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Introduction
Pakistan lies within the North Western a part of South Asia. It’s bordered by China within the North, Afghanistan within the North-West, Iran in South-West, Arabian Sea and Indian Sea within the South and India within the East. Pakistan, as evident, is positioned on the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, and the Center East making it a simple linking level between Central Asia and South Asia.
There have been vital immigration actions, within the areas now constituting Pakistan since pre-historic occasions. The folks of Pakistan are descendants of various racial teams and sub-racial shares, who entered the subcontinent over the previous 5000 years, primarily from central and western Asia every now and then. But in contrast to the favored false impression, it all the time maintained its id and individuality separate from its neighbor India who claimed that Pakistan was part of Aakhand Bharat (Undivided India) on the idea of historical past. Therefore its partition from India is completely unjustified. However 1000’s of years of historical past of the sub-continent tells a special story. It tells us that the areas referred to as Pakistan in the present day had constantly remained as a single, compact and a separate geographical and political entity since historical occasions.
Few folks would pay attention to the true historical past of Pakistan nonetheless; few would know that the oldest stone software on this planet, courting again to 2.2 million years was discovered at Rabat, about fifteen miles away from Rawalpindi and the biggest hand Axe was discovered within the Soan Valley. And to high all of it, the location of the primary settled life on this planet courting again to the eighth millennium BC has been discovered at Mehergarh within the Sibi districts of Balochistan. Though Pakistan, as an unbiased nation dates solely from August 14th, 1947 and the nation itself can hint its beginnings solely to a couple centuries in the past, but the territories of Pakistan are inheritor to one of many richest and the oldest civilizations and settlements of the world.
Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization or the Harappan Civilization[i] is likely one of the most fascinating and the oldest civilizations ever identified. It flourished between 3000 and 1500 BC by the banks of River Indus or Sind in Pakistan. This civilization existed alongside the Indus River in current day Pakistan with its fundamental facilities at Mohenjodaro in Sind, Harappa within the Punjab, Kej within the Baluch territory and Judeiro Daro within the Pathan area. It’s typically believed that the inhabitants of Indus Valley Civilization have been Dravidians who got here to sub-continent from japanese Mediterranean.
This civilization reached its climax across the two metropolitan facilities of Mohenjodaro and Harappa. These cities are well-known for his or her spectacular, organized and common format. They have been the facilities of arts and crafts. In accordance with John Marshal, the Harappan folks have been literate and used the Dravidian language [ii] which is likely one of the world’s first identified languages. Their chief occupation was agriculture and commerce. The civilization is notable for its sturdy central authorities, sense for artwork and structure and home planning.
Flood is taken into account to be the destroyer of this tradition as a result of which agriculture acquired disrupted and commerce routes affected which led majority of the inhabitants emigrate to different fertile lands. Those that have been left behind fell sufferer to the Aryan invasion. The civilization lasted for fifteen hundred years.
Arrival of the Aryans
In about 1700 BC, Indus Valley folks noticed the arrival of latest horse-riding nomads from Central Asia resulting in the eventual decline of their affluent and complicated Indus Civilization. The Aryans got here in a minimum of two main waves in Pakistan. The primary wave got here round 2000 BC and the second wave got here a minimum of six centuries later. It was after the second wave of Aryans invasion that they grew to become dominant and their language unfold over your entire size and breadth of the area. They entered by way of the Swat Valley from the northwest mountain passes and pushed the native folks or the Dravidians (the folks of Indus Civilization) southwards or in the direction of the jungles and mountains in north. They settled first in Punjab and Indus Valley after which unfold eastward and southward. In contrast to Indus folks Aryans have been uncivilized race. Their non secular texts and human stays counsel that the Aryans have been violent of their invasions. They killed the inhabitants and burnt their cities. An identical view was opined by Stuart Piggot in his e book Pre-historic India:
“The Aryan introduction was actually the arrival of barbarians right into a area already extremely organized into an empire primarily based on a protracted established custom of literate city tradition”.
Apart from being sturdy fighters Aryans have been additionally expert farmers and craftsmen. They have been the worshippers of nature and their non secular books have been referred to as Vedas. Aryans have been tall, well-built and; had engaging options and honest complexion whereas the inhabitants of Indus Valley have been black, flat nosed and of brief stature. The Indus folks submitted to the superior Aryans and have become their slaves. This truth later grew to become the idea of Caste system so as of superiority akin to Brahmans (priest) Kashatryas (warriors) and Vaisyas (enterprise group and commoners). The Dravidians have been positioned in fourth and termed as Sudras (slaves).
