ټول حقوق د منډيګک بنسټ سره محفوظ دي
India has been attracting invaders, travellers and traders since the time of
Alexander the Great. Every group had left its marks on the geography,
history and culture of the country. The impact of some like the Mughals is
very prominent in their monuments. The others such as Iran had left its
legacy in the language and literature. One set of people whose marks are
either not visible or little attention has been paid to them were by the
Afghans or the Pathans as they are popularly known in India.
The word Afghans and Pathan is synonymous when we deal with the
history of the sub-continent. I was told by many people in India that they
were and still are considered as people of India. The mountains of the
north and eastern parts of Afghanistan were in fact parts of the vast
Indian land. Gandharan people are mentioned in Vedas and Mahabharat.
Some people go offended when I asked where they came from because
they thought that people always move from one place to another in India.
Some tribes came as invaders or traders and others served in the armies of
the rulers, whoever was on the throne. They were hired as soldiers,
officers and diplomats by different rulers throughout the history of the
last few centuries. Pathans-in-India