UpdateBot at 17:22, 10 March 2022

2022-03-10T17:22:47Z

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{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Afghans in India
| image =
| caption =
| langs = [[Hindi]]{{·}}[[Urdu]]{{·}}[[Pashto]]{{·}}[[Dari]]
| population =
15,806 [[Afghan refugees]] (2021)<ref name="Onward Movements of Afghan Refugees"/><ref name="Afghan refugees in India cast adrift amid coronavirus pandemic"/><br />
4,504 Afghan students (2021)<ref name="Over 4,500 Afghan students on Indian campuses hold their breath"/>
| popplace = [[Delhi]]{{·}}[[Kolkata]]{{·}}[[Bangalore]]{{·}}[[Visakhapatnam]]{{·}}[[Hyderabad]]
| rels = [[Hinduism]]{{·}}[[Sikhism]]{{·}}[[Islam]]{{·}}[[Christianity]]<ref>[http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/an-afghan-church-grows-in-delhi/ An Afghan Church Grows in Delhi]. July 22, 2013. Retrieved 2015-02-04.</ref><ref>[http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2013/july/afghanistan-christian-converts-in-new-delhi-india.html?paging=off Where Afghan Christians Flee After Converting to Christianity]. July 25, 2013. Retrieved 2015-02-04.</ref>
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| related_groups =
}}

'''Afghan Indians''' are [[Aadhaar|Indian citizens]] and non-citizen [[domicile (law)|residents]] born in, or with ancestors from, [[Afghanistan]].<ref name="Afghan refugees in search of Indian identity">{{cite web |title=Afghan refugees in search of Indian identity |url=https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2005/5/428c967e4/afghan-refugees-search-indian-identity.html |publisher=UNHCR |date=May 19, 2005 |access-date=2021-08-25}}</ref><ref name=NPR/> As of early 2021, there are at least 15,806 [[Afghans]] temporarily residing in [[India]] under a special protection and care of the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] (UNHCR).<ref name="Onward Movements of Afghan Refugees"/><ref name="Afghan refugees in India cast adrift amid coronavirus pandemic"/> Apart from citizens and expatriates, there are a number of communities in India who trace their ancestry back to [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] forefathers of [[Pashtunistan]].

==History==
{{Further|Afghanistan–India relations}}
[[File:Sher Shah Suri by Breshna.jpg|upright|thumb|[[Sher Shah Suri]] ]]
The earliest record of [[Afghans|Afghan]]s in India is [[List of Pashtun empires and dynasties|during the late 13th century]] when they began migrating during the [[Khalji dynasty]] who formed an empire in [[Northern India]]. It was founded by Jalal ud din Firuz Khalji and became the second Muslim dynasty to rule the Delhi sultanate of India.<ref name="Chaurasia">{{cite book|last1=Chaurasia|first1=Radhey Shyam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8XnaL7zPXPUC|title=History of medieval India: from 1000 A.D. to 1707 A.D.|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Distributors|year=2002|isbn=81-269-0123-3|location=|page=337|quote=The Khiljis were a Central Asian Turkic dynasty but having been long domiciled in Afghanistan, and adopted some Afghan habits and customs. They were treated as Afghans in Delhi Court.|authorlink=|accessdate=2010-08-23}}</ref><ref name="Cavendish">{{cite book|last1=Cavendish|first1=Marshall|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j894miuOqc4C|title=World and Its Peoples: The Middle East, Western Asia, and Northern Africa|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|year=2006|isbn=0-7614-7571-0|location=|page=320|quote=The sultans of the Slave Dynasty were Turkic [[Central Asian]]s, but the members of the new dynasty, although they were also Turkic, had settled in Afghanistan and brought a new set of customs and culture to Delhi.|authorlink=|accessdate=2010-08-23}}</ref> The [[Lodi dynasty]] ruled Northern India until the invasion of [[Babur]] in 1526, at which point the [[Mughal Empire]] was created. During this period Afghans from [[Kabulistan]] began arriving to India for business and pleasure. The [[Sur Empire]] replaced the Mughal Empire from 1540 to 1557. Other Pashtuns began invading India until the [[Sikh Empire]] came to power. This formed a barrier between Afghanistan ([[Durrani Empire]]) and British India. Afghans were required visas to enter India after this period.

