Modified Arabic Script with Unique Letters
Pashto adds several letters not found in Arabic or Farsi: ټ ,ډ ,ړ ,ږ ,ښ ,ځ ,څ, and ۍ. These must be correctly identified and transliterated, as confusion between similar-looking letters changes meaning entirely — ز (z) vs. ږ (zh) vs. ځ (dz).
Handwritten & Low-Quality Documents
Many Afghan documents, especially tazkiras and court records from rural areas, are handwritten in cursive Pashto script. These require expert readers who can decipher individual handwriting styles and regional calligraphic conventions.
Tribal & Customary Legal Terms
Pashto documents may reference Pashtunwali (the Pashtun code of conduct) concepts like nanawatai (asylum-seeking), badal (justice/revenge), and jirga (council) decisions. These culturally specific legal concepts require careful translation with contextual explanations.
Dual Calendar Systems
Afghan documents use the Solar Hijri (Shamsi) calendar while Pakistani documents may use the Lunar Hijri or Gregorian calendar. Translators must correctly identify the calendar system and convert dates accurately for U.S. immigration purposes.