Penn Language Center

Pashtu is one of the national languages of Afghanistan (Dari Persian is the other), and it is the home language of Pushtuns living in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan, as well as of those living in Baluchistan (Iran and Pakistan). Major Pashtu-speaking cities include Afghanistan's Qandahar, Jalal Abad, and Kabul, as well as Peshawar in Pakistan. There are 8 million speakers of Pashtu in Afghanistan (45% of the population) and almost 9 million in Pakistan (13% of the population). Pashtu is one of the East Iranian group of languages. There are two major dialects of Pashtu: Western Pashtu, spoken in Afghanistan and in the capital, Kabul; and Eastern Pashtu, spoken in northeastern Pakistan. Most speakers of Pashtu speak these two dialects. Two other dialects are also distinguished: Southern Pashtu, spoken in Baluchistan (western Pakistan and eastern Iran) and in Kandahar, Afghanistan; and Central Pashtu spoken in northern Pakistan (Wazirstan).

Source: Yamada Language Center, University of Oregon