The [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] emperor [[Sher Shah Suri]] (Farid Khan) defeated the [[Mughal Empire]] in 1540. After his accidental death in 1545, his son [[Islam Shah]] became his successor. He first served as a private before rising to become a commander in the Mughal army under [[Babur]] and then as the governor of Bihar. In 1537, when Babur's son [[Humayun]] was elsewhere on an expedition, Sher Shah overran the state of Bengal and established the [[Sur Dynasty]]. A brilliant strategist, Sher Shah proved himself a gifted administrator as well as a capable general. His reorganization of the empire laid the foundations for the later Mughal emperors, notably [[Akbar]], son of Humayun. He extended the Grand Trunk Road from Chittagong in the frontiers of the province of Bengal in near eastern India to Kabul in Afghanistan in the far northwest of the country.

During the 19th century many Afghans migrated to India. Prominent among them were the families of [[Nawab of Sardhana]]<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/goldenbookofindi00lethuoft/goldenbookofindi00lethuoft_djvu.txt/ Page 13: The Golden Book of India, by Sir Roper Lethbridge. McMillan & Co., 1893, London.]</ref> and the [[Qizilbashi]] Agha family of [[Srinagar]], [[Kashmir]].<ref>http://libasapp.pakkapapita.com/?p=5452</ref> Both the families had martial lineage and belonged to the feudal aristocracy.<ref>https://aghafamilyofsrinagarkashmir.wordpress.com/</ref>

=== Partition of India and the arrival of Afghan refugees ===
{{Further|Afghan refugees|Afghan diaspora|UNHCR Representation in India}}
[[File:Feroz Khan.jpg|thumb|[[Bollywood]] actor and director [[Feroz Khan (actor)|Feroz Khan]] in 2005]]
Before and after the [[partition of India]] in 1947, a number of Afghans left their native areas in order to take permanent residency in major Indian cities such as [[Mumbai]] and [[Bangalore]]. Some of those immigrants got involved in the [[Bollywood]] film industry, which had already been dominated by people originating from the [[Pashtunistan]] region. Some of the well-known Indian actors and producers of Afghan heritage are [[Feroz Khan (actor)|Feroz Khan]], [[Salim Khan]] and [[Kader Khan]]. All of the early Afghans have acquired citizenship of India in accordance with Indian law. As such, they are widely recognized as Indians.

After the start of the [[Soviet–Afghan War]] in 1979, approximately 60,000 [[Afghans]] took temporary residency in India, most of them being Hindu and Sikh Afghans.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Religion/Islamophobia-AntiMuslim/Civil%20Society%20or%20Individuals/RitumbraM1.pdf |title=Rohingyas in India |page=7 |publisher=Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights |date=2020 |access-date=2021-08-25 |quote=In the 1980s, the Afghan-Soviet war brought about 60,000 Afghan (majority Sikh and Hindu) refugees in India.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/afghan-refugees-in-india-face-an-uncertain-future-49343 |title=Afghan refugees in India face an uncertain future |publisher=TRT World |access-date=August 20, 2021 |date=2021-08-25}}</ref><ref name="Alam2021">{{cite web |last1=Alam |first1=Majid |title=As India Mulls Giving Asylum to Afghan Nationals, A Look at Its Refugee Policy And Citizenship Rules |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/as-india-mulls-giving-asylum-to-afghan-nationals-a-look-at-its-refugee-policy-and-citizenship-rules-4097981.html |publisher=[[News18]] |access-date=18 August 2021 |language=English |date=18 August 2021}}</ref> Many of them have subsequently immigrated to countries in [[Europe]], [[North America]] and [[Oceania]]. Some have returned to their native areas in Afghanistan after the formation of the [[Presidency of Hamid Karzai|Karzai administration]] in late 2001.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-23968427 |title=Indian diarist Sushmita Banerjee shot dead in Afghanistan |publisher=BBC News |date=September 3, 2013 |access-date=2021-08-25}}</ref> Those that remained in India have applied for [[Indian nationality law|citizenship of India]].<ref name="Afghan refugees in search of Indian identity"/>

On January 1, 2016, [[Adnan Sami]] became a citizen of India. He is a Pashtun from his father [[Arshad Sami Khan]]'s side. Adnan's grandfather General Mehfooz Jan hailed from [[Herat]] in Afghanistan and was the governor of four provinces in that country, namely [[Herat Province|Herat]], [[Kabul Province|Kabul]], [[Nangarhar Province|Nangarhar]] and [[Balkh Province|Balkh]], under the reign of King [[Amanullah Khan]]. Adnan's great-grandfather General Ahmed Jan was the military adviser to King [[Abdur Rahman Khan]]. General Ahmed Jan was the conqueror of [[Kafiristan]] and named it [[Nuristan]]. However, at the time of the [[Habibullah Kalakani]] revolution in Afghanistan, Adnan's grandfather General Mehfooz Jan was assassinated. The family moved to [[Peshawar]], which was a part of [[British India]] at that time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/Adnan-Sami-Fastest-fingers-first/articleshow/37852222.cms|title=Adnan Sami: Fastest fingers first|work=The Times of India}}</ref>