Persian Empire
Within the sixth century BC, Darius invaded Pakistan and made the Indus plain and Gandhara a part of his Persian Empire of the Achaemenid, together with his capital at Persepolis in Iran. It was from then onwards that town of Taxila started to develop and the area noticed the rise of one other nice civilization referred to as the Gandhara Civilization overlaying a lot of the northern Pakistan with capitals at each Pushkalavati (Charsadda) and Takshka-sila (Taxila).
As a part of the Persian Empire, the area as soon as once more rose to zenith. Commerce with Iran and the west resumed as soon as once more, financial system flourished, weapons and different objects of each day use have been produced. Charsadda and Taxila grew to become the facilities of exercise. One of many biggest universities of the traditional world was based at Taxila. It was at this college that Chandra Gupta Maurya acquired his training, who later based the Maurya Empire in South Asia. This affluent Achaemenian Empire that prolonged from Pakistan to Greece and Egypt, nevertheless, collapsed below the onslaught of Alexander of Macedonia.
Alexander’s Invasion
Alexander entered Pakistan from the northern route at Swat and conquered the Gandharan area between 327 and 325 BC. He reached Taxila first. The Raja of Taxila understanding Alexander’s huge military’s fame gave him a welcome as a substitute of resistance. Alexander stayed at Taxila for someday then got here throughout Raja Porus who was the ruler of the territories east of Jehlum. He then went as much as River Beas from the place his military refused to go additional, so he then got here down by way of your entire size of Pakistan, crossed the Hub River close to Karachi and departed for residence dying on the best way. Alexander’s invasion introduced Greek information and science to Taxila.
Up until right here it’s notable that in every settlements and invasions could that be of the Indus Valley Civilization, Aryans or through the half a millennium interval after Aryan’s migrations and through the Persian Empire, Pakistan all the time stood as a separate entity from India and the interval coated by these settlements is about 2200 years.
Mauryan Empire
Alexander’s premature demise at Babylon in 323 B.C resulted within the breakup of his huge empire in to 2 elements (The Byzantine Empire and Bacterian Greeks). The management of this area subsequently fell into the palms of native dynasties and tribes. Chandragupta Maurya was the founding father of Maurya Empire who marched into the Gangetic plains, defeated the Nanda Kings and established a robust authorities at a spot referred to as Magadha (current Bihar). Nevertheless, it ought to be famous that he dominated from India however he was a son of Potohar area and a Prince of Taxila. He adopted Jainism. His grandson Ashoka was a Buddhist.
Because the Mauryan rulers didn’t took into Hinduism and promoted both Jainism or Buddhism, they grew to become topic to Hindu’s criticism. Hindu’s by way of their scheming and conspiracy managed to place an finish to Mauryan Dynasty and as a substitute gave beginning to Brahman origin dynasty of Singhas adopted by Kanvas and Indras. These dynasties dominated southern and central India however proved to be weak and brief lived.
Graeco-Bactrian Rule
The Bactrian Greeks arrived in Gandhara in 185 BC, about 50 years after the loss of life of Ashoka. They have been the decedents of Alexander the Nice’s armies from Bactria (now Balkh, in northern Afghanistan). They constructed Greek cities at Taxila and Pushkalavati (Charsadda) and launched their language, artwork and faith within the nation of Gandhara. Their language lasted greater than 500 years and their artwork and faith had appreciable affect on the Gandhara Civilization. Probably the most highly effective of the Bactrian Greek ruler was Menander (mid-second century BC). The Graeco-Bactrian rule lasted for under a century.
The Sakas
After the Graeco-Bactrian, Pakistan was divided into a number of small Greek Kingdoms who fell prey to the good wave of Scythians (Sakas) who migrated on an intensive scale. They have been the nomads of North Iran. Sakas overthrew the Greek rulers and established their management throughout Pakistan. The Sakas settlements have been so huge that Pakistan got here to be referred to as Scythia. Gandhara grew to become the middle of the Saka domains, and Taxila was chosen the capital. The Sakas or Scythians have been tall, giant framed and fierce warriors. They have been splendid horsemen and knowledgeable in lance. Sakas have been adopted by the highly effective Parthians from east of the Caspian Sea, in about 20 AD.
The Kushans
The Kushans from Central Asia established the Kushan Empire in Indus Valley. The third king of this dynasty Kanishka was essentially the most profitable ruler. His reforms earned him fame. Like his predecessors he additionally took lively curiosity in Buddhism. Kushans made Peshawar their capital. The Kushans interval is taken into account the golden age of Pakistan and introduced nice wealth and prosperity to the area with the event of the Silk Path to China. It got here to be referred to as Kushana-shahar, the land of the Kushans. It was the Kushan kings who gifted the nationwide costume of shalwar(shirt), kamiz(trousers) and sherwani to Pakistan.
