Editing Pakistan (section)

=== Prehistory and antiquity ===
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| image1            = Mohenjo-daro Priesterkönig.jpeg
| caption1          = ''[[Priest-king (sculpture)|Priest-King]]'' from [[Mohenjo-daro]] ({{circa|2500 BCE}}){{sfn|Parker|2017}}
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| image2            = Cremation Urn with Lid LACMA AC1994.234.8a-b.jpg
| caption2          = Cremation urn, [[Gandhara grave culture]], Swat Valley, {{circa|1200 BCE}}{{sfn|Burrison|2017}}
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Some of the earliest ancient human civilisations in [[South Asia]] originated from areas encompassing present-day Pakistan.{{sfn|Allchin|Petraglia|2007}} The earliest known inhabitants in the region were [[Soanian]] during the [[Lower Paleolithic]], of whom [[Artifact (archaeology)|artefacts]] have been found in the [[Soan Valley]] of [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]].{{sfn|Ahmed|2014}} The [[Indus River|Indus region]], which covers most of the present-day Pakistan, was the site of several successive ancient cultures including the [[Neolithic]] (7000–4300 [[BCE]]) site of [[Mehrgarh]],{{R|Coningham-Young-2015|Fisher-2018|Dyson-2018}} and the 5,000-year history of urban life in South Asia to the various sites of the [[Indus Valley Civilisation]], including [[Mohenjo-daro]] and [[Harappa]].{{R|Allchin-1982}}{{sfn|Dales|Kenoyer|Alcock|1986}}

Following the decline of the Indus valley civilization, [[Rigvedic tribes|Indo-Aryan tribes]] moved into the [[Punjab]] from [[Central Asia]] in several [[Indo-Aryan migration theory|waves of migration]] in the [[Vedic period]] (1500–500 BCE),{{sfn|Oursel|2015}} bringing with them their distinctive religious traditions and practices which fused with local culture.{{refn|name="Vedic period"}} The Indo-Aryans religious beliefs and practices from the [[Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex|Bactria–Margiana culture]] and the native Harappan Indus beliefs of the former Indus Valley civilization eventually gave rise to Vedic culture and tribes.{{refn|name="Vedic period"}} Most notable among them was [[Gandhara civilization]], which flourished at the crossroads of India, Central Asia, and the Middle East, connecting [[Silk Road|trade routes]] and absorbing cultural influences from diverse civilizations.{{sfn|Behrendt|2007}} The initial early Vedic culture was a tribal, [[Pastoralism|pastoral]] society centered in the Indus Valley, of what is today Pakistan.{{sfn|Rahmaan|2017}} During this period, the [[Vedas]], the oldest [[scriptures]] of [[Hinduism]], were composed.{{sfn|Oberlies|2023}}{{efn|name="Rigveda"}}