The Kethwals are a tribe of Pakistan, they are believed to originate from Kerman in Iran. They had travelled eastwards and settled the hills and established self-government. According to census of India 1881 total population of Kethwals at that time was 1,834. They had occupied five villages in Murree. One village, Charhaan, occupies a very large proportion. Kethwal is the oldest tribes of Murree. They are of Rajput origin. They embraced Islam in 1402, when great the Sufi from Kashmir Syed Ali Hamdan arrived in the Murree Hills and preached Islamic teachings.
Mian Qadir Bakhsh son of Raja Chandu of Murree Hills was the first Muslim of Kathwal tribe who embraced Islam in 1402 at Patan of Kohala. The word Kathwal is derived from the name of a tribe chief Mian Katho Khan. He was born in 1560 and ruled over area till half century. Kathwal families were intermarried in the age of 15 to 18 till 1950. There are many sub-tribes of Kathwal including the Badwal, Jogeal and Janjual.
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The Kethwals are spread over almost all over Pakistan. This tribe is well established in the following areas.
As well as the following areas: Wah and Taxila, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Khewra, Pind Daden Khan Jhelum, Deena, Mir Pur, Kotli, Nankial, Sialkot, Shakar Ghar, Gujrat, Lala Musa, Kharian, Wazir Abad, Gujranwala, Mandi Bhaoddin, Sargodha, Jhang, Mochi Wala, Kala Shah Kaku, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Pindi Bhattian, Sahiwal, Chicha Watni, Kot Uddu, Layya, Dera Ghazi Khan.
Raja Khaliquzzaman from Wazirabad was an MPA in the Junejo Government 1985-1988. Mohammed Hafeez is a very atheistic and active political worker of Pakistan People Party Hazara Division since 1971.