PESHAWAR: Speakers at an event here on Sunday urged research scholars and historians to trace back true origin of Pashtuns.

They said that the current theories about the origin of Pashtuns did not have firm and solid grounds. Pashtuns were not a race but a nation having thousands of years old culture and way of living, they added.

They said that few books describing Pashtuns were mostly based on myths and folktales that were developed into popular theories. They said that one termed Pashtuns descended of the son of King Saul while another notion called them Aryans. “No so-called history book has traced back the true origin of Pashtuns,” they added.

Arranged under the auspices of Pabbi Intellectual Forum (BIF) at Dr Mian Iftikhar Hussain Farm House here on Sunday, the panellists at a monthly study circle brought under discussion the origin of Pashtuns.

Literati, intellectuals and rights activists attended the event. Octogenarian Pashto playwright, columnist and historian Saadullah Jan Barq was the keynote speaker while Dr Mian Iftikhar Hussain, a renowned psychiatrist, chaired the event.

Mr Barq said that most theories regarding origin of Pashtuns were based on fictitious folk stories and mythological legends that never stood on firm factual grounds and led to controversies about wrong notions.

“Pashtuns are the indigenous ethnic group that has been living in the lap of Koh-i-Hindu Kush. However, its sub-branches migrated to other parts of the world,” he said. He added that scholars and historiographers should come up to investigate and clear the theories and bring to lime light the origin of Pashtuns and other ethnic groups.

Meanwhile, a literary evening was organised with noted Urdu writer Prof Nasir Ali Syed on his return from his six-month long tour to the US and UK where he represented Pakistan in several gatherings, seminars and literary debates.

The event was held at ‘China Window’ here on Sunday. Prof Nasir shared different experiences about his trip with the participants of the event.

Naz Parveen, the director of China Window, in her welcome address remarked that young literati learnt a lot from the narration of literary figures to foreign countries where large number of Pakistani diasporas lived.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2023