The Achakzai or Achekzai (Pashto: اڅکزی; Persian: اچکزایی) are a Durrani Pashtun tribe that resides on both sides of the Durand Line, centered on Killa Abdullah District in Pakistan with some clans as far away as Afghanistan's Kandahar Province. [citation needed]
The Achakzai is a section of the larger Zirak Durrani tribe.[1] Their name comes from the fact that they trace agnatic (patrilineal) descent from Achak Khan - the paternal grandson of Barak Khan, from whom are descended the Barakzai tribe of Pashtuns; thus, the Achakzai are a branch or sept of the Barakzai, who are themselves a branch of the Zirak Durrani tribe. [citation needed]
They are divided into two sub-tribes, namely:[2]