Pushtu, also known as Pashto, is an Eastern Iranian language primarily spoken by the Pashtun people, predominantly residing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is one of the two official languages of Afghanistan, along with Dari, and is also recognized as a regional language in neighboring Pakistan. With around 60-70 million speakers worldwide, it ranks among the most widely spoken languages in the region.
Pushtu is characterized by its unique script, called the Pashto alphabet, which is written from right to left and comprises 45 letters. The language itself belongs to the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family, and it shares similarities with other Iranian languages, including Persian and Kurdish.
Pushtu is distributed across various dialects, with major ones being Kandahari, Peshawari, and Waziri. Despite dialectal variations, Pushtu remains intelligible across its various forms.
As a distinct linguistic entity, Pushtu boasts a rich literary and cultural heritage. The language has a long tradition of poetic expressions and oral literature, which have been passed down through generations. Pushtu poetry often incorporates themes of love, war, and tribal customs.
In recent years, efforts have been made to preserve and promote Pushtu as an essential component of the region's linguistic diversity. It has gained attention in academia and media, and initiatives for Pushtu education and literature development continue to be undertaken both within Afghanistan and Pakistan.
