Akhund Darweza’s (d. 1638) in his book ‘Makhzanul Islam’ (written between 1603 and 1612), mentions the term Pakhtunkhwa or Pashtunkhwa as follows:
پښتونخوا په مثال شپه وه، دې ډيوه وه په اندهير کښې
(Translation: Pakhtunkhwa was like a night and he [Pir Baba Syed Ali Termezi] was like a candle).
Khushal Khan Khattak, a contemporay of Aurangzeb Alamgir, has also mentioned Pakhtunkhwa in his poetry as follows:
نوره واړه پښتونخوا په ځائي مېشتۀ وهخو يو زه دې زمانې په کښې منصور کړم
(Translation: The whole Pakhtunkhwa stood in its place, only I was made Mansur by time)
Ahmad Shah Durrani (1723-1773), mentions Pakhtunkhwa as his homeland as follows:
د ډیلي تخت هېرومه چې رایاد کړم
زما د ښکلې پښتونخوا د غرو سرونه
(Translation: I forget my Delhi throne when I recall the beautiful mountain peaks of Pakhtunkhwa)