Pashtunization

Pashtunization refers to the forced settling of Pashtun groups onto lands formerly belonging to other ethnic groupscite book |last=Meri |first=Josef W. |title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=H-k9oc9xsuAC |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year=2006 |month= |publisher=Taylor & Francis |location= |language= |isbn=0-415-96691-4 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages= 713|chapter= Sedentarism|chapterurl= |quote= in reference to the Duranni Empire citing Grötzbach, Erwin (1990) "Afghanistan: eine geographische Landeskunde" Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, ISBN 3-534-06886-6] or more broadly the erosion of the customs, traditions and language of non-Pashtun peoples due to the political power of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan. [Lansford, Tom (2003) "A Bitter Harvest: US foreign policy and Afghanistan" Ashgate, Aldershot, Hants, England, ISBN 0-7546-3615-1, page 16: "The modern history of Afghanistan has witnessed a "Pashtunization" of the state as the customs, traditions and language of the Pashtuns have combined with the groups political power to erode the distinctive underpinnings of Afghanistan's other groups.^FN20". FN20 cites: US, Department of the Army, "Afghanistan: A Country Study", 5th ed. reprint (Washington, DC.: GPO, 1985) page 108.]

Pashtunization began as early as the 18th century under Ahmad Shah Durrani, although some [O. Roy, "Ethnic Identity and Political Expression in Northern Afghanistan", in "Muslims in Central Asia: Expressions of Identity and Change", 1992, ISBN 0-8223-1190-9. ] cite the reign of Abdur Rahman Khan (in 19th century), and has continued up to the present. More recent attempts of Pashtunization were made by the Taliban regime.

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External links

* [http://www.genocidewatch.org/afghancleansing.htm Afghan call for ethnic cleansing]