After Kanishka’s loss of life, his successors did not hold the Empire intact. The results of which was that a few of its elements have been captured by Sassanians of Persia. Within the 4th century a brand new dynasty of Kidar (little) Kushans got here to energy and established their capital at Peshawar. At roughly the identical time Gupta Empire got here in to energy within the neighboring nation of India and annexed an enormous space of the sub-continent but it didn’t went past Sutlej and didn’t included Kashmir. So through the Gupta interval, Pakistan was within the palms of Kushans and Sassanians.
White Huns
The Huns have been the nomad tribe of China’s western borderland who after conquering Central Asia and Iran invaded Pakistan from Central Mongolia. Their chiefs have been referred to as ‘Khans’. The actual department of the Huns, which got here to Pakistan, is called Epthalite or White Huns. One in every of their mighty rulers was Mehar Gul whose capital was Sakala (current Sialkot). They killed Buddhists and burned all of the monasteries. Their conquest utterly eradicated the Gupta regime. The origin of majority of the Afghan-Pathan tribes and Rajput and Jat clans of Punjab and Sind, in keeping with fashionable students, are descendents from White Huns. The autumn of the Hun rulers resulted in emergence of petty kingdoms which brought on deterioration in political, social and financial situation till Muslims got here within the scene.
Arab Invasion
Through the Rajput’s interval in north India i.e., seventh to twelfth century AD the sunshine of Islam penetrated into this a part of the world. Islam arrived in Pakistan from two instructions, south and north. In 711 an Arab expedition below a 20 yr outdated Syrian Muhammad Bin Qasim arrived by sea to suppress piracy on Arab transport and established management of the sub-continent so far as north of Multan and constructed up a kingdom of Al-Mansurah in Sind. Mohammad bin Qasim conquered Sind and dominated it for about three years earlier than being recalled and killed. After Mohammad Bin Qasim’s departure, Muslim rule acquired confined to Sind and southern Punjab solely. Nevertheless, from this era onward Pakistan was divided into two elements for a very long time; the northern one comprising of the Punjab and NWFP and the southern one comprising of Multan, Sind and Balochistan below numerous Muslim rulers.
The Turks
In tenth century AD, Turkish descendents having their capital at Ghazni attacked this area. They migrated from central Asia and performed a outstanding half within the political lifetime of the sub-continent for about 200 years. The Ghaznavids, a Turkish dynasty which rose in Afghanistan, succeeded the Arabs and below the management of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, established Muslim rule within the sub-continent. Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznah or Mahmud Ghaznavi, son of Turkish King of Ghazni specifically Sabuktgin invaded Pakistan from the north. Gandhara, the Punjab, Sind and Balochistan all grew to become a part of the Ghaznavid Empire, which had its capital at Ghazni, in Afghanistan and later at Lahore.
With the arrival of Muslims Turks additionally got here the Sufis and dervishes from Central Asia, Iran and Afghanistan who by way of their instructing unfold the message of Islam all around the nation. A few of them are Sheik Ismael, Syed Ali Hajveri, Ganj Shakar, Moeen-ud-Ajmeeri, Nizam-ud-Din Oliya, Baha-ud-din Zakiria and Khawaja Moeen-ud-din Chishti. It was as a result of these pious saints and Sufis that Islam unfold to your entire size of the sub-continent. The town of Multan grew to become well-known as town of Saints. Although Ghaznavid rule in Pakistan lasted for over 175 years however Mahmud didn’t annexed any space past Ravi. He contented himself with the annexations of the Punjab solely. He was neither a robber nor tyrant as written by some historians. His fame as an amazing patron of tradition and literature has remained undiminished to this date. It was below his patronage that the well-known epic Shahnama was written by Firdawsi.
The Ghaznavid Kingdom got here into battle with the rulers of Ghor who destroyed town of Ghazna decreasing it to ashes. Ghors have been Oghuz Turks of Ghor in Afghanistan. Sultan Muhammad of Ghor and his slave lieutenant Qutb-ud-din Aybak raided sub-continent and captured Delhi in 1193. Ghori was a courageous soldier and in a position administrator however not as sensible as Mahmud Ghaznavi. Nevertheless, Ghori left a long-lasting influence on the historical past of India. He’s reputed to be a gentle and benovelant man and a simply ruler. He had not any heirs. He educated his slaves in warfare and administration. It was Aybak, one in every of his slaves who grew to become his successor after Ghori’s assassination in 1206.
