Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, criticizing remarks by Pakistan’s president about “Gandhara,” said that “in reality, the civilization of northern India and present-day Pakistan is a continuation of Afghanistan’s civilization.”
He said Asif Ali Zardari, the president of Pakistan, had recently claimed that “Gandhara civilization is among those that define Pakistan’s national identity.”
Karzai added that Zardari had also described “Adam Khan and Durkhani and the rubab” as part of his country’s intangible cultural heritage.
Karzai continued: “This is while, according to the history of civilizations, Gandhara belonged to ancient Ariana, which stretched from Bamiyan to the Indus basin.”
He said that “the love story of Adam Khan and Durkhani and the rubab, as reflected in various sources, are part of our intangible cultural heritage.”
Karzai stressed that the rubab and the zerbaghali are traditional Afghan musical instruments. He said the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the art of making the rubab in 2024 as part of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan and some of its northern and western neighbors.
The former Afghan president has long been a critic of Pakistan and had previously objected to the naming of a Pakistani ballistic missile “Abdali.”
