Flag of Pashtunistan

Pashtunistan
UseRegional and cultural
Proportion1:2
Adopted2 September 1947 (1947-09-02)
DesignA red field with a black stripe 1/5 wide, 1/5 away from the hoist and with an image of the sun rising over the mountains.

The flag of Pashtunistan (Pashto: د پښتونستان بیرغ) is a flag representing a proposed independent state of Pashtunistan. The flag was adopted by Pashtun separatists who sought to carve out an independent state of Pashtunistan from Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, Balochistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.[1][2] The flag was promoted by the Afghan government which supported the separatist cause, with August 31 (9th of Waǵay in the Solar Hijri calendar) being Pashtunistan Day which was observed as a national holiday in Afghanistan until the overthrow of Mohammad Najibullah's Homeland Party regime in 1992.[3][4][5][1][6][7] The flag is still in use today by Pashtun nationalists.

History

The flag was adopted on September 2, 1947, at the declaration of independence, following the boycott by Pashtuns on the referendum on joining Pakistan as the referendum did not include an option to form an independent Pashtunistan as demanded by the Pashtunistan Resolution.[1][8][9] The flag was promoted by the Pashtun nationalist governments of Afghanistan which supported the separatist cause, with September 2 being becoming Pashtunistan Day and would remain a national holiday in Afghanistan from 1949 up until the overthrow of Mohammad Najibullah's Homeland Party regime in 1992 which ended Pashtun domination in Afghan politics.[10][11][6][12][13] In 1955 Pakistan annouced it was consolidating its control over the Pashtun areas of Pakistan via the One-Unit Scheme which caused outrage in Afghanistan. Afghan Prime Minister Daoud Khan heavily criticized the act on Radio Kabul on March 29, 1955.[14] Inspired by the Afghan government's messaging, Pashtun nationalists attacked the Pakistani embassy in Kabul tearing down the Pakistani flag and putting the Pashtunistan flag up in its place with Kabul Police refusing to act against the protestors.[15][16][17] This resulted in both countries withdrawing ambassadors and not restoring full relations until 1957.[18] It was widely used in Afghanistan until the fall of the Homeland Party government in 1992. From the 1940s to the 1980s it appeared on Afghan postage stamps.[19] The flag made a resurgence in the early 2000s thanks to the internet and is widely used today by Pashtun nationalists but its sometimes also used when referring to the Pashtun ethnic group.

Flag Date Use Details
1709–1738

1818–1901

Flag of the Hotak Empire (1709–1738)

Flag of the Emirate of Afghanistan (1818–1901)

Late 1800s Flag of Waziri Rebels
1928 Flag of Afghanistan
1928–1929 Flag of Afghanistan
1930s Flag of Pashtun rebels
1940s Flag of Pashtunistan Before September 2, 1947
1947–present Flag of Pashtunistan
c. 1987–present Flag of Pashtunistan Known as the red-black-red flag

Design

Symbolism

The colors of the Pashtunistan flag derive from both "racial and religious traditions" as well as the Pashtun people's struggle for freedom. The red is meant to honour the martyrs who sacrificed their blood for Pashtun freedom. The flag used by the Khudai Khidmatgars which was a Pashtun resistance movement against the British, was a unicolor red and this same flag was later adopted by the National Councils of Pashtunistan with some modifications. The black stripe is to represent the Black flag used in the early Islamic era which also was used as Afghanistan's flag up until 1901 when an emblem was added to it. The red and black are also to represent the predominant colors in "the life of the Afghan race" and the traditional clothing of Pashtuns in both Pashtunistan and Afghanistan composed of these colors. Iranic tradition considers red as a sign of valour and black signifies perseverance and strength. The Emblem in the center of the Black stripe depicts the sun of freedom (Which is also referenced in the anthem of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan) rising over snowy peaks with the takbir written above the emblem.[20][21]

Color scheme of the flag of Pashtunistan

Color Model Red Black White Blue Yellow Green
CMYK 0.98.98.34 0.0.0.100 0.0.0.0 72.21.0.16 0.25.100.4 91.0.64.44
RGB (169,4,3) (0,0,0) (255,255,255) (60,169,214) (245,184,0) (13,143,52)
HTML #a90403 #000000 #FFFFFF #3ca9d6 #f5b800 #0d8f34
  • 1961 Stamp commemorating "Pashtunistan Day"
  • 1965 Stamp with alternative variant
  • Map of Pashtunistan published in 1953

