You dont have javascript enabled! Please enable it!
Archives

SOURCE: AFI

Pakistan’s long-standing practice of naming its ballistic missiles after historical Afghan invaders, intended as a taunt to India, has backfired amidst a new geopolitical spat with Afghanistan. The controversy was sparked by Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who in an unexpected turn of events, referred to Mahmud of Ghazni as “merely a plunderer” during a televised interview. This remark has sent shockwaves through Pakistan, where Ghazni is often lionized in educational curricula for his 1026 raid on the Somnath temple in India.

Mahmud of Ghazni, along with other figures like Ahmad Shah Abdali and Muhammad Ghori, have been celebrated in Pakistan for their roles in historical conflicts with Indian forces. Abdali is remembered for his victory in the third battle of Panipat against the Marathas, an event marked by significant bloodshed, while Ghori is noted for his defeat of the Indian king Prithviraj Chauhan. These names — Ghaznavi, Abdali, and Ghauri — adorn Pakistan’s arsenal of missiles, including the Ghaznavi (Hatf-III), Abdali-I (Hatf-II), and Ghauri (Hatf-V), respectively, symbolizing not just military might but also a cultural and historical assertion over India.

The naming strategy was multifaceted:

  • Provocation: By choosing names of invaders who historically clashed with Indian entities, Pakistan aimed to provoke a response from India, highlighting the historical rivalry and keeping the tension alive.
  • National Narrative: These names helped in crafting a national identity narrative that glorifies Islamic conquests, providing a historical legitimacy to Pakistan’s claim of being the true representative of Islam in the subcontinent.
  • Strategic Messaging: The missile names also served as a reminder to India of Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities, with each missile named after an invader who had once defeated Indian forces, symbolically suggesting the potential for similar outcomes in modern conflicts.

However, Asif’s recent comments have unraveled this carefully constructed narrative. By calling Mahmud of Ghazni a plunderer, he inadvertently questioned the heroic status assigned to these historical figures in Pakistani lore, prompting a domestic debate about national identity, historical interpretation, and the ethics of celebrating invaders.

This has not only embarrassed Pakistan on the international stage but also complicated its relationship with Afghanistan. Kabul has, in the past, objected to Pakistan naming its missiles after Afghan heroes, viewing it as an appropriation of their history for military posturing. The Afghan government and public have long felt that such naming conventions diminish the nuanced roles these figures played in their own history, reducing complex historical personas to mere tools of modern-day geopolitical strategy.