Talk:Afghanistan

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Frequently asked questions

This section is here to provide answers to some questions that have been previously discussed on this talk page.

Note: This FAQ is only here to let people know that these points have previously been addressed, not to prevent any further discussion of these issues.

Q1: Why does this article state that the government of Afghanistan is the Islamic Emirate? Isn't that government unrecognized / illegitimate?

A1: Because reliable sources state that the Taliban have taken over. This determination is the result of a discussion among editors in this RfC. A new RfC (Request for Comment) will be required to change this. As an encyclopedia, Wikipedia reflects reliable sources, which may not align with editors' own views on the matter. The threshold for inclusion of material in Wikipedia is verifiability, not truth. Wikipedia is not a place to right great wrongs, such as by determining and advocating the rightful government of a country based on international law.

Q2: The flag is wrong!

A2: Since the sole current government of Afghanistan is that of the Taliban, consensus in this RfC is to identify the current flag of Afghanistan as that of the Taliban. A new RfC (Request for Comment) will be required to change this.

Q3: Why is Afghanistan listed as being in both Central and South Asia? It belongs to only one of those!

A3: Different reliable sources include Afghanistan in either one macroregion, or the other (or in both) depending on the field of study and the perspective taken. This has been discussed many times before.

Q4: Why is the English version of the Shahada given as "There is no god but God"? The god Muslims worship is called Allah.

A4: In accordance with Wikipedia's manual of style, it should be translated fully into English. Specific guidance can be read at MOS:ALLAH.

This article is written in American English, which has its own spelling conventions (center, color, defense, realize, traveled) and some terms may be different or absent from other varieties of English. According to the relevant style guide, this should not be changed without broad consensus.

Afghanistan was one of the Geography and places good articles, but it has been removed from the list. There are suggestions below for improving the article to meet the good article criteria. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake.

Article milestones
Date	Process	Result
April 7, 2005	Good article nominee	Listed
March 6, 2009	Good article reassessment	Delisted
September 24, 2019	Good article nominee	Not listed
Facts from this article were featured on Wikipedia's Main Page in the "On this day..." column on August 11, 2004, August 19, 2011, August 19, 2012, August 19, 2016, and August 19, 2020.
Current status: Delisted good article

Countries

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Afghanistan Top‑importance

	Afghanistan portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Afghanistan, a project to maintain and expand Afghanistan-related subjects on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.AfghanistanWikipedia:WikiProject AfghanistanTemplate:WikiProject AfghanistanAfghanistan
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Asia Top‑importance

	Asia portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Asia, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Asia on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.AsiaWikipedia:WikiProject AsiaTemplate:WikiProject AsiaAsia
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South Asia Top‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject South Asia, which aims to improve the quality and status of all South Asia-related articles. For more information, please visit the Project page.South AsiaWikipedia:WikiProject South AsiaTemplate:WikiProject South AsiaSouth Asia
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Islam High‑importance

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Central Asia Top‑importance

	Asia portal Afghanistan is part of WikiProject Central Asia, a project to improve all Central Asia-related articles. This includes but is not limited to Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Tibet, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Xinjiang and Central Asian portions of Iran, Pakistan and Russia, region-specific topics, and anything else related to Central Asia. If you would like to help improve this and other Central Asia-related articles, please join the project. All interested editors are welcome.Central AsiaWikipedia:WikiProject Central AsiaTemplate:WikiProject Central AsiaCentral Asia
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Limited recognition High‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Limited recognition, a WikiProject dedicated to improving the coverage of entities with limited recognition on Wikipedia by contributing to articles relating to unrecognized states and separatist movements. To participate: Feel free to edit the article attached to this page, join our WikiProject by signing your name at the project page, or contribute to the project discussion.Limited recognitionWikipedia:WikiProject Limited recognitionTemplate:WikiProject Limited recognitionLimited recognition
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This article has been mentioned by a media organization:

Guo, Jeff (October 25, 2016). "Wikipedia is fixing one of the Internet's biggest flaws". The Washington Post. This chart, for instance, shows how the Wikipedia page on Afghanistan shifted in tone during 2006 ...

