Overview
Haplogroup R-FGC21735 represents a major and relatively early R2a diversification event situated along the northern Indus frontier. Its formation aligns with the late Neolithic and early Chalcolithic periods, when the interaction between highland agro-pastoralists and the early village clusters of the Indus borderlands intensified. This demographic environment, characterized by exchange networks, seasonal mobility and emerging specialized crafts, forms the backdrop for the appearance of FGC21735. Modern carriers of this lineage are found primarily in northern Pakistan, eastern Afghanistan and parts of Kashmir. This distribution strongly reflects the ecological niches of the Swat Valley, the Hindu Kush foothills and the highland gateways into Central Asia. These regions historically supported diverse cultural complexes whose continuity is visible across several millennia of archaeological layers. Although no ancient sample has yet been assigned directly to FGC21735, upstream R2a sequences appear repeatedly in remains from the Helmand and Indus cultural spheres. Combined with the clade’s age estimates, this suggests that FGC21735 likely emerged within a mosaic of early highland–lowland interaction that preceded the later urban expansion of the Mature Harappan phase.