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“A Pathan is a migrated Pukhtoon but may not necessarily be a Pushtoon.”
is actually quite close to how diaspora identity works in South Asia.
The word Afghan has undergone one of the biggest historical identity shifts.
Historical meaning
For centuries in Persian and regional literature:
“Afghan” = Pashtun ethnic group
The country name Afghanistan literally means:
“Land of the Afghans (Pashtuns)”
This usage appears in Mughal, Persian, and Central Asian sources.
Modern meaning
In the 20th century, with the formation of the modern Afghan nation-state:
Afghan became a national identity.
Today it means:
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