Pakistani Court Rules in Favor of 'Descendants of Alexander the Great'

Thousands of Pakistani citizens who identify as descendants of Alexander the Great have succeeded in obtaining a court ruling in their country to be recognized as an independent ethnic and religious group in the upcoming census. Approximately four to six thousand members of the 'Kalash' community, who live in the mountainous regions of Pakistan along the Afghan border, have a unique lineage and speak a language from the Indo-Iranian dialects, holding beliefs distinct from those prevalent in the region. The Kalash have managed to gain a court ruling in a case that has garnered considerable attention in Pakistan, allowing them to be classified as a distinct ethnic group in the country's census. This is the first census to be conducted in the past two decades, as previous attempts had failed due to security concerns stemming from extremist groups. According to Pakistani law, citizens and families are categorized as adherents of 'Islam', 'Christianity', or 'Hinduism'. However, the Kalash, who consider their beliefs separate from these three major religions in Pakistan, were, as Lok Rahmat, a member of this community in the mountains of Pakistan, told the German news agency, 'left to their own devices'. Several thousand individuals who believe they are descendants of Alexander the Great also filed a complaint in a local court in a northwestern region of Pakistan. The court ruled in favor of the Kalash on April 4, ordering Pakistani authorities to classify them separately in the new census. Existing research indicates that the Kalash are related to the 'Dard' people, who also reside in other areas of the region, such as Jammu and Kashmir in India. The Dard language falls within the Indo-Iranian group, and the Kalash language is considered part of the Dardic family. The beliefs of the residents of Nuristan in Afghanistan, an area neighboring the Kalash of Pakistan, were once closely related to those of the Kalash. However, by the end of the 19th century, many Nuristanis converted to Islam. Research has been conducted on the beliefs of the Kalash people, revealing influences from ancient regional beliefs and ancient Aryan cults such as Vedic traditions. Ancient Aryan cults primarily date back to before the widespread adoption of Hinduism and Zoroastrianism and were prevalent among Indo-Iranian tribes. DNA tests have also been conducted regarding the Kalash people's belief that they are descendants of Alexander the Great.