The British High Commissioner to Pakistan recently announced a new funding initiative aimed at preserving the country’s cultural heritage. The move came shortly after the Australian High Commissioner visited the ancient city of Taxila and praised Pakistan’s “extraordinary” historical legacy. The timing of these developments has sparked debate over whether Pakistan is increasingly highlighting its pre-Islamic past, particularly its links to the Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), amid ongoing tensions with India over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
While efforts to preserve and promote cultural heritage are widely regarded as important, Pakistan’s official historical narrative, particularly since the era of General Zia-ul-Haq, has largely emphasised the arrival of Muhammad bin Qasim in Sindh in 711 CE as the starting point of the nation’s history. However, since India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty following the April 2025 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Pakistan has noticeably increased references to the Indus Valley Civilisation and its connection to the Indus River.
In recent months, Pakistani political leaders, commentators, and institutions have increasingly highlighted the country’s association with the Indus civilisation while simultaneously criticising India’s decision to place the treaty in abeyance on international platforms.
The timing of these cultural initiatives has led some observers to question whether a coordinated campaign is underway.
On June 19, Australian High Commissioner Timothy Kane visited Taxila, describing it as a historic centre of learning that connected cultures, people, and ideas from across the region and beyond. He referred to it as a symbol of Pakistan’s rich heritage.
A few days later, on June 24, British High Commissioner Jane Marriott announced the second phase of the Cultural Protection Fund through a video posted on X. The initiative, led by the British Council in Pakistan and the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is designed to support organisations working to preserve heritage sites considered at risk.
Marriott described Pakistan’s cultural heritage as “extraordinary” and emphasised the importance of safeguarding it for future generations.
Adding to the discussion, BBC News Hindi published a feature on June 25 about the growing academic interest in Sanskrit in Pakistan. The report noted that Sanskrit courses had already been offered at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and would now become a permanent part of the curriculum.
In the feature, scholar Dr Shahid Rashid pointed to historical evidence showing that Lahore’s Anarkali Bazaar was once a major centre for the publication of Sanskrit texts distributed throughout the subcontinent. He argued that the belief that Sanskrit is foreign to Pakistan should be reconsidered.
Some commentators used this discussion to make broader claims about Pakistan’s historical connection to Sanskrit and ancient South Asian civilisation. One social media user described himself as a custodian of the Indus Valley Civilisation and argued that the language’s roots were closely connected to regions that now lie within Pakistan’s borders.
Pakistan and India share a long and intertwined civilisational history. However, Pakistan was established on the basis of the Two-Nation Theory, which argued that Hindus and Muslims constituted distinct nations. Over time, particularly under Zia-ul-Haq’s rule, Pakistan increasingly adopted an Islamic identity in its state narrative.
This historical context has led some observers to question the recent emphasis on Pakistan’s pre-Islamic heritage, especially when references to the Indus Valley Civilisation have become more prominent during a period of heightened tensions with India.
Many social media users responded sceptically to the British funding announcement.
Some questioned why British taxpayers should contribute to heritage conservation projects in Pakistan, while others argued that Pakistan had historically downplayed its pre-Islamic past and was only recently rediscovering it.
Several Indian commentators suggested that international support for highlighting Pakistan’s ancient heritage could be part of a broader effort to strengthen Pakistan’s civilisational narrative on the global stage.
Others claimed that Pakistan’s military and civilian leadership were jointly promoting the Indus Valley Civilisation narrative as part of a larger public diplomacy strategy.
Questions about Pakistan’s intentions intensified after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty.
Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari responded by invoking the Indus Valley Civilisation and Mohenjo-daro, describing Pakistan as the rightful custodian and defender of the Indus heritage.
For many observers, this represented a notable shift in rhetoric. A country that had long prioritised Islamic historical narratives was now increasingly emphasising its connection to a civilisation that predates Islam by thousands of years.
Since then, references to the Indus Valley Civilisation have become more frequent in Pakistani political discourse, often in the context of defending Pakistan’s position on the Indus waters issue.
Indian leaders have maintained a firm stance on the matter. Following the Pahalgam attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that “blood and water cannot flow together,” signalling India’s decision to suspend the treaty.
Pakistan strongly condemned the move, describing it as illegal and warning that any attempt to interfere with water flows could have serious consequences. Islamabad has also pursued diplomatic and legal avenues, including engagement with international institutions and efforts to present its position globally.
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has repeatedly criticised India’s decision, at times issuing strong warnings regarding potential conflict over the treaty issue.
Against this backdrop, recent statements by foreign diplomats praising Pakistan’s ancient heritage have attracted additional attention. Critics argue that the timing has fuelled speculation that Pakistan’s renewed emphasis on its pre-Islamic past may be linked to its broader strategy in the dispute over the Indus Waters Treaty.
Whether these developments reflect a coordinated international effort or simply a growing interest in Pakistan’s diverse historical legacy remains a matter of debate. Nevertheless, the intersection of heritage, diplomacy, and geopolitics has ensured that the discussion surrounding Pakistan’s ancient past continues to attract significant attention.
