Khushal Khattak

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Khushal Khan Khattak (Central Pashto: خوشال خان خټک;1613 – 20 February 1689), also known as Khushal Baba (Pashto: خوشال بابا), was a 17th-century Pashtun poet, chief, and warrior. Khushal Khan and his family had served the Mughal Empire for generations, protecting them from Pashtun tribes over most of his lifespan. After being expelled from his tribal chiefdom and replaced with his son by his Mughal superiors, Khushal Khan turned against the Mughals. Afterwards, Khushal preached the union of all Pashtuns, and encouraged revolt against the Mughal Empire, promoting Pashtun nationalism in the last years of his life through poetry. Much of Khushal's poetry is in Pashto but some is also in Persian. Khushal is considered the "father of Pashto literature" and the national poet of Afghanistan. Khushal's life was spent in serving the Mughal emperor and in his last years he fought against the Mughal Empire who had fluctuating relations with the Pashtuns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (in present-day Pakistan...

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