About pushto.net
pushto.net began with a simple idea: Pashto poetry should be easier to find and read online. A great deal of it is spread across books, scans, recordings, old websites, and personal collections. Even when a poem is available, it is not always easy to trace its source or find more work by the same poet.
I am building this site to bring some of that material together in one place. It is an independent, growing archive, and I am adding to it gradually. My aim is to publish carefully sourced Pashto texts, introduce the poets behind them, and make the work approachable for readers in both Pashto and English.
I hope it can become a useful place for someone returning to a familiar poem, discovering a poet for the first time, or simply wanting to spend more time with the language. The archive will never be perfect or complete, so corrections, better sources, and thoughtful suggestions are always welcome.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is pushto.net?
pushto.net is an independent digital archive of Pashto poetry. It collects original Pashto poems, profiles of the poets who wrote them, and Pashto proverbs with their literal and contextual meanings, presented in both Pashto and English. Every text is published with the source it was taken from.
How many Pashto poems are on pushto.net?
The archive currently holds more than 6,000 published Pashto poems by over 30 classical and contemporary poets, alongside more than 240 Pashto proverbs. New material is added continuously.
Who are the most important Pashto poets?
Khushal Khan Khattak, Rahman Baba, Abdul Hamid Momand and Ali Khan are the central figures of classical Pashto poetry. Ghani Khan, Hamza Shinwari, Ajmal Khattak, Gul Pacha Ulfat and Khatir Afridi are among the defining voices of the modern era. Profiles and poems for each are on pushto.net.
What is the difference between a Pashto ghazal and a nazm?
A ghazal is a sequence of couplets sharing one rhyme and refrain, where each couplet stands as a complete thought. A nazm is a thematic poem whose stanzas develop a single subject from beginning to end. Both forms are represented in this archive, and each poem records its form.
Are the poems on pushto.net sourced and verified?
Yes. Each poem lists the book or original source it came from, a link to that source where one exists, and a verification note describing how far the text has been checked. Readers can trace any text back to where it was published.
Is pushto.net free to use?
Yes. The archive is free to read, requires no account, and carries no paywall. It is an independent, non-commercial project.
How can I contribute a poem or report a correction?
Use the form on the About page to send a poem, a better source, a correction, or any other feedback. Every message is read.
Help build the archive
Send a poem, a better source, a correction, or any other feedback — every message is read.