If one locates a book in New Delhi’s World Book Fair titled “5000 years of Pakistan” published by a Karachi publishing house, one would certainly express surprise for a moment: How can a seven decade old country claim to have the history of 5000 years? Of course, irrespective of Indian or Pakistani citizenship, one has to accept a common heritage of more than 5000 years, though Pakistan was born only in August 1947. She was part of British India or even pre-historic India too. The history of Pakistan does not begin from the 17 year old Muslim general Muhmmad Bin Qasim who conquered Sind in the year 711-712 CE. The geographical or political boundaries may change with time, but one
cannot deny the common heritage of thousand years. And how can the present areas of Pakistan be considered alien even by Indians since the oldest sacred book “Rig-Veda” of Hindus was written in the present day Pakistan? Even the scholar, Panini, who developed grammar of Sanskrit, the pious language Hindus claim as their own, was a Pashtun born in Gandhara region on Pak-Afghan border. One of the oldest recognized universities of the world, Taxila or Takshashila, flourished during the 1 st to 5 th century CE the Gandhara period in present day Rawalpindi region. At least 10,500 students studied here including those from Babylon, Greece, Syria, and China. Experienced teachers taught languages, Vedas, philosophy, medicine, politics, warfare, accounts, commerce, documentation, music, dance and other performing arts, futurology, the occult and mystical sciences and complex mathematical calculations. “Arthshashtra” famed Kautilya, the great scholar, was a teacher at Taxila. His student turned the founder king of Maurayan empire was Chandragupta.
The centre of a powerful ancient civilization, Mohenjo Daro, was one of the world’s earliest cities- a Bronze Age metropolis boasting flush toilets and water and waste system. Some 5,000 years on, archaeologists believe, the ruins could unlock the secrets of the Indus valley people, who flourished around 3,000 BC in what is now India and Pakistan before mysteriously disappearing. Even Harappa civilization is common with both the countries. According to mythology, Taxila is said to have been founded by Taksha, the son of Bharat, the brother of the legendary hero, Rama, and stood on a hill that commanded the river Tamra Nala, a tributary of the Indus. It is held to have been an important cultural centre since inception, and the Mahabharata was reported to have first been recited here. The legendary history of Lahore on the official website of the capital city of Punjab province of Pakistan connects with Luv, one of the two sons of Lord Rama. Though Pakistan has turned an Islamic state, at least 30 lakh Hindus continue to reside in various provinces. Hingalaj Mata temple in Baluchistan and Katas Raj temple in Chakwal have been centres of faith for Hindus from all over the world. Even Nanakana Sahib, the birth place of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, attracts people from Sikh faith visiting it in large number.
The history textbooks in Pakistan are rather bias towards Hindus and there is an effort to rewrite the history. The authorities under the pressure from the Islamic fundamentalists are compelled to go for coloured history, but of let even the leaders of the ruling Muslim League of Miya Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan People’s Party of Bilawal Bhutto have been openly attending the Hindu festival celebrations to garner minority support. The ruling parties at national level as well as at provincial level are trying to give representation to Hindus in the Ministry.
“Salam, Namaste, Sat Sri Akal and Good Morning to all my brothers belonging to different religions…I am the Prime Minister of all Pakistanis…be it a Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian or (those of) any other religion. You are all equals.” Nawaz Sharif told a cheering audience at the Katas Raj Hindu temple in Chakwal district of Punjab on 11 January 2017. He had gone to inaugurate its renovation. In 2005, former Indian Deputy Prime Minister and BJP leader, L. K. Advani, was invited
to lay the foundation stone of the renovation. The Pakistan government has spent Rs.6 Crore for renovation of the 900 year old Shiva temple and the Amar Kund attached to the complex. Even Pakistan’s Chief Justice, Saqib Nisar, declared Katas Raj as National Heritage.
In preface of the book “Five thousand Years of Pakistan” written by R. E. M. Wheeler in 1949, Fazlur Rahman, the Minister of Commerce and Education of Pakistan writes : “The heritage of Pakistan must be kept alive if the future is to grow strongly and healthily out of it. It will be no good to the new leaves on to a dead tree.” In the book, Wheeler, Archaeological Adviser to the Government of Pakistan, has covered the history of both Western Pakistan and Eastern Pakistan (now Bangladesh). He considers the Rig-veda as the oldest and notes: “Its absolute date is less certain, but there is general agreement amongst philologists that it dates back to the twelfth century B.C. or earlier.” The former Director General of Archaeology in India records in his book: “Indra had won the battle, but Siva won the war.” Wheeler tries to make distinction between battle and war.
Calling Chandragupta’s grandson, Asoka, the Great, Wheeler praises him as reformer and adds: “Asoka was ahead of his time- perhaps more so than we today would care to calculate- and the whole fabric of his empire, spiritual and secular alike, broke up in the years following his death in 232 B.C. His most lasting gift to Taxila was a deep-rooted Buddhism, which was thenceforth to dominate the city’s cultural life.” He makes a distinction between “an inspired teacher” and “a God”. Wheeler writes : “Buddhism was, in origin, not a religion but a philosophy of life. The Buddha, the Enlightened One, was not a God; he was an inspired teacher, who about 500 B.C., preached on the Ganges plains the Middle Path between indulgence and asceticism and sought an ultimate deliverance from accumulated sin in supreme detachment, nirvana. Such was the Buddhism of the great Asoka(273- 232 B.C.),who probably the first to encourage this way of life in Pakistan.” Though he writes for Pakistan, the State established on the basis of Islam, Wheeler seems to be non-fanatic. His writings are not trying to justify Islamic icons. He continues to use the phrase “Islamic invaders” for Arabs, Turks, Mongols or Moghuls who tried to establish their rule over India. When most of the Saudi Arabian Universities prefer to be tight-lipped on pre-Islamic history, Pakistan, despite her limitations, opens up for debate.
Next Column: Chhatrapati Shivaji, a Ruler for Hindavi Swaraj
(The writer is a Socio-political Historian. E-mail: [email protected] )
