, Mashwanis, Swati
Swati (tribe)
The Swatis are a Pashtun tribe based around the Swat valley, in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. They are the largest tribal group of land owners in the Mansehra and Battagram districts....
s, Tanoli
Tanoli
The Tanoli are a Hazarewal tribe of the Tanawal valley, Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Although not usually acknowledged as Pashtuns, the Tanoli have to an extent assimilated many Pashtun cultural features and become Pashtunified. Tribally allied with the Pathans,. The...
s, Dilazak
Dilazak
The Dilazak are a Pashtun tribe of the Afghan Karlani branch, found in Pakistan and India.-History:The Dilazak descended from the Suleman Range into the valley of Peshawar during the time of the Samanid Dynasty, between 750 and 850 CE. They expelled or subdued local people of the Swati, Degan and...
s, Shilmani
Shilmani
The Shilmani or Shalmani شلمانى are a Sarbanri Pashtun tribe who are primarily concentrated in the Shalman valley in Khyber agency near Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, the tribe is also present in different areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.In Pakistan, they live in Swat, Upper...
s, Jadoon
Jadoon
The Jadoons are one of the largest Pashtun tribes in Pakistan. They originate from Jallalabad and are now located in the southern Hazara Division area of Khyber Pakhtoonkhuwa, Pakistan, partly in Gadoon area in Swabi on the southern slopes of Mahaban Mountains, and partly in Abbottabad District...
s, Khattak
Khattak
Khattak or Khatak , is the name of an Afghan tribe. speaking a variant of the Kandahari Pashto. They are accorded the status of being one of the original and true Afghans. The tribe is settled along the western bank of the river Indus from as north upwards as Sammah; modern day Lund Khwar & Sher...
, Barakzai
Barakzai
- History :Barakzai is a common ethnic name among the Pashtuns of Afghanistan/Pakistan and it means . Barakzai is also a Pashtun tribe in Pakistan, and more predominantly, in Afghanistan...
, and Kakar
Kakar
The Kakar are a Pashtun tribe, with members living in Afghanistan and Pakistan.-Kakar :Kakar Afghan was one of the grandsons of Qais Abdur Rashid. Kakar's father's name was Dani, son of Gharghasht, who was the son of Qais in the Afghan appendix of tribes. According to Afghan and Muslim historians,...
. The Pashtun tribes who settled in Districts like Abbotabad, Haripur and Mansehra, Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
and Kohat
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
adopted Hindko as their first language and gained political power in these areas during the British rule. . The Hindko speaking people living in major cities Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Kohat
Kohat
Kohat is a medium sized town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 33°35'13N 71°26'29E with an altitude of 489 metres and is the capital of Kohat District. The town centres around a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. A British-built narrow gauge...
, Nowshera and chhachh
Chhachh
Chhachh is a region consisting of an alluvial plain extending from Attock District of Punjab, Pakistan, south-west to Topi - Swabi. The word Chhachh is derived from the Pashto word Chaj. It is bounded on the north and west by the river Indus, and is about long from east to west, and broad...
area of Attock
Attock
Attock is a city located in the northern border of the Punjab province of Pakistan and the headquarters of Attock District...
are bilingual in Pashto and Hindko. Similarly many Pashto speaking people in districts like Mansehra especially in Agror Valley and northern Tanawal (Shergarh), have become bilingual in Pashto and Hindko.
Prominent writers
There are many Hinko writers, among them Aurangzeb HussamhurSyed Mehboob,Aurangzeb Ghaznavi. Riffat Swati from Mansehrah is called madre
Madre
Mądre is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Zaniemyśl, within Środa Wielkopolska County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately east of Zaniemyśl, south of Środa Wielkopolska, and south-east of the regional capital Poznań.The village has a...
hindko for her promotion of Hindko language.
A monthly farogh is published from Peshawar by Aurangzeb Ghaznavi. Dr. Syed Mehboob is working for the promotion of Hindko language in Karachi and Sindh. His many articles has been published in various newspapers including Farogh Peshawar.
