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The research that I have conducted over a ten year period, has been centred on the town of Ghourghusti, in Attock. Therefore, many of the findings may not be relevant to the whole area of Chach.
There are still some Chach Pathans who speak Pushto. Hindko is a language which can be traced back to the Gandhara civilisation. This particular region has been the centre of migration for thousands of years. Over the last five hundred years, the region has been dominated by Pathans, and Pushto was widely spoken amongst the populace. However, the administrators of the region, continued to speak Punjabi (hindko) dialect, until Urdu became the official language. This has lead to a revival of hindko as the popular language being spoken. Another contributing factor to the revival of hindko has been the arrival of merchants and traders from the Punjab, over 150 years ago. Hindko is now the dominant language in Attock, and Pushto is hardly ever spoken amongst the settled inhabitants.
There is conflicting theory on whether Pushto or Hindko is the original language of the area, as many Chachi's state that their elders used to speak Pushto. This confusion has led to many Pushto speaking Pathans in nearby regions, not recognising the Chach Pathans as Pathans. Indeed, who can argue with them, when some Chach Pathans themselves would argue that they are culpable because they have discarded their own language (Pushto) and culture to facilitate trade with the Punjabi merchants. This proudness and modesty shows that the Chach Pathans have the original charecteristics of the Pathan instilled within them.
There are some Chach Pathans, who are every bit if not more of a pathan than the Pushto speaking Pathans. They are conservative and firmly hold on to the ideals and notions of Pukthunwali or 'Pathanwalgi' as pronounced in Hindko. Many of these people exist in small villages in Ghourgushti, and even when they emigrate, they take their principles with them. They still maintain their strict code of honour in places like Birmingham, England, where there is a large community of Chach Pathans.
There are different types of chach pathans, some of whom are modernistic, and may no longer be called pathans, but there are also those who are still very much conservatives. They, like the Pushto speaking Pathans, are proud of their clans.