Poswal
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The word "Poswal" is derived from the Arabic word "Boswal", which literally means "one who asks questions", but it has been pronounced as "Poswal" for many centuries in South Asia. Poswals are a branch of the main Gujjar Tribe, which spans across India (Gujarat), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia and many parts of modern Saudia and Iraq.
Poswals actually used to live in Arabia until Islam spread across Persia and South Asia. The first contingent of Poswals arrived in South Asia with the Forces of Muhammad bin Qasim when he invaded sindh in 712 A.D. Even before Poswals arrived, hundreds of thousands of gujjars were living across the subcontinent though no Poswals were residing there at that time. Today, many Poswals may be found in the Punjab and NWFP provinces of Modern Pakistan, in Uttar Pradesh of India and in modern Saudi Arabia. However, the word Poswal doesn't exist in Arabic, as this language does not support the /p/ sound; consequently, many Poswal Arabs are Boswal, or they have adopted the name of their great great ancestor as their subtribe.