page_title: List of Pashtun empires and dynasties
section_title: Princely states
hierarchical_section_title: List of Pashtun empires and dynasties / Princely states
caption_attribution_description: English: At Darband, Amb State, taken in 1925.
context_page_description: The following is a list of Pashtun empires and dynasties. It includes states, princely states, empires and dynasties in the history of Central and South Asia which were founded by Pashtun rulers. The Pashtuns, alternatively known as ethnic Afghans or Pathans, are an eastern Iranian ethnic group originating from Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan, and have an extensive military history in the region. As a result of migration and military conquests in South Asia, a large number of communities throughout the region claim Pashtun ancestry, especially in areas which were previously ruled by Pashtun dynasties.
context_section_description: Several independent princely states founded by Pashtuns existed during the British Raj era. Most of the Pashtun region east of the Durand Line was annexed by the British in the twentieth century, and formed the North-West Frontier. The Pashtun tribal agencies along the Durand Line, further west from the North-West Frontier, formed a buffer zone between Afghanistan and the North-West Frontier of British India. Following the end of the Raj and the creation of Pakistan and India, the North-West Frontier and tribal agencies became part of Pakistan. The princely states were also given only two choices, the choice to formally accede to the Dominion of Pakistan or Dominion of India, depending on their geographical location. These princely states were eventually abolished and integrated into the federation (see Former administrative units of Pakistan and Political integration of India).
   
  Amb (1772–1972), Amb was a princely state of the former British Indian Empire ruled by the Pashtun Tanoli (TanoKhel) tribe of Ghilji confederation. In 1947 by the Indian Independence Act 1947, the British abandoned their supremacy, and following the Partition of India Amb's Tanoli Nawab decided to give up his state's independence by acceding to the new country of Pakistan. However, Amb continued as a distinct state within Pakistan until 1969, when it was incorporated into the North West Frontier Province (now Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa). In 1972, the royal status of the Nawab was abolished by the Government of Pakistan.
  Dir (1626–1969), a small princely state comprising the present-day Upper Dir and Lower Dir districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. The state was founded in the seventeenth century by an Akhun Khel clan of the Malizai sept of Yusufzai tribe, with Dir serving as the capital. Dir nawab acceded to Pakistan in 1948. In 1969, the state along with the royal house was abolished.
  Malerkotla State (1657–1948), The Malerkotla state was founded in 1454 A.D. by Sheikh Sadruddin-i-Jahan, a pious man of the Sherani tribe of the Darban Kalan and Frontier Region of Drazinda. The State of Malerkotla was established in 1657 by Bayazid Khan.  Bayazid Khan was granted the privilege to build a fort, which he named Malerkotla and eventually gave its name to the state. On 3 May 1809 Maler Kotla became a British protectorate and was made part of the Cis-Sutlej states until 1862.  Many local people attribute this peaceful strain to the presence of the shrine of 'Baba Haidar Sheikh', the Sufi saint, who founded the town of Malerkotla more than 500 years ago.
  Pataudi State (1804–1947), established in 1804 by Nawab Faiz Talab Khan of Barech tribe during the rule of the British East India Company and capital as Pataudi
  Dujana State (1806–1948), established in 1806 by Nawab Abdus Samad Khan of Yusufzai tribe during the rule of the British East India Company and situated in Jhajjar district
  Rampur State (1774–1949), The Rohilla State of Rampur was established by Nawab Faizullah Khan on 7 October 1774 in the presence of British Commander Colonel Champion, and remained a pliant state under British protection thereafter. Nawab Faizullah Khan founded the city of Rampur and proposed to rename the city 'Faizabad' but many other places were known by the name Faizabad so its name was changed to Mustafabad alias Rampur. Nawab Faizullah Khan ruled for 20 years. He was a great patron of scholarship, and began the collection of Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu manuscripts which now make up the bulk of the Rampur Raza Library
  Tonk State (1806-1949),The founder of the state was Muhammad Amir Khan an adventurer and military leader of pashtun descent and belonged to the salarzai subtribe of the Tarkani tribe and a Rohilla. In 1817, upon submitting to the British East India Company, he kept his territory of Tonk and received the title of Nawab. While retaining internal autonomy and remaining outside British India, the state consisted of six isolated districts. Four of these were under the Rajasthan province, namely, Tonk, Chhabra, Pirawa and Nimbahera. The other two, Aligarh (fo
caption: Nawab Sir Khan Zaman Khan Tanoli of Amb
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