Tweet
Afghanistan has asked the Pakistani military to stop naming its nuclear missiles after the heroes of Afghan history.
Information Minister Sayed Makhdum Rahin said he had sent a letter to Islamabad requesting they avoid naming weapons after Afghanistan's rulers and emperors.
"Their names should be bracketed with academic, cultural and peace-promoting institutions, not with tools of destruction and killing," he said.
"World-famous Afghans, like (Mahmud) Ghaznawi, (Ahmad Shah) Abdali and (Shahabuddin) Ghauri, had spread knowledge and civilisation from Afghanistan to the subcontinent of India," he added.
The Ghaznawi, Abdali and Ghauri missiles - capable of carrying nuclear warheads - were developed by Pakistan to counter the threat posed by its arch-rival India's nuclear arsenal.
The missiles are a source of huge national pride in Pakistan, which named them after Muslim conquerors who defeated Hindu rulers and governed parts of what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
'Interference'
Only last week its nuclear weapons programme tested the short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile, the Haft-II Abdali, named after the founder of the powerful Durrani dynasty, which helped shape modern Afghanistan.
The Ghauri missile, designed to threaten major cities across India, is named after Mohammed Ghauri, who in 1192 defeated a Rajput Hindu king near to where the Pakistan-India border now runs.
The Ghaznavid missile is named after Mahmud Ghaznavi, who was never defeated on the battlefield, and conquered Punjab in 1021. Pakistan has refused to comment.
Rahin said Pakistan was welcome to use the names for peaceful things like monuments and conference rooms.
Many Afghans believe Pakistan interferes too much in its internal affairs.
Relations have been damaged by the presence of Taleban and al-Qaeda-led militants in the Pashtun tribal areas on both sides of the border.
Last week Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Islamabad to urge Pakistan do more to crack down on the militants.
BBC
__________________________________________________ ____________
Picked up this link from BR. This is so funny.I mean the Pakistanis are so proud of Ghaznawi and Ghauri that they name their missiles after them, but the Afghans arent amused,telling them to find their own heroes.
Information Minister Sayed Makhdum Rahin said he had sent a letter to Islamabad requesting they avoid naming weapons after Afghanistan's rulers and emperors.
"Their names should be bracketed with academic, cultural and peace-promoting institutions, not with tools of destruction and killing," he said.
"World-famous Afghans, like (Mahmud) Ghaznawi, (Ahmad Shah) Abdali and (Shahabuddin) Ghauri, had spread knowledge and civilisation from Afghanistan to the subcontinent of India," he added.
The Ghaznawi, Abdali and Ghauri missiles - capable of carrying nuclear warheads - were developed by Pakistan to counter the threat posed by its arch-rival India's nuclear arsenal.
The missiles are a source of huge national pride in Pakistan, which named them after Muslim conquerors who defeated Hindu rulers and governed parts of what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
'Interference'
Only last week its nuclear weapons programme tested the short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile, the Haft-II Abdali, named after the founder of the powerful Durrani dynasty, which helped shape modern Afghanistan.
The Ghauri missile, designed to threaten major cities across India, is named after Mohammed Ghauri, who in 1192 defeated a Rajput Hindu king near to where the Pakistan-India border now runs.
The Ghaznavid missile is named after Mahmud Ghaznavi, who was never defeated on the battlefield, and conquered Punjab in 1021. Pakistan has refused to comment.
Rahin said Pakistan was welcome to use the names for peaceful things like monuments and conference rooms.
Many Afghans believe Pakistan interferes too much in its internal affairs.
Relations have been damaged by the presence of Taleban and al-Qaeda-led militants in the Pashtun tribal areas on both sides of the border.
Last week Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Islamabad to urge Pakistan do more to crack down on the militants.
BBC
__________________________________________________ ____________
Picked up this link from BR. This is so funny.I mean the Pakistanis are so proud of Ghaznawi and Ghauri that they name their missiles after them, but the Afghans arent amused,telling them to find their own heroes.
.
Comment