Editing Pakistan (section)

===Medieval period===
The Arab conqueror [[Muhammad ibn Qasim]] conquered Sindh and some regions of Punjab in 711&nbsp;CE.{{sfn|James|1980}}{{sfn|Mufti|2013}} The Pakistan government's official chronology claims this as the time when the foundation of Pakistan was laid.{{sfn|Hoodbhoy|2023}} The early medieval period (642–1219&nbsp;CE) witnessed the spread of Islam in the region.{{sfn|Cavendish|2006|page=318}} Before the arrival of Islam beginning