Pashtun and Hazara

Pashtun people form just over half the population of Afghanistan and are said to be concentrated more in the east and the south but after they gained control over the rest of the country in the 19th century there are also Pashtun's living in the rest of Afghanistan too. The Soviet invasion of December 1979 has been the major determining factor in Afghanistan's ethnic relations since that point in time. From that time until mid-1991 the various factions of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan, all dominated by Pashtuns, controlled the country's government.

The Hazaras settled in Afghanistan at least as far back as the 13th century and have always lived on the edge of economic survival. As a result of Pashtun expansionism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries the Hazaras were driven to the barren, dry mountains of central Afghanistan (the Hazarajat) where they live today separated into nine regions. Many Hazaras also migrated to major towns, like Kabul, where they struggled with economic deprivation.

In The Kite Runner it is clear that the Hazara are seen as lower compared to Pashtun's because Ali and his son Hassan are employed by Baba and Amir to work in their home.