PAKISTAN'S HISTORY AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

.Muhammad bin Qasim (695-715)
                                                 
                  In October 711, Hajjaj sent 6000 select Syrian and Iraq soldiers,
a camel corps of equal strength and a baggage train  of 3,000 camels to Sindh under the command of his nephew and son-in-law, Muhammad bin Qasim, a young boy of just seventeen years. He also had a 'manjaniq'. or catapult, which was operated by 500 men and could throw large stones a great distance. On his way the governor of Makran, who provided him with additional forces, joined him,
Also, a good number of local subjects who had suffered at the hands of native rulers joined the Arabs forces.
                   Muhammad bin Qasim first captured Daibul establishing the first permanent Muslim foothold in the subcontinent. He then termed towards Nirun,near modern Hyderabad, where he easily overwhelmed the inhabitants. Dahir decided to oppose the Arabs at Raor. After fierce struggle, Dahir was overpowered and killed in 712. Raor fell into the hands of the Muslims. The Arabs forces then occupied Alor and proceeded towards  Multan. Along the way, the Sikka (Uch) fortress, situated on the bank of the Ravi was also occupied.The Hindu ruler of Multan offered resistance for two months after which the Hindus were overpowered and defeated.
Prior to this, Muhammad bin Qasim had taken Brahmanabad and a few other important towns of Sindh. Muhammad bin Qasim was planning to proceed forward when the new Caliph Suleman bin Abdul Malik recalled him. He died when he was only 20. But he left behind a legacy of historic Islamic victory which led to the

establishment of an autonomous Muslim state in India, linked with the Umayyeds, and later, the Abbassid Caliphate was established with jurisdiction extending over southern and central parts of present Pakistan. Arabic was introduced as the official language in this area. The sea pirates of Sindh, who were protected by Raja Dahir, were crushed. As a result of this, sea trade flourished. The port of Daibul became a busy and prosperous commercial centre.

The Muslim conquest of Sindh brought peace and prosperity tothe region. The local people who had been living a life of misery breathed a sigh of relief. Qasim followed a lenient policy and treated the local population generously. Everyone had full religious freedom and even the spiritual leaders of local religions were given salaries from the government fund. No changes were made in the local administration. All taxes were abolished and jazia was imposed Everyone was treated equally. Law and order was restored. Poor people, especially Buddhists, were very impressed by his policies and many of them embraced Islam. A number of mosques and

madaris were constructed in important towns.

                   The establishment of Muslim rule also paved way for, future propagation of Islam in Sindh and the adjoining regions. In a short period of time, Sindh became a centre of Islamic learning. A number of religious scholars, writers and poets emerged and they spread their knowledge. The Muslims learned Indian sciences like medicine astronomy and mathematics. Sanskrit books on various subjectwere translated into Arabic. During the reign of Haroon al-Rasheed a number of Hindu scholars were even invited to Baghdad. With the conquest of Lahore by Mahmud of Ghazni, missionary activity began again under the aegis of sufis who were the main agents in the
Islamization of the entire region. Subsequently, Muslim warriors from Central Asia established their kingdoms in other parts of India. Mahmud Ghaznavi launched several invasions of India defeating the local rulers. During those
invasions, some of the areas (Multan and some other regions) were already under Muslim rule but in a weakened form. The Ghaznavids (976-1148) and their successors, the Ghauris (1148-1206), were Central Asian by origin and they ruled their territories, which covered mostly the regions of present Pakistan, from capitals outside India. Muslim influence grew with conversions as well as Islamic conquests through the traditional north-western routes.