Religious Minorities

Welcome to Punjab Democratic Front (Switzerland)

 

Shaukat Baloch

President,

Punjab Democratic Front

Education: M.A. Political Science, LL.B., University of Karachi, Certificat Pratique, Paris University, France

Profession: Advocate, Lahore High Court, Punjab.

 

 

Present Address: Kaegenhofweg 2, 4153 Reinach BL, Switzerland.

E-mail: blochch@yahoo.com

Tel: +41 79 273 47 53

 

PUNJAB HISTORY TIMELINE

500,000 Years: Pre-historic and Proto-historic existance of early mankind

2500 - 1500 B.C.: Harappa Culture

2500 - 700 B.C.: Rigvedic Aryan Civilization

599 B.C.: Jainism

567 - 487 B.C.: Budha

550 B.C - 600 A.D.: Budhism remained prevalent

550 - 515 B.C.: Persian Invasion to west of Indus River

326 B.C.: Alexander's Invasion

322 - 298 B.C.: Chandra Gupta Maurya Period

273 - 232 B.C.: Ashoka's Period

125 - 160 B.C.: Rise of the Sakas (Scythians known as Jat ancestors)

2 B.C.: Beginning of Rule of the Sakas.

45 - 180 A.D.: Rule of the Kushanas

320 - 550 A.D.: Gupta Empire

500 A.D.: Huns Invasion

510 - 650 A.D.: Vardhanas Era

647 - 1192 A.D.: Rajput Period

713 - 1300 A.D.: Muslim Invaders (Turks and Arabs) famous invaders like Mahmud Gori and Mahmud Ghazni

 

 

Punjab- Last 2500 years

5 1 8 B.C.   Darius 1^st annexed Punjab and Sindh to Persian empire

326-317 B.C.   Transit route of Alexander the Great
326 B.C.         Alexander defeats Porus in Taxila                          322 to 298 B.C. Chandragupta incorporates Punjab to his empire
265-238 B.C. Zenith period of Punjab under Ashoka son of Chandragupta                                                                                              1^st to 5^th century A.D.   Anarchy under Kabuli, Kashmiri

 

and Hindu rulers
712 A.D.                    Arabs conquer lower Punjab
1007-1027 A.D.   Mahmood Ghaznavi conquers rest of Punjab
1027-1176 A.D.   Remains fragmented

1152-1186 A.D.   Lahore seat of government of Ghaznavi Dynasty
1176-1193 A.D.   Mohammad Ghauri
1206 A.D.                 Comes under Sultanate of Delhi
1290-1320 A.D.   Khilji Dynasty
1301 A.D.            Lahore raided by Dua Chughtai
1320-1398 A.D.   Tughlak Dynasty

1333-1342 A.D.   Ibn-e-Batutah used the word of Punjab for the first time in his travel accounts
1398 A.D.                 Lahore destroyed by Taimur's army
1414-1450 A.D.   Sayyad Dynasty
1422 A.D.        Lahore rebuilt by Mubarak Shah

1451-1526 A.D.   Lodhi Dynasty

1451 A.D.                 Lahore comes under control of Bahlol Lodhi

1524 A.D.              Babur's troops capture Lahore

1526-1738 A.D. Peace, prosperity, social reforms under Mughals

1628-1657 A.D. Unprecedented expansion of Lahore under Shahjahan

1747 A.D.              Lahore falls to Afghans troops under Nadir Shah

1764-1765 A.D. Controlled by Sikhs

1798-1839 A.D. Ranjit Singh

1849 A.D.              Occupied by British. Punjab included NWFP up to Delhi

1901 A.D.         NWFP separated from Punjab

1902 A.D.             Delhi separated from Punjab
1935 A.D.          Punjab given autonomy

1947 A.D.              Punjab divided in two parts between India and Pakistan
People are mainly descendants of Aryan tribes who entered
India from North-West about 1500 B.C. Successive waves of invaders like
Greeks, Pathans, Kushans and Huns who became assimilated. Aboriginal tribes
have features of Dravidian people.

 

A Brief History of Punjab

In Punjabi language, the word 'Punj' means five. In Persian language the

word 'ab' means water. Five rivers irrigate the fertile lands of Punjab. The word Punjab originates from the union of these two words. From

East to West, the five rivers  are: Bias, Sutluj, Ravi, Chenab and Jehlum. Punjab is the

land of five waters or rivers. Therefore, it is called Punjab.

