Pashayi people
Pashai boy wearing a Pakol | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Approx. 400,000 (disputed between 600,000 and 1 million) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Laghman, Kapisa, Nangarhar and northeast Kabul, Panjshir | |
| Languages | |
| Pashayi languages Pashto and Persian also spoken as second languages | |
| Religion | |
| Majority: Sunni Islam Minority: Nizari Ismailism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Indo-Aryan peoples, Kalash, Nuristani |
The Pashayi or Pashai, formerly known as the Alina, (/pəˈʃaɪ/; Pashayi: پشهای, romanised: Paṣhəy) are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group living primarily in eastern Afghanistan. They are mainly concentrated in the northern parts of Laghman and Nangarhar, also parts of Kunar, Kapisa, Parwan, Nuristan, and a bit of Panjshir. Many Pashai are bilingual in Pashto and sometimes trilingual with Farsi as a third language. Some of the Pashayi have been assimilated by Pashtuns, whereas those in Panjshir and Parwan, have been assimilated by Tajiks. Some Pashayi people are also based in Central Afghanistan, in places such as Jaghori District.