After the loss of life of Ghori, his slave Qutab-ud-Din Aybak established the primary Turkish Slave Dynasty (1206-90), which lasted for over 300 years. Aybak was essentially the most trusted basic of Muhammad Ghori and was given the executive management of a few of the conquered lands. He initially made Lahore because the capital however later moved to Delhi thatswhy the slave dynasty can also be referred because the Sultanate of Delhi. Nevertheless Aybak’s reign was brief lived (5 years) and he was succeeded by 9 different slave kings. Amongst his successors, his son-in-law, Iltutmish (1211-36), Raziyya Sultana (1236-1239) and Balban have been essentially the most well-known. Balban is remembered for his sturdy centralized authorities. Together with his loss of life, the dynasty declined and the ultimate blow got here in a type of a Jalaluddin Firuz Khilji. The Sultanate interval introduced the better a part of the sub-continent below its management and established Muslim Rule on agency grounds.
The Sultanate interval additionally noticed the rise and fall of 4 different dynasties in fast succession: the Khiljis (1290-1320), the Tughlaqs (1320-1413), the Sayyids (1414-51), and the Lodhis (1451-1526). The Khiljis have been Turks by origin however had resided in Afghanistan so lengthy that they have been now not considered Turks. They took management of the sub-continent in a type of a coup. Amongst them the Alao-Din-Khilji, was essentially the most well-known as he had an amazing influence on the historical past of India. He was environment friendly, imaginative and powerful ruler. The Khilji Empire lasted for 30 years. The Khiljis have been succeeded by the Tughluqs who consolidated the Muslim rule and revived the empire. The Tughluqs restored the general public works of utility akin to forts and canals and reestablished legislation and order. The Sayyids and the Lodhis adopted subsequent and their rule remained until 1526 when Babur based the Mughal Empire.
The Mughals
‘Mughal’ is the Persian translation of the phrase ‘Mongol’ from which we get the English phrase ‘mogul’ which means ‘tycoon’. The Moguls have been the final of the Mongols. Within the sixteenth century, Zaheeruddin Mohamed Babur, the primary Mughal Emperor and a descendent of Tamerlane and Genghis Khan, raided the Punjab from Afghanistan and defeated Ibrahim Lodhi, on the historic battle of Panipat and based the Mughul Empire. Babur was succeeded by his son, Humayun in 1530. Humayun was ousted by the Sher Shah Suri, who dominated the empire till his loss of life in 1545. Humayun who went into self exile in Persia returned and regained the throne in 1554 however died two years later. He was succeeded by his son Akbar. Akbar was the best of the Mughal Emperors and dominated the longest interval. He improved the centralized administrative system and was an amazing patron of artwork and literature. Mughal artwork and structure reached its peak below Akbar’s son Jahingir reign, and later below his grandson Shah Jahan. They left a heritage of magnificent mosques, palaces, tombs, forts and gardens which may nonetheless be seen in Lahore, Multan, Jehlum and different locations. Auranzeb succeeded Shah Jahan and who dominated from 1658 to 1707. He was a pious man and an environment friendly administrator. With the loss of life of Auranzeb, the good Mughal Empire (1526-1857) disintegrated.
In 1739, Nadir Shah of Persia invaded the area and after his loss of life Ahmed Shah Abdali based the dominion of Afghanistan in 1747. Then within the early nineteenth century, the Sikhs pushed the Afghans again to the Khyber Move. Ranjit Singh, the well-known Sikh chief made Lahore his capital and dominated from 1799 to 1839. The Sikh rule collapsed below the British and thus ended the Muslim rule within the subcontinent. Nevertheless it ought to be famous that in contrast to Britishers “Muslim rule in India was established by immigrant elite. The Muslims did not rule India from a distant homeland, nor have been they members of a dominant group inside the Indian Social group”.
The British Interval
The British arrived as retailers with the British East India Firm at the start of the seventeenth century and step by step grew to become concerned in Indian politics and eventually, after the battle of Plassey in 1757, started to overcome the sub-continent. By 1843, Sind was utterly of their management. They defeated the Sikhs in 1845 and 1849 in Anglo-Sikh Conflict.
After the First Conflict of Independence in 1857 (also called the Sepoy Mutiny), the British Authorities took direct management of Pakistan. This marked the start of the British Raj (British Rule), and within the title of Queen Victoria the British continued to broaden their empire. Hunza on the Chinese language border was the final space to fall into British palms, in 1891; solely Afghanistan and a few western most areas of Pakistan continued to stay outdoors their management. They demarcated the Durand Line in 1893 to separate Pakistan from Afghanistan. The British had a robust affect on fashionable Pakistan. They not solely launched their administrative and authorized techniques, but additionally introduced with them their tradition, language, artwork and structure, a few of which may nonetheless be seen in Pakistan in the present day.