Hindko poets
Some of the prominent Hindko poets/writers are:- Professor Dr Elahi Bakhsh Awan,
- Haider Zaman Haider,
- Sultan Sakoon
- Sabir Hussain Imdaad,
- Sheen Shaukat
- Zaffar Iqbal Athar
- Mohammad Ziauddin
- Ahmad Nadeem Awan
- Sikandar Hayat Sikandar
- Mr. Asif Saqib,
- Afzal Chishti
- Raza Hamadani
- Bushra Farukh
- Qudsia Qudsi
- Hassam Hurr
- Hilal Jamid
- Iftikhar Tashna
- Aslam Taraq
- Khawaja Yaqoob Akhtar
- Maqbool Ejaz Ejazi
- Malak Arshad Hussain
- Masoom Shah Masoom
- Sabeeh Ahed
- Rani Bano
- Sadaq Saba
- Saeed Gilani
- Zaffar Naveed Jani
- Prof. Sufi Abdur Rasheed,
- Col. Fazal-e-Akbar Kamal,
- Mr. Sultan Sakoon,
- Mr. Sharif Hussain Shah,
- Prof. Muhammad Farid,
- Prof. Yahya Khalid,
- Mr. Nazir Kasalvi,
- Muhammad Hanif,
- Ahmad Ali {Khayali}
- Shoaib shahid
- Prof. Bashir Sooz
- Muhammad Hanif
- Ahmad Hussain Mujahid
- Mohammed Khan (NCSU)
Distribution
The speakers of Hindko live primarily in seven districts in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa: MansehraMansehra District
Mansehra District is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, an area still unofficially known as the Northwest Frontier. Mansehra district and town are named after Man Singh, a leading general of Mughal Emperor Akbar...
, Swabi
Swabi District
Swabi District is the fourth most populous district of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It lies between the Indus and Kabul Rivers. The residents are referred to as Swabva'l. The Mandanr Yusufzai subsection of the Yousafzai clan of the Pashtuns form a majority of the population.-...
, Abbottabad
Abbottabad District
Abbottabad is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 1,969 km with the city of Abbottabad being the principal town...
, Haripur
Haripur District
Haripur is a district in the Hazara region of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, province of Pakistan with an altitude of around above sea level. Haripur District has the highest Human Development Index of all the districts in the Hazara....
, Peshawar
Peshawar District
Peshawar is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Until divisions were abolished as part of local government reforms in 2000 it was part of Peshawar Division. The city of Peshawar, as well as being the provincial capital, is the capital of the district...
, Nowshera
Nowshera District
Nowshera is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan - the principal city is Nowshera. Nowshera District is divided into 47 Union Councils and 5 provincial seats....
and Kohat
Kohat District
Kohat is a district of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Kohat city is the capital of the district. It is inhabited by various Pashtun tribes such as Afridi,Khattaks, Bangash and the Orakzaies. The main language of the district is Pashto....
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, as well as the Attock
Attock District
Attock District is a district in the north-west Punjab Province of Pakistan.The district was created in April 1904 by the merger of Talagang Tehsil in the Jhelum District with the Pindigheb, Fatehjang and Attock tehsils from Rawalpindi District of the Punjab province of British India.Attock...
and Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi District
Rawalpindi is a district of Pakistan in the north of the Punjab province which contains the city of Rawalpindi. The district has an area of . It was part of Rawalpindi Division, until the year 2000 when the division was abolished...
districts in the Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
and parts of Kashmir; Jonathan Addleton states that Hindko is the most significant linguistic minority in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, represented in nearly one-fifth of the province's total households." In Abbotabad
Abbottabad District
Abbottabad is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The district covers an area of 1,969 km with the city of Abbottabad being the principal town...
, 98 per cent of households reported speaking Hindko, in Mansehra District
Mansehra District
Mansehra District is in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, an area still unofficially known as the Northwest Frontier. Mansehra district and town are named after Man Singh, a leading general of Mughal Emperor Akbar...
77 per cent, in Haripur District
Haripur District
Haripur is a district in the Hazara region of Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa, province of Pakistan with an altitude of around above sea level. Haripur District has the highest Human Development Index of all the districts in the Hazara....
around 85 per cent, in Peshawar District
Peshawar District
Peshawar is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Until divisions were abolished as part of local government reforms in 2000 it was part of Peshawar Division. The city of Peshawar, as well as being the provincial capital, is the capital of the district...
35 per cent, and in Kohat District
Kohat District
Kohat is a district of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, Kohat city is the capital of the district. It is inhabited by various Pashtun tribes such as Afridi,Khattaks, Bangash and the Orakzaies. The main language of the district is Pashto....
