Pashto is often called the language of Pathans, also known by the ethnic names of Pakhtuns and Pastuns. Pashto is the national language of Afghanistan. It is spoken by approximately 40 million people, the language has its roots in Iran and afghan borders and flourishes till North West provinces of Pakistan and in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
<br>Pashto literature was supposed to be oral but with the Islamic invasion the Paktuns were forced to flee to other parts and gradually developed the writing skills only to translate the language on paper in the form of manuscripts.
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<br>Some historians believe that the language was spoken some 2000-2500 years ago. The Pashto poetries are said to be one of the finest creations of the language itself but in the earlier days it was a taboo for an Afghani woman to sing a poetry in Pashto but gradually the animosity changed with time and the later stages saw a wave of Pashto poetries stories and proverbs. The language itself is not easily understood and needs a persistent toiling to learn.
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<br>Pashto is spoken in varied dialects one of which is "Dari" spoken by approximately 15 % of the population in Pakistan's north west frontier provinces and 31% of Afghan population especially in the neighboring regions of Pakistani borders.
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<br>Under the British Raj, the Pashto language seemed to have gone a pleasant renaissance as not only Pashto was translated to English but the closed compartments of the Afghan culture were opened to the rest of the world. The first literature that was published in Pashto was the holy bible which was done by missionaries who mastered the language while residing there in 1818 at Serampur Baptist Mission Press.
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<br>The British officers and bureaucrats turned their attention towards the language for the sake of administrative purposes.The later years saw Isidore Loewenthal, an orthodox Jew in Poland translating the New Testament in Pashto. Similarly many of the other scholars like Dr. Henry Walter Bellew wrote A Grammar of the Pooshtoo Language'in 1854
<br>However the credit for comprehending the most of the comprehensive works on Pashto goes to Henry George Raverty who was a military lieutenant of the Bombay Army when he was serving in Bombay army he had the chance to be taught by Qazi Abdur Rahman Khan Muhammadzai - translator of Old Testament from Hebrew and John Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress' into Pashto among other notable literary works. Qazi Abdur Rahman Khan Muhammadzai also taught Francis Burton who was a multi lingual explorer and is anointed with translating Arabian nights in English George W. Gilbertson in the preface to 'First Pukkhtoo Book' 1901 discuses how Pathans are proud people who will defend their honor at any cost and will not tolerate insult at any cost. Since the British had a deep sense of racial superiority embedded in them the later British scholars portray Paktuns as a bunch of uncivilized and barbaric tribes men.
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<br>In the contemporary era Pashto has gained significance for the region of Afghanistan has become the new play ground for American struggle of war against terror. The basic population which is getting affected are Paktuns and speak Pashto a language which is being quickly learned by the American army in order to send out their message in a more profound manner. Afghanistan being hotspot of terrorism, Pashto is one language which has come on the brink of its extinction. Though Hamid Karzai is trying his level best top contain the warring Paktuns tribes who speak varied dialects of Pashto into a saner democratic setup.
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<br>About the Author: Ashraf Afghani is a proud Pashtun. Born and bred in Afghanistan he loves living in Afghanistan. He is particularly fond of <a href="http://pashto-songs.com" rel="nofollow">Pashto Songs</a>. Although <a href="http://pashto-songs.com" rel="nofollow">Pashto Songs</a> took a battering during the Taliban regime, it is in a revival mode. Several musicians from Pakistan and other neighboring countries are entering the fray to revive the ancient cultural heritage of the Pashtuns.
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