According to UNHCR, India currently hosts at least 15,806 [[Afghan refugees]] within its borders.<ref name="Onward Movements of Afghan Refugees">{{citation|url=https://reporting.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/Statistical%20Factsheet%20Onward%20movements%20of%20Afghan%20refugees%20March-April%202021.pdf|title=Onward Movements of Afghan Refugees |date=March–April 2021|publisher=UNHCR|access-date=2021-08-24}}</ref><ref name="Afghan refugees in India cast adrift amid coronavirus pandemic">{{cite news |url=https://www.dw.com/en/afghan-refugees-in-india-hit-by-covid-19/a-55160916 |title=Afghan refugees in India cast adrift amid coronavirus pandemic |publisher=DW News |date=May 10, 2020 |access-date=2021-08-24}}</ref><ref name="Lalwani2021">{{cite web |last1=Lalwani |first1=Vijayta |title=As tensions rise in Afghanistan, refugees in Delhi worry about their relatives back home |url=https://scroll.in/article/1000390/as-tensions-rise-in-afghanistan-refugees-in-delhi-worry-about-their-relatives-back-home |publisher=[[Scroll.in]] |language=English |date=18 July 2021}}</ref> Religiously, they include [[Hinduism in Afghanistan|Hindus]], [[Sikhism in Afghanistan|Sikhs]], [[Islam in Afghanistan|Muslims]] and [[Christianity in Afghanistan|Christians]]<ref name="India says it will prioritize Hindus and Sikhs in issuing 'emergency visas' to Afghans"/><ref name="Afghan refugees in search of Indian identity"/><ref name="An Afghan Church Grows in Delhi">{{cite news |url=http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/an-afghan-church-grows-in-delhi/ |title=An Afghan Church Grows in Delhi |work=The New York Times |date=July 22, 2013 |access-date=2015-02-04}}</ref><ref name="Where Afghan Christians Flee After Converting to Christianity">{{cite news |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2013/july/afghanistan-christian-converts-in-new-delhi-india.html |title=Where Afghan Christians Flee After Converting to Christianity |publisher=Christianity Today |date=July 25, 2013 |access-date=2015-02-04}}</ref> The majority of them reside in the capital [[Delhi]], specifically in the neighborhoods of [[Lajpat Nagar]], [[Bhogal]] and [[Malviya Nagar (Delhi)|Malviya Nagar]].<ref name="Aafaq2021"/> The Indian government does not provide work permit to the Afghan refugees. "Many have trouble enrolling their children in school."<ref name="Tough times follow Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban to Delhi">{{cite news |url=https://www.indianexpress.com/news/tough-times-follow-afghan-refugees-fleeing-taliban-to-delhi/1146123/ |title=Tough times follow Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban to Delhi |publisher=The Indian Express |date=July 24, 2013 |access-date=2021-08-25}}</ref> Despite these difficulties, some have managed to operate "shops, restaurants and pharmacies."<ref name="Aafaq2021">{{cite web |last1=Aafaq |first1=Zafar |title='Our future unknown': Afghan nationals in India wary of Taliban |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/17/afghanistan-nationals-india-taliban-new-delhi |publisher=Al Jazeera |language=English |date=August 17, 2021 |access-date=2021-08-25}}</ref><ref name=NPR>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/08/17/1028542798/afghans-refugees-in-neighboring-india-painfully-follow-news-of-their-home-countr |title=Afghan Refugees In India Fret Over The News Back Home, And Their Own Legal Status |publisher=NPR |access-date=August 19, 2021 |date=2021-08-25}}</ref> In addition to the refugees, thousands of Afghan students study in [[List of universities in India|Indian universities]].<ref name="Over 4,500 Afghan students on Indian campuses hold their breath">{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/over-4500-afghan-students-on-indian-campuses-hold-their-breath/articleshow/85419799.cms |title=Over 4,500 Afghan students on Indian campuses hold their breath |work=The Times of India |access-date=August 18, 2021 |date=2021-08-25}}</ref>