Text and/or other creative content from this version of Afghanistan was copied or moved into Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with this edit. The former page's history now serves to provide attribution for that content in the latter page, and it must not be deleted as long as the latter page exists.

The contentious topics procedure applies to this article. This article relates to the region of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal), including but not limited to history, politics, ethnicity, and social groups.

Editors who repeatedly or seriously fail to adhere to the purpose of Wikipedia, any expected standards of behaviour, or any normal editorial process may be blocked or restricted by an administrator.

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This article has been viewed enough times in a single year to make it into the Top 50 Report annual list. This happened in 2021, when it received 14,093,839 views.

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Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 18 April 2026

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Afghanistan is considered part of the middle east as of July 1, 2025 according to the world bank. Please do add that! ~2026-23898-47 (talk) 17:29, 18 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Same as I said in the Pakistan article: I don't think it does. Regardless please provide source. Chattenoir (talk) 17:33, 18 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Reassessing Pashtun Population Estimates in Afghanistan: Data Gaps and Uncertainty

On Pashtun Population Estimates in Afghanistan

There is no fully reliable, ethnicity-based national census in Afghanistan since 1979, which makes all modern population estimates uncertain.

Widely cited sources such as the CIA World Factbook and surveys by The Asia Foundation estimate the Pashtun population at around 45–50%. However, these figures rely on indirect methods and may be affected by undercoverage in rural and insecure areas.

Some Afghans refer to earlier state-era assessments from the time of Mohammad Daoud Khan, which reportedly suggested a higher Pashtun share. However, these figures are not widely documented in modern academic or international sources, and their methodology is unclear.

Given:

Gaps in national ID (tazkira) coverage

Inaccessibility of certain regions to surveys

Long-term conflict and displacement

it is reasonable to question whether current estimates fully capture the population distribution.

Conclusion: Rather than relying on uncertain historical figures or incomplete modern estimates, the most credible solution is a new, transparent, nationwide census, ideally conducted with support from organizations such as the United Nations.

Until then, all percentage claims—whether 45% or higher—should be treated with caution.. ZAKIRULLAH SADIQ (talk) 19:34, 23 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Is Afghanistan really an emirate?

The infobox calls Afghanistan a "Unitary totalitarian theocratic Islamic emirate" the Unitary totalitarian theocratic Islamic part seems right but I'm not sure Afghanistan can be considered an emirate. as I understand it an emirate is defined as a state ruled by an Emir, which is an Islamic title for monarchs but Afghanistan is ruled by a non-monarchical supreme leader who does not use the title of Emir, sure the official name of the country is Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan but I feel like that by itself does automatic not make it an emirate. I'm curious to see what other editors think though. PharaohCrab speak𓀁 works𓀨 22:10, 30 April 2026 (UTC)[reply]

@PharaohCrab The ruler of the Taliban does use the title of Emir. They use it in style of Amir al-Mu'minin. Noorullah (talk) 17:38, 2 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

ah I see thank you. PharaohCrab speak𓀁 works𓀨 17:40, 2 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

A suggestion: adding the internationally recognized name

Given that even five years later the Afghan government continues to issue all its citizens' passports under the country name "Islamic Republic of Afghanistan" (not "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan") because it is the internationally recognized name, given that at the UN the Afghan chair continues to be named Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the same for Afghan embassies in all countries in the world except Russia, as everyone else continues to recognize it officially as Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, etc., I suggest amending the first sentence of the article to say:

"Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, still recognized internationally as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is..."

Sources: https://unterm.un.org/unterm2/en/view/86bdf4b5-f25f-4f2b-92ea-5304f9e015ea , https://www.gov.br/mre/en/subjects/bilateral-relations/all-countries/islamic-republic-of-afghanistan , https://www.exteriores.gob.es/documents/fichaspais/afganistan_ficha%20pais.pdf , etc. Munter He (talk) 15:21, 10 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Support. While the Emirate is the de facto Afghanistan i.e. the one that actually exists as a state, the fact that it has limited recognition should be mentioned. Cortador (talk) 12:53, 12 May 2026 (UTC)[reply]