In which language were the Ashokan inscriptions written in Afghanistan?

The correct option is Aramaic and Greek.

Ashoka, the famous emperor of the Maurya Dynasty, ruled over a vast empire that stretched across the Indian subcontinent and reached as far west as modern-day Afghanistan. To communicate his administrative policies, moral codes, and the principles of Dhamma (righteousness) to his diverse subjects, he had edicts and inscriptions carved on pillars and rock surfaces throughout his kingdom.

Because the empire was multicultural and multilingual, these inscriptions were written in regional scripts and languages to ensure they were understood by the local populations:
1. In the core territories of northern and central India, the inscriptions were primarily written in the Prakrit language using the Brahmi script.
2. In the northwestern regions (modern-day Pakistan), the local language was Prakrit but written in the Kharosthi script.
3. In the far western borderlands, particularly in regions like Kandahar in modern-day Afghanistan, the population consisted of communities speaking Greek and Aramaic. Consequently, the inscriptions found in these areas (such as the famous Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription) were written in Aramaic and Greek. Aramaic was used because it was the official administrative language of the preceding Achaemenid Empire in that region, and Greek was used because of the Hellenistic populations settled there after the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Therefore, the Ashokan inscriptions in Afghanistan were written in Aramaic and Greek to cater to the local inhabitants of the region.