i feel it is wrong to write of saira and her father idries shah as being afghan afghan proper is a pashtun whereas idries shah claimed syed i e arab ancestory as indicated by his surname shah moreover this family cannot be termed afghan scottish either but indian scottish as they have been resident in india sor many generation one can be afghanistani and not be pashtun as it is a nationality not an ethnic racial label therefore the term afghan is retained for pashtuns of the former nwfp now khyber pakhtunkhwa and balochistan in pakistan it is represented by the second letter in the name pakistan i e afghania nwfp which was until legitimately the eastern afghanistan province was incorporated by into british india but to this day the border known as durand line is challenged by pashtuns from sides of the dividing line between pakistan and afghanistan in case of idries shah and his family they are neither afghans ethnically nor afghanistanis nationally user moarrikh