Awan People Group

The Awan are a people group numbering over 600,000 in India and another 4.7 million in Pakistan. The majority of Awans claim that they are descendants of Qutb Shah, a general in the army of Mahmud of Ghazni, who himself was a descendant of Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali. It is said that Qutb Shah and four of his sons accompanied and assisted Mahmud in his early eleventh century conquests of what today forms parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India. In recognition of their services and valor, Mahmud bestowed upon Qutb Shah and his sons the title of Awan, meaning 'helper.'

The Awan have a strong martial tradition and are renowned for their bravery. They were among those the British considered to be 'martial races' (a designation created by officials of British India to describe peoples that were thought to be naturally warlike and aggressive in battle and who possessed courage, loyalty, self-sufficiency, physical strength, resilience, and fighting tenacity). The British recruited heavily from this'martial race'’ for service in the colonial army, and they formed part of the core Muslim group recruited during the First and Second World Wars.

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