Why do Pakistanis consider Mahmud Ghazni, Mohammad Ghauri and
Aurangzeb Great Muslims?
I am an Indian and a Hindu but I am not a fundamentalist. I
believe in the composite heritage of Hindus and Muslims and I
think both are pillars of India. However, if we go back into
History, we will find some disturbing truths. Everybody in both
India and Pakistan know about our ancient Indus Valley
Civilization and the sites are located in both India and
Pakistan. Subsequently, in the ancient historical period, there
were glorious years of Ashoka the Great and Chandragupta. In
those days, India was divided into big and small Hindu or
Dravidian states, with few states ruled by newly converted
Buddhists and Jains. Islam came much later to India, when
Mohammad Ghauri attacked India and specially the Hindu Ruler
Prithviraj Chauhan, on the Invitation of His archenemy Jaichand.
Subsequently, the Northwestern states of India were plundered
and looted by other Muslim conquerors including Ghazni and later
on by the Mughals. In that duration, lots of Hindus were
forcibly converted to Islam, especially the higher caste Hindus
and that continued till the horrific reign of Aurangzeb.
However, I fail to understand why Pakistanis are so proud of
these conquerors and mass murderers. Pakistan had even named its
missiles after Ghazni and Ghauri. By these acts, they have
perversely sought to commemorate these Afghan rulers of Turkish
descent in utter disregard of the fact that most of the
territories they plundered are their own - the North West
Frontier Province, the Punjab and Sind. The men and women they
tortured, enslaved, ravished and put to the sword were their own
forebears. Almost all of the Pakistanis might be having a Hindu
ancestry, which might go back in time immemorial. People like
Jinnah and Sheikh Abdullah had a Hindu ancestry. Christian
missionaries seldom used methods of coercion to convert Hindus
into Christianity unlike the cruel mercenaries like Ghazni and
company. I agree that Akbar was one of the best Muslims because
he had respect for Hinduism and believed in a composite culture
but Aurangzeb was entirely the opposite. He killed his own
brothers for the lust of power and imposed the most severe form
of Islamic Rule, while not hesitating to kill the people of his
own community who opposed him. One of the tallest leaders of
Partition movement once said in his remarks that Jinnah was the
greatest Muslim after Aurangzeb. I don't know how this was said
as Jinnah was completely different person. He had a modern
outlook and wanted Pakistan to be a modern and secular Islamic
state, on the lines of Ataturk's Turkey.
To conclude, I wish that Pakistanis understand their past in a
more holistic way. The forefathers of both the country's
populations have suffered in the hands of the so-called heroes.
We as Indians always want a strong and stable Pakistan and
majority of us don't have any animosity against the common
Pakistanis. Akbar the great or Sufis like Bulle Shah or even
Jinnah can inspire one but worshipping the plunderers and mass
murderers who devastated our ancestors is not at all justified.