The ideal person to accompany you here, if the security situation allows it, is Abdul Jabbar Sapand. This young man, fluent in English, has just finished his studies in Pashto language and literature at Kabul University with honours. But most people don't know this about him. They know him as the director of the Open Media Fund for Afghanistan - which supports print media in the provinces with small grants and capacity building - or as an excellent poet and activist for the development of Pashtun literature.
Although Pashtuns are nowadays often associated with the Taliban, there have been famous secular movements among them (Gaffar Khan in Pakistan, many rulers in Afghanistan). Recently a world conference on pashto language was held in Kabul; for an analysis see the Blog Abdul Hadi Hairan which contains much information about the current state of this language.
To contact Sapand as a guide, please see contact info opposite