40 per cent (1986). Testing of inherent intelligibility
Intelligibility
In phonetics, Intelligibility is a measure of how comprehendible speech is, or the degree to which speech can be understood. Intelligibility is affected by spoken clarity, explicitness, lucidity, comprehensibility, perspicuity, and precision.-Noise levels:...
among Hindko dialects through the use of recorded tests has shown that there is a northern (Hazara) dialect group and a southern group. The southern dialects are more widely understood throughout the dialect network than are the northern dialects. The dialects of rural Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
and Talagang
Talagang
Talagang, the headquarters of Talagang Tehsil, is a town located in Chakwal District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 32°55'0N 72°25'0E and lies about 30 kilometres from the M2 motorway and about 45 kilometres from the district capital, Chakwal....
are the most widely understood of the dialects tested. The dialect of Balakot
Balakot
Balakot , is a town in Mansehra District in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The town was destroyed during the 2005 earthquake and later rebuilt with the assistance of the Government of Pakistan and Saudi Public Assistance for Pakistan Earthquake Victims , a Saudi relief organization...
is the least widely understood.
Bilingualism
In most Hindko-speaking areas, speakers of Pashto live in the same or neighbouring communities (although this is less true in Abbottabad and Kaghan Valley than elsewhere). In the mixed areas, many people speak both languages. The relationship between Hindko and Pashto is not one of stable bilingualism.Notable Hindkowans
- Prithviraj KapoorPrithviraj KapoorPrithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
, famous IndianIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Actor, Theatre Artist - Shashi KapoorShashi KapoorShashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
, famous IndianIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Actor, Director, Producer - Shammi KapoorShammi KapoorShammi Kapoor was an Indian film actor and director. He was a prominent lead actor in Hindi cinema from the late 1950s until the early 1970s....
, famous IndianIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Actor, Director, Producer - Raj KapoorRaj KapoorKnown as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
,Famous IndianIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Actor, Director, Producer - Pran SikhandPran SikhandPran is a multiple Filmfare and BFJA award-winning Indian actor, who is one of the most popular villains of Hindi cinema. He has appeared in over 350 films. Pran played the leading man in films like Halaku , Dharma, Jangal Mein Mangal , Gaddar and Ek Kunwari Ek Kunwara...
, Padma BhushanPadma BhushanThe Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
, a multiple filmfare awardsFilmfare AwardsThe Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
and BFJA award winning Indian Bollywood actor - Anil KapoorAnil KapoorAnil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
,Famous IndianIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Actor. - Prithviraj KapoorPrithviraj KapoorPrithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
,Famous IndianIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Actor. - Akhtar Abdur RahmanAkhtar Abdur RahmanGeneral Akhtar Abdur Rahman Khan , born in Rampur, was a 4-star general in the Pakistan Army. He served as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1987–1988 and as Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence from 1980-1987...
, ISIISIISI or Isi may refer to:* İsi, a village and municipality in the Masally Rayon of Azerbaijan-Organizations:* Bureau of Indian Standards, previously the Indian Standards Institute, the national Standards Body of India...
Chief. - Humayun Akhtar KhanHumayun Akhtar KhanHumayun Akhtar Khan is a Pakistani politician. He served as the Federal Minister for Trade and Commerce from 2002–2007 and as the Federal Minister for Investment from 1997-1999. His father General Akhtar Abdur Rahman served as Director General of the ISI in the 1980's and played a crucial role in...
, prominent politician. - Ayub Khan, Pakistan ArmyPakistan ArmyThe Pakistan Army is the branch of the Pakistani Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the Partition of India and the resulting independence of Pakistan in 1947. It is currently headed by General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The Pakistan...
General. - Yasir HameedYasir HameedYasir Hameed Qureshi is a Pakistani cricketer. He scored two centuries on his Test debut against Bangladesh, becoming only the second player to do so...
, Pakistani Crickter. - Jehangir Khan, former World champion, Squash player.
- Vinod KhannaVinod Khanna-Early life:Khanna was born to Kamla and Kishanchand Khanna, a textiles, dyes and chemicals businessman of Hindu Punjabi Khatri origin, on 6 October 1946, in Peshawar, British India . He has three sisters and one brother...
,Famous IndianIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Actor. - Shah Rukh Khan,Famous IndianIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Actor. - Ranbir KapoorRanbir KapoorRanbir Kapoor is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.Making his acting debut in the 2007 film Saawariya, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, Kapoor went on to earn critical praise for his performance in Wake Up Sid...
, famous IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
Actor