Gandhara in Pakistani Imagination: Ahmad Hasan Dani's View

Abstract

Gandhara mesmerizes not only general public but Pakistani academics as well. Academic interest in Gandhara can be viewed as purely academic and historical or nationalist and economic. Ahmad Hasan Dani stands unique in this respect. His approach towards the utility of history and heritage in modern state politics is interesting and vital. This paper aims to explore his perspective on Gandhara with a focus on themes such as historical roots of Pakistan, place of heritage in national economy and cultural diplomacy across the entire Asia. This study connects to some recent works on Gandhara and Buddhism in Pakistan which focus on analyzing the politics of archaeology and heritage in Pakistani scholarship. In an interpretivist endeavor, Dani’s ideas have either been quoted in original from his texts or reproduced in summarized form. What becomes obvious from the work is Dani’s intellectual representation of Pakistan based on his life-long association with Gandhara.