Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said Mahmud of Ghazni wasn’t a hero but a plunderer who just attacked India for money, which is a big deal cause usually Ghazni is seen as a hero in Pakistani history books, and Pakistan even named a missile after him back in 2012, so people are wondering what’s up. It also makes folks think if Pakistan’s changing its tune on India, even though Asif usually talks tough about India. It feels like its connected to all the recent beef between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It kinda looks like Asif is trying to get under the skin of the Afghan Taliban, especially since Pakistan recently bombed some spots in Afghanistan where they say Pakistani Taliban are hiding. Calling Ghazni a plunderer is a like a slap in the face to Afghans, since Ghazni is a big deal over there. No official word from the Pakistani government yet, but a spokesperson for the Afghan government called Asif’s words irresponsible.
Now everyone in Pakistan is chatting about this, some agreeing with Asif, some not so much, and even some folks in his own party aren’t on the same page. One ex-minister even said Asif should check out Romila Thapar’s work where she says Ghazni’s attacks weren’t about religion, but more about power. This whole thing and the talk about renaming missiles named after Afghan fighters makes it seem like some of the higher-ups in Pakistan are thinking differently now.