The Battle for Pakistan
After the unsuccessful First Conflict of Independence in 1857, the British decided to suppress and weaken the Muslims, whom they held primarily chargeable for the rebellion. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (1817-98) made one of many first makes an attempt to revive Muslim standing by founding the Aligarh Motion. Muslims shaped a political get together with the title of Muslim League below the chairmanship of Nawab Salimullah Khan in 1906 at Dhaka. But it was solely when Jinnah assumed the management of Muslim League in 1936 that it grew to become a dynamic, nationwide group of the Muslims.
In 1930, a Muslim poet and a thinker Dr. Muhammad Iqbal proposed the creation of a separate Muslim state for these areas of the subcontinent with a Muslim majority. His proposal was adopted by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a British educated lawyer and Pakistan’s first head of state. This concept of a separate Muslim state within the sub-continent to be referred to as Pakistan took the type of a decision adopted by the Muslim League in 1940 at its Lahore session. This was the Lahore decision that got here to be popularly referred to as Pakistan Decision. The philosophy on which it was primarily based known as Two Nation Concept, which emphasised on the individuality of Hindus and Muslims stating that these two nations have their very own civilization, tradition, historic heritage and faith as a result of which they can’t dwell below a single nation. This offered the idea for Pakistan.
The British realized that they must relinquish their maintain upon the sub-continent so on twentieth February 1947; the British Prime Minister Mr. Lord Atlee introduced that the British Authorities would hand over the facility of the sub-continent to its natives. It was lastly agreed that the sub continent ought to be partitioned and the facility can be handed over to the 2 states at Independence on the mid-night of 14th and fifteenth August 1947. Thus the Muslims battle below the dynamic management of Muhammad Ali Jinnah bore fruit; the sub-continent received Independence from English and Pakistan was created as a sovereign and unbiased Muslim state on 14th August 1947.
It was determined that Pakistan would comprise the japanese (current Bangladesh) and western (current Pakistan) wings of the nation. The Muslims dwelling in Indian area needed to migrate to Pakistan. This migration was accompanied by horrible violence and bloodshed to not point out numerous issues of division Pakistan needed to face within the palms of uncooperative Indians.
Unbiased Pakistan
The world has all the time identified two completely different international locations and cultures within the sub-continent; one primarily based on the Sindhu or Indus (Pakistan) and the opposite on the Ganges Valley (India) referred to as Bharatvarta. The Sindhu nation with its Harappan Civilization had its management from Rupar on higher Sutlej to the decrease reaches of the Indus on the Arabian Sea, the territory now coated by Pakistan. The Sindhu Land was all the time notable for its unbiased existence, utterly indifferent from Gangetic Valley or India.
Furthermore, Pakistan as an unbiased nation all the time regarded westward and had extra cultural, business and political connections with the Sumerian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Turks than with the Gangetic Valley. Through the 5000 years of Pakistan’s identified historical past, Pakistan remained a part of India for a complete interval of 711 years of which 512 years have been coated by the Muslims interval and 100 years every by the Mauryan (largely Buddhist) and British intervals. Pakistan had remained both unbiased or a part of powers at west and its attachment to India was solely an exception.
This can be the rationale that there’s barely any Hindu architectural affect in Pakistan and as a substitute of Hinduism; Islam shapes the lives of most Pakistanis. Furthermore, Hindus themselves have all the time regarded Yavanas (the inhabitants of Pakistan) in these days as impure and outdoors the boundaries of Aryandom. So Pakistan as part of India is a weak idea having no historic grounding. It was certainly the well-known Two Nation Concept formulated by Iqbal and realized by Jinnah that led to the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
Notes:
[i] Referred to as ‘Indus Valley’ by John Marshall, Mohenjodaro and the Indus Valley Civilization pp.i-iii (London, 1931), and ‘Harappan’ by Stuart Piggott, Prehistoric India (London: Pelican Books, 1950), p. 132.
[ii] Quoted in Historic Cities of the Indus, Gregory L. Possehl (ed), Carolina Educational Press, New Delhi, 1979, pp. 105-107.
References:
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5. Rahman T. Peoples & languages in pre-Islamic Indus Valley. [Online] [Cited 2009 April 2]. Obtainable from:
inic.utexas.edu/asnic/topic/peoplesandlanguages.html
6. Haroon A. Muhammad Bin Qasim to Basic Pervaiz Musharraf: Triumphs, tribulations, scars of 1971 tragedy & present challenges. KRL Submit Workplace Field 502. Rawalpindi. 2000.
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Source by Ameera Kamal
