Pashto: The Primary Language of the Pashtun People

Pashto: An Eastern Iranian Language

The main language of the Pashtuns (Pathans) is Pashto (also spelled Pushtu or Pakhto). It belongs to the Eastern Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian language family.

Geographic Distribution

• Afghanistan: One of two official languages (with Dari); native to ~40-50% of the population.
• Pakistan: Provincial language of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; widely spoken in northern Balochistan and tribal areas.
• Diaspora: Communities in Iran, India, UAE, and Western countries.

Status

Pashto has a rich oral and written literary tradition, with two main dialect groups (Northern "Pakhto" and Southern "Pashto"). It uses a modified Perso-Arabic script.