Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif is calling for syncretism by acknowledging his Hindu ancestry and urging people in the subcontinent to ‘own’ their identity.
In a recent interview with a Pakistani channel, Asif acknowledged his Hindu ancestry and said, “My forefathers became Muslims from Hindus, many other Kashmiris, and I were converted when Shah Hamdan travelled from Tajikistan and brought Islam to the region. There is no harm in owning your identity, but you need to look at history, dispassionately and not radically,” Asif said.
He added that the thing lies in reading factual history. “You see, when Mahmood Ghaznavi used to come from there, he used to kill Muslims all the way. Those who did not suit him. Do civilisations have only one ruler? No. There are many sides to it. Later, many of his descendants settled in Lahore. History should be analytical and from a historical perspective,” Asif said.
Asif pointed out that an ahistorical perspective helps no one. In the context of renaming, he added, “If you want to rectify the present situation, or if you want to identify something in it, then you go and identify in the past. Do not deny that a certain person used to live here. Half of the population in Pakistan comes from Saudi Arabia or Iran.”
Asif said he practices what he preaches. He recalled sharing this historical background with Nawaz Sharif during a trip to Tajikistan. Upon realising the geographic roots of the saint who influenced their lineages, they paid their respects.
“We know we were Hindus. History is dispassionate. But governments dramatise it. History should be read dispassionately. If you read history passionately, then you cannot get the right result from it,” he added, before making a critique of the curriculum in Pakistan. Asif also added that when he was a student, he read about Ashoka, Chandragupta Maurya, and others, but Pakistanis are no longer taught about this.
He explicitly challenged the mainstream narrative taught in Pakistani textbooks, stating that it was Sufi saints like Hamdan who converted his ancestors, rather than the Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim, whom he described strictly as a “political person.”
Pakistanis are amused and divided. While many reflected with amusement, a significant number reacted with anger and strong disagreement. “Wow, Khawaja Asif, you have spoken brilliantly. You have proven yourself to be a true Pakistani and Muslim,” a YouTube user wrote. Others endorsed his views, saying, “Realistic history should be taught and talked about! No fanaticism and dramatisation.”
However, opinions differ. Some wondered who made Asif a minister, and others advised him to be ‘ashamed’ for making such comments. “Khawaja, you all should be ashamed that you are speaking ill of your own people,” another X user added. One angry Pakistani simply said, “Who made him a minister?”
Acknowledging shared Hindu heritage and reading history dispassionately promotes understanding across the subcontinent.
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