[[Afghan identity card|Afghan citizens]] use India as a temporary place of residence until they are [[third country resettlement|firmly settled]] in countries of Europe, North America or Oceania.<ref name="Tough times follow Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban to Delhi"/> Those who are denied admission into those countries can either remain in India, travel to another country, or return to Afghanistan. In 2021, following the end of the latest [[war in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|war in Afghanistan]], India offered an emergency visa (the 'e-Emergency X-Misc Visa') to some Afghan nationals.<ref name="India says it will prioritize Hindus and Sikhs in issuing 'emergency visas' to Afghans">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/17/world/asia/india-afghanistan-visas.html |title=India says it will prioritize Hindus and Sikhs in issuing 'emergency visas' to Afghans. |work=The New York Times |access-date=August 19, 2021 |date=2021-08-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=India announces emergency e-visa for Afghans |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-announces-emergency-e-visa-for-afghans/article35952475.ece |work=The Hindu |access-date=2021-08-18 |language=English |date=17 August 2021}}</ref><ref name="Alam2021"/> Much of [[Christianity in Afghanistan|Afghanistan's Christian community]] thrives within India.<ref name="Iyengar2018">{{cite web |last1=Iyengar |first1=Radhika |title=The Afghan Christian refugees of Delhi |url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/HsxjKA5Fe121EoOCqeaA0I/The-Afghan-Christian-refugees-of-Delhi.html |publisher=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |access-date=18 August 2021 |language=English |date=28 July 2018}}</ref>

== Pashto-speaking communities in India ==
{{Further|Pashtun diaspora|Pathans in India}}
The following are places where [[Pashtun culture]] can be found: Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal and Indore); Punjab (Maler Kotla); Bihar (Gaya, Sherghati, Patna, Aurangabad and Sasaram); and Uttar Pradesh (Malihabad, Etawah, Shahjahanpur, Rampur).

There are a large number of [[Pashto]]-speaking Pakhtuns in the Indian states of [[Assam]] and [[West Bengal]] and the territory of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/05aug13/news.htm|title=Special focus on Gujjars, Paharis: CM|publisher=[[Daily Excelsior]]|access-date=2009-08-22}}{{Dead link|date=October 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Although their exact numbers are hard to determine, it is at least in excess of 100,000 for it is known that in 1954 over 100,000 nomadic Pakhtuns living in Kashmir Valley were granted Indian
citizenship.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/07/20/stories/2004072001220900.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041209153349/http://www.hindu.com/2004/07/20/stories/2004072001220900.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 December 2004|title=Pashtoons in Kashmir|date=20 July 1954|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=2009-08-22|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> Today [[jirga]]s are frequently held.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1061030/asp/nation/story_6934322.asp|title=Justice rolls in Kashmir, Afghan-style|publisher=The Telegraph|access-date=2009-08-22}}</ref> Those settled and living in the Kashmir Valley speak [[Pashto]], and are found chiefly in the southwest of the valley, where Pashtun colonies have from time to time been founded. The most interesting are the Kukikhel [[Afridi (Pashtun)|Afridis]] of Dramghaihama, who retain all the old customs and speak Pashto. They wear colorful dress and carry swords and shields. The [[Afridi]]s and the Machipurians, who belong to the [[Yusufzai]] tribe, are liable to military service, in return for which they hold certain villages free of revenue. The Pashtuns chiefly came in under the [[Durranis]], but many were brought by [[Gulab Singh of Jammu and Kashmir|Maharajah Gulab Singh]] for service on the frontier.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.opf.org.pk/almanac/P/people.htm|title=Saiyids, Mughals, Pashtuns and Galawans|publisher=OPF|access-date=2007-06-07 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070515140617/http://www.opf.org.pk/almanac/P/people.htm |archive-date = 15 May 2007}}</ref> Pashto is also spoken in two villages, Dhakki and Changnar (Chaknot), located on the [[Line of Control]] in [[Kupwara District]].<ref name="SIL">{{Cite web |url=http://www.sil.org/silewp/2005/silewp2005-008.pdf|title=A First Look at the Language of Kundal Shahi in Azad Kashmir|publisher=[[SIL International]]|access-date=2009-06-11}}</ref> In response to demand by the Pashtun community living in the state, Kashir TV has recently launched a series of Pushto-language programs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20001207/j&k.htm|title = The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Jammu & Kashmir}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Afghanistan–India relations]]
* [[Indians in Afghanistan]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{EI3|last=Gommans|first=Jos J. L.|title=Afghāns in India|year=2007|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-3/afghans-in-india-COM_0013?s.num=119&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.encyclopaedia-of-islam-3&s.start=100&s.q=Khan}}

{{Afghan diaspora}}
{{Pashtun Diaspora}}
{{Immigration to India}}

[[Category:Afghan diaspora in Asia|India]]
[[Category:Afghan expatriates in India| ]]
[[Category:Indian people of Afghan descent| ]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in India]]
[[Category:Immigration to India]]
[[Category:Pashtun diaspora]]

Afghans in India - Revision history

UpdateBot at 17:22, 10 March 2022