The mountainous landscape with the sun shining over the Hindu Kush was chosen a symbol of the birth of free Pashtunistan.

The Arabic inscriptions mean "God is the greatest" (top) and "Pashtunistan" (bottom).

The red color and the inscriptions was used on the flags of the Waziristan insurgents who fought against British Raj.

[1] The flag was adopted on September 2, 1947, at the symbolic declaration of independence, during the protests after the referendum on joining Pakistan.

[2] In Pakistan, the flag was losing its popularity along with the integration of Pashtuns with Pakistani state structures.