Former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, in response to recent remarks by Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, said that the connection of the Gandhara civilization and certain cultural elements should be viewed in light of historical facts, not political claims.
Karzai stated that the President of Pakistan had claimed that the Gandhara civilization is part of Pakistan’s national identity and had also referred to the story of “Adam Khan and Durkhani” and the music instrument rubab as part of Pakistan’s cultural heritage.
However, Karzai emphasized that, according to historical civilizational accounts, the Gandhara civilization belonged to ancient Ariana, extending from Bamiyan to the Indus region. He added that parts of northern India and present-day Pakistan are historically linked to the ancient civilizational continuity of Afghanistan.
He further stated that the romantic tale of “Adam Khan and Durkhani” and the musical instrument rubab are important elements of Afghan culture, recorded in various historical sources and modern references as part of Afghanistan’s intangible cultural heritage.
Karzai also noted that the art of making and playing the rubab is one of Afghanistan’s significant traditional arts, internationally recognized and registered by UNESCO as part of Afghanistan’s cultural heritage.
