Hindko in the context of "Hindkowans"

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⭐ Core Definition: Hindko

Hindko (ہندکو, romanized: Hindko, IPA: [ˈɦɪndkoː]) is a cover term for a diverse group of Lahnda dialects spoken by several million people of various ethnic backgrounds in several areas in northwestern Pakistan, primarily in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northwestern regions of Punjab.

The name "Hindko" means "the Indian language" or "language of Hind", and refers to the Indo-Aryan speech forms spoken in the northern Indian subcontinent, in contrast to the neighbouring Pashto, an Iranic language spoken by the Pashtun people. An alternative local name for this language group is Hindki. A speaker of Hindko may be referred to as Hindki, Hindkun, or Hindkowan (Hindkuwan).

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👉 Hindko in the context of Hindkowans

Hindkowans, also known as the Hindki, is a contemporary designation for speakers of Indo-Aryan languages who live among the neighbouring Pashtuns, particularly those of the Hindko language. The origins of the term refer merely to the speakers of Indo-Aryan languages rather than to any particular ethnic group. The term is not only applied to speakers of Hindko but also to the Saraikis in the districts of Dera Ghazi Khan, Mianwali, and Dera Ismail Khan, which border the southern Pashto-speaking areas.

There is no generic name for Hindko speakers because they belong to diverse ethnic groups and often identify themselves by the larger families or castes. However, the Hindko-speaking community belonging to the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is sometimes recognised collectively as Hazarewal, while the urban settlers in the cities of Peshawar and Kohat are simply known as Pishoris and Kohatis, respectively.

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Hindko in the context of Hazara region

Hazara (Hindko: هزاره; Urdu: ہزارہ), historically known as Pakhli, is a region in northern Pakistan, falling administratively within the Hazara Division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It forms the northernmost portion of Sindh Sagar Doab, and is mainly populated by the indigenous Hindko-speaking Hindkowans and Kohistani people, with a significant Pashto-speaking population. The inhabitants of Hazara are collectively called the Hazarewal.

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Hindko in the context of Hinduism in Afghanistan

Hinduism in Afghanistan is practiced by a very small minority of Afghans, about 30–40 individuals as of 2021, who live mostly in the cities of Kabul and Jalalabad. Afghan Hindus are ethnically Pashtun, Hindkowan (Hindki), Punjabi, or Sindhi and primarily speak Dari, Pashto, Hindko, Punjabi, Sindhi, and Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu).

Before the Islamic conquest of Afghanistan, the Afghan people were multi-religious. Religious persecution, discrimination, and religious conversions of Hindus in Afghanistan perpetrated by Muslims, has caused the Afghan Hindus, along with Buddhist and Sikh population, to dwindle from Afghanistan.

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Hindko in the context of Haripur District

Haripur District (Hindko, Urdu: ضلع ہری پور) is a district in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Before obtaining the status of a district in 1991, Haripur was a tehsil of Abbottabad District Its headquarters are the city of Haripur. According to 2023 Pakistani census population of Haripur District is 1,173,056 (1.1 million).

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Hindko in the context of Amb (princely state)

Amb (Urdu, Hindko: امب) was a princely state within the Hazara Tribal Agency of North-West Frontier Province, British India, ruled by the Tanoli tribe. Together with the neighbouring estate of Phulra, the tract was known as "Feudal Tanawal". Its total area was 203 sq mi (530 km) while population was 48,656 in 1951. The Nawab of Amb Muhammad Farid Khan acceded to Pakistan after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. Today Amb is a part of Mansehra District of Hazara Division.

Amb came under the British suzerainty after the Second Anglo-Sikh War, with Mir Jehandad Khan providing much assistance to the East India Company against the Sikhs. The Amb Nawabs also provided military services to the British Empire in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. At the end of December 1947, the Nawab of Amb acceded to Pakistan while retaining internal self-government. Amb continued as a princely state of Pakistan until 1969, when it was incorporated into the North West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).

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Hindko in the context of Sikhism in Afghanistan

Sikhism in Afghanistan in the contemporary era is limited to small populations, primarily in major cities, with the largest numbers of Afghan Sikhs living in Jalalabad, Ghazni, Kabul, and to a lesser extent in Kandahar and Khost. Sikhs have been the most prevalent non-Muslim minority in Afghanistan, and despite the many political changes in recent Afghan history, governments and political groups have generally not indulged in openly discriminating against the Sikh minority; however, their status have been severely impacted amid the country's conflict since 1978.

The origin of the Sikh community in Afghanistan has broadly two streams, including indigenous Pashto and Dari speakers, descendants of converts to the teaching of the Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak during his trip to Kabul around 1520. The second stream derive from the later Sikh Empire as it pushed westward, establishing trading routes for Sikh merchants into Kandahar and Kabul; this group speak Hindko, a dialect of Punjabi. Due to this mixed ancestry, Afghan Sikhs are from various ethnolinguistic backgrounds including Pashtun, Hindkowan or Punjabi.

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Hindko in the context of Kohat

Kohat (Urdu and Hindko: کوہاٹ; Pashto: کوهاټ) is a city in Pakistan that serves as the capital of the Kohat District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. With a population of over 220,000 people, the city is the fourth most populous in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the 35th most populous in Pakistan. Kohat's immediate environs were the site of frequent armed skirmishes between British colonial forces and local tribesmen in the mid to late 19th century. The city is centred on a British-era fort, various bazaars, and a military cantonment. Pashto and the Kohati dialect of Hindko are the main languages spoken in Kohat.

The city of Kohat is also the namesake of and largest city in the Kohat Division, being over four times larger than the second-largest city in the division: Karak.

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Hindko in the context of Abbottabad District

Abbottabad District (Hindko, Urdu: ضِلع ایبٹ آباد) is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is part of the Hazara Division and covers an area of 1,969 square kilometres (760 sq mi), with the city of Abbottabad being the principal town. Neighbouring districts include Mansehra to the north and Haripur to the west in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muzaffarabad to the east in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Rawalpindi to the south in the Punjab province. According to the 2023 Pakistani census, the population of Abbottabad District is 1,397,587.

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