References

  1. ^ a b c Pakhtunistan Day. 1949.
  2. ^ Bordonaro, Lorenzo (October 2023). The Pashtunistan Issue in Light of Uneven and Combined Development: Pashtun Nationalism and Nation Buidling. Middle East Technical University. p. 101. When in 1950 and 1951 three tribal columns of led by an Afridi leader crossed the Pakistani border and planted Pashtunistan flags on Pakistani soil Pakistan decided to temporarily slow down incoming and outcoming trade from and for Afghanistan.
  3. ^ Iskandarov, Kosimsho (2013). "The Pakistani factor in the Afghan conflict". cyberleninka.ru. p. 86. Archived from the original on 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2026-02-23. On 31 August, 1949, the so-called "declaration of independence of Pashtunistan" took place in Tirakh (a settlement in Northern Waziristan in the northwest of Pakistan); the Afghan government made this date the Day of Pashtunistan to be marked every year. The relations between the two countries deteriorated to the extent that in August 1950 Afghanistan raised the flag of Pashtunistan
  4. ^ Johnson, Thomas H.; Mason, M. Chris (2008-04). "No Sign until the Burst of Fire: Understanding the Pakistan-Afghanistan Frontier". International Security. 32 (4): 69. doi:10.1162/isec.2008.32.4.41. ISSN 0162-2889. Afghanistan sought to increase the pressure on Pakistan by creating "Pashtunistan madrassas" in the border areas.These were boarding schools where Afghan and transborder Pakistani schoolboys wore uniforms with a miniature flag of Pashtunistan on their sleeves and said a pledge of allegiance to the flag of Pashtunistan in their schoolyards each morning. A major square in Kabul was renamed "Pashtunistan Square." {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "THE AFGHAN REGIME: PROSPECTS FOR POLITICAL CONSOLIDATION". CIA.gov.
  6. ^ a b Rahman, Fazlur. The Warrior Saint: Faqir of Ipi. Lambert Academic Publishing. pp. 358, 419, 420. ISBN 978-3-8484-8462-1.
  7. ^ عطائی, محمد ابراہیم (1969–1970). "د پښتونستان مسله". Afghan Center at University of Kabul Archives (in Pashto and English). pp. 25, 26, 292, 293, 294. Archived from the original on 2025-03-09. Retrieved 2025-03-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  8. ^ Meyer, Karl E. (5 August 2008). The Dust of Empire: The Race For Mastery In The Asian Heartland – Karl E. Meyer – Google Boeken. PublicAffairs. ISBN 9780786724819. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  9. ^ "Was Jinnah democratic? — II". Daily Times. December 25, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  10. ^ Ahady, Anwar-ul-Haq (1995). "The Decline of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan". Asian Survey. 35 (7): 621–634. doi:10.2307/2645419. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 2645419.
  11. ^ "Pakhtunistan Day".
  12. ^ "Zhvandūn : majallah-i haftagī". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA (in Persian). Retrieved 2026-02-22.
  13. ^ "Zhvandūn : majallah-i haftagī". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA (in Persian). Retrieved 2026-02-22.
  14. ^ Crews, Robert D. (2015). Afghan Modern: The History of a Global Nation. Harvard University Press. p. 182. ISBN 9780674286092.
  15. ^ Qureshi, S. M. M. (1966). "Pakhtunistan: The Frontier Dispute Between Afghanistan and Pakistan". Pacific Affairs. 39 (1/2): 99–114. doi:10.2307/2755184. ISSN 0030-851X.
  16. ^ Singh Sevea, Iqbal (2021). "The Pashtun Question in Pakistan" (PDF). South Asia Scan (10): 26. The Pakistani flag at the Kabul Embassy was desecrated and a flag of Pashtunistan was hoisted on the embassy.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ Crews, Robert D. (2015). Afghan Modern: The History of a Global Nation. Harvard University Press. p. 182. ISBN 9780674286092.
  18. ^ "The Forgotten History of Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations". Yale Journal of International Affairs. 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2026-02-22.
  19. ^ Meharry, J. Eva (2018-04-10). "Politicization of Afghanistan's Archaeological Postage Stamps". Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  20. ^ عطائی, محمد ابراہیم (1969–1970). "د پښتونستان مسله". Afghan Center at University of Kabul Archives. p. 26. Archived from the original on 2025-03-09. Retrieved 2025-03-08. The national emblem and colours of pachtunistan are derived from the Pachtun people's struggle for independence, from the geographical characteristics of their country as well as from their religious and racial traditions.
    The red colour of the flag honours the martyrs who sacrificed their blood to uphold their national freedom. The banner of the "Khudai khedmatgar" (God's Servitors) which was the main resistance movement in British-occupied areas of Pachtunistan was a unicolor red. This same flag was later adopted by the national councils of Pachtunistan with some modifications.
    If the flag is divided vertically into four equal parts, the second quarter appears as a black stripe. Black is hallowed as the colour of the "Eagle of Islam", banner of war in the early Moslem era. This colour is associated with the silk cover of the Holy Kaaba at Mecca which is renewed every year and small pieces of the previous year's covering are brought back by devout pilgrims as holy memento.
    The emblem in the centre of the black stripe depicts the rising sun of freedom over the snowy peaks of the land with the name of the country and the Islamic war cry of "Allah o Akbar" inscribed around it.
    Red and black are the predominant colour in the life of the Afghan race and the traditional clothing of people in both Pachtunistan and Afghanistan mostly composed of these two colours. Aryan tradition considers red as the sign of valour and black signifies perseverance and strength.
  21. ^ Ali Shah, Sameer (May–June 2025). "New Media Language: A Study on the History and Development of Propaganda in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa" (PDF). International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation. 06 (03): 573. In the flag, for example, the Arabic scripts are the Takbir (i.e., Allahu Akbar = God is the greatest) above the emblem, "Pashtunistan" below it. Pashtunistan flag is red and black with a beautiful mountain in scripted into it which reflect the mountainous scenery of Pakhtunkhwa or Pashtunistan. The black implies the darkness, troubled past of the nation while the red signifies the blood shed by those who battled for the country's independence. As well as representing unity and progress, crescents and stars are common Islamic symbols. Affinity and solidarity between Pashtuns on both sides of the Durand Line are also expressed through the flag.
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