Awan (Template:Lang-ur) is a Pashtun tribe living predominantly in the northern, central, and western parts of Pakistani Punjab, with significant numbers also present in Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, and to a lesser extent in Sindh and Pakistani Balochistan.[1] Genetically, it is a Pashtun sub-tribe of Ghoryakhel tribe but the people of Awan tribe claim Arab descent.
History
Jamal J. Elias notes that the Awans believe themselves to be of Arab origin, descended from Ali ibn Abu Talib and that the claim of Arab descent gives them "high status in the Indian Muslim environment".[2]
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People of the Awan community have a strong presence in the Pakistani Army[3] and a notable martial tradition.[4] They were listed as an "agricultural tribe" by the British Raj in 1925, a term that was then synonymous with classification as a "martial race".[5]
Genetic studies on Awan
Centre for Human Genetics of Edith Cowan University, Australia, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Pakistan and Institute of General Genetics of Russian Academy of Science, Russia conducted different genetic studies on Awan and its neighbouring tribes, namely Khattar and Rajput, which concluded that Awans are genetically isolated, endogamous and very different from its neighbouring tribes.[6]
Department of Genetics of Hazara University, Pakistan conducted a dental morphology and DNA analysis of major tribes in Northern Pakistan which recorded that haplogroup T1 (originated in Israel[7][8]) is only found in Awans.[9]
Department of Genetics of Hazara University, Pakistan, Department of Anthropology of University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA and Center for Human Genetics of Hazara University, Pakistan conducted different studies in which hypervariable segment I (HVSI) from mtDNA was analyzed to establish the genetic lineage of the populations living in Northern Pakistan. A three-cytosine deletion (CCC) at position 16191-16193 was clearly observed in Awans and they fall in the same genetic cluster as Arab tribe of Syeds because of their similarity.[10]
A latest study conducted by Zoological Society of Pakistan concluded that Awans are genetically identical to Pashtuns, specifically Daudzai and Khalils sub-tribes of Ghoryakhel tribe.[11]
Notable people
- Nawab Malik Amir Mohammad Khan – Former Nawab of Kalabagh, Chief of the Awan tribe and Governor of West Pakistan from 1960 to 1966.[12]
- Air Marshal Nur Khan – Commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Air Force, 1965–69, Governor of West Pakistan, 1969–70, and recipient of the Hilal-i-Jurat, the second-highest military award of Pakistan.[13]
- Mir Sultan Khan – A chess master also believed by some to be the greatest natural chess player of modern times.[14]
- Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi – Urdu poet, journalist, literary critic, dramatist, short story author, recipient of the Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the third-highest civil award of Pakistan.[15]
- Sultan Bahu – A Sufi mystic, poet, scholar and founder of mystic tradition known as Sarwari Qadiri.[16]
- Khadim Hussain Rizvi – A Pakistani Islamic scholar and the founder of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan.[17]
- Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan – Islamic scholar and spiritual leader of the mystic tradition known as Naqshbandia Owaisiah.[18]
- Abdul Mannan Wazirabadi – Islamic scholar, jurist and muhaddith.[19]Template:Better source
- Dilip Kumar – An actor in Hindi cinema.[20]
See also
References
- ↑ Douie, J. 2003. The Panjab, North West Frontier Province and Kashmir. Asian Educational Services, p.105.
- ↑ Death Before Dying: The Sufi Poems of Sultan Bahu{{#if:J. Elias|, J. Elias}. University of California Press(1998). ISBN 978-0-52021-242-8
- ↑ The Pakistan People's Party: Rise to Power{{#if:Jones|, Jones}. Oxford University Press(2003). ISBN 0195799666
- ↑ Punjab under Imperialism, 1885–1947{{#if:Ali|, Ali}. Princeton University Press(1998). ISBN 1400859581
- ↑ The Indian Army and the Making of Punjab{{#if:Mazumder|, Mazumder}. Orient Longman(2003). ISBN 9788178240596
- ↑ A genome-based study of consanguinity in three co-resident endogamous Pakistan communities. Annals of Human Genetics({Template:Date).
- ↑ Genomic insights into the origin of farming in the ancient Near East. Nature({Template:Year).
- ↑ Haplogroup T-M184(9 April 2022).
- ↑ GENETIC ANALYSES OF THE MAJOR TRIBES OF ABBOTTABAD AND MANSEHRA DISTRICTS THROUGH DENTAL MORPHOLOGY AND DNA ANALYSES. Department of Genetics Hazara University Mansehra({Template:Date).
- ↑ HVSI polymorphism indicates multiple origins of mtDNA in the Hazarewal population of Northern Pakistan. Genetics and Molecular Research({Template:Date).
- ↑ Identification of Genetic Lineage of Peshawar and Nowshera Tribes through Dental Morphology. Pakistan Journal of Zoology({Template:Date).
- ↑ Pakistan Leadership Challenges{{#if:Khan|, Khan}. Oxford University Press(2001). ISBN 0195795873
- ↑ The American Papers: Secret and Confidential India-Pakistan-Bangladesh Documents, 1965-1973{{#if:Khan|, Khan}. Oxford University Press(1999). ISBN 0195791908
- ↑ CHESS:The Wrath of Khan. Dawn(17 May 2020). Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ↑ Flower on a Grave: Poems from Ahmad Nadeem Qasimi{{#if:Kamal|, Kamal}. Oxford University Press(2008). ISBN 9780195474978
- ↑ The Friends of God: Sufi Saints in Islam, Popular Poster Art from Pakistan{{#if:Frembgen|, Frembgen}. Oxford University Press(2006). ISBN 0195470060
- ↑ A Barelvi revival?. The News International(10 December 2017). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ↑ Hazrat Ameer Muhammad Akram (RA). Silsala Naqshbandia Owaisia. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ↑ Ustad-e-Punjab (teacher of Punjab), in Urdu Language, by Maulana Majeed Sohadravi, Darussalam Pakistan/Muslim Publication, Lahore. page 41
- ↑ Pakistan mourns the loss of legendary Indian star Dilip Kumar, prayers offered outside ancestral home. WION(July 8, 2021). Retrieved July 13, 2021.
Further reading
- Pakistan - Social and Cultural Transformations in a Muslim Nation{{#if:Qadeer|, Qadeer}. Taylor & Francis(22 November 2006). ISBN 1134186177