Ibn-e-Batuta, a traveler from Morocco, remained in Punjab and Delhi, from

1333 to 1342. At that time, the region of Punjab was being ruled by Tughlak

Dynesty, the ruler of Northern India with its capital at Delhi. The language

of the royal court was Persian. In history, the word 'Punjab' is found in

writing for the first time in the travel accounts of Ibn-e-Batuta.

PEOPLE

The ancestors of the people of the present Punjab are comprised of the tribes

who came from Central Asia, situated in the North West of Punjab. These

tribes entered Punjab around 3500 B.C. Later Punjab was invaded by Greek,

Pathan, Kushan and Hun races. These invading races got assimilated in the

local population. The aboriginal people of Punjab belong to the Dravidian

race.

History

In the year 518 B.C., i.e. about 2500 years before, Darius I, the king of Iran,

captured Punjab (and Sindh), and incorporated it in the Persian empire.

About 2300 years ago, i.e. from 326 B.C to 317 B.C., Punjab remained the

transit route of Alexander the Great. He defeated the local king, Porus, at

Taxila, a city near Rawalpindi. Archeologists have found that there was a

university at Taxila, perhaps the oldest in the world, where the students used

to come in persuit of knowledge from all over Asia and even from Europe.

Later, Chandragupta Maurya, incorporated Punjab in his empire. After

Chandragupta, Punjab was ruled by his son Ashoka, from 265 B.C. to

238 B.C. Under Ashoka, it was the first zenith period of Punjab, about two

thousand years ago. There was peace and prosperity in this region.

From 1^st century A.D. to 5^th century A.D., there was anarchy in

 

 

Punjab, and

it remained under Kabuli, Kashmiri and Hindu rulers. This created a lot of

discontent among the people.

Discontentment from the rulers always amounts to an invitation to the

foreign invaders. Consequently, in 712 A.D., the Arabs conquered Sindh and southern

Punjab. Mahmood of Ghazni conquered the rest of Punjab from 1007 to

1027 A.D. Punjab remained fragmented from 1027 A.D. to 1176 A.D.

Punjab was conquered by Mohammad of Ghaur in 1176 A. D. who ruled till

1193A.D.

In 1206 A.D. Punjab came under the Sultanate of Delhi. From 1290 A.D. to 1320 A.D. Punjab was ruled by Khilji Dynesty, from Delhi. There was peace and the people were contented. Consequently, although Dua Chughtai, the mogol,  raided Lahore in 1301 A.D., he could not stay here and had to leave soon after his raid. From 1320 A.D. to 1398 A.D., Punjab was ruled by Tughlak dynasty, for about 78 years. In 1398 A.D., Lahore was destroyed by Taimur's army. But this army also could not keep control of Lahore and had to leave soon. Lahore was re-built by Mubarak Shah of the Sayyad Dynesty which ruled Punjab, from Delhi from 1414 A.D. to 1450 A.D.

In 1451, Punjab came under the control of Bahlol Lodhi. Lodhi Dynesty ruled Punjab, from Delhi, from 1451 A.D. to 1526 A.D. Babur, the founder of Mughal Dynesty, captured Lahore, in 1524 A.D. Mughal Dynesty ruled Punjab, from Delhi, from 1526 A.D. to 1738 A.D. This was the second period of zenith for Punjab. There was peace, prosperity, and social reforms were brought about in the society, under the Mughals. From 1628 A.D. to 1657 A.D., there was an unprecedented expansion of Lahore under the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

hi 1847 A.D., Lahore fell to the Afghan troops of Nadir Shah. After this, Punjab again slipped back to anarchy and was controlled by the Sikhs around 1764 A.D. Ranjit Singh ruled Punjab from 1798 A.D. to 1839 A.D. But after Ranjit Singh, there was complete anarchy. People were discontented. Consequently, in 1849 A.D., Punjab was captured by the British and law and ordered was restored. British remained in Punjab for about a century, till 1947.

In the beginning of British  period, Punjab included NWFP and Delhi. However, NWFP was separated in 1901 and Delhi was separated in 1902. Punjab was divided between the two independent nations of Pakistan and India on August 14,1947.

Dated: December 18, 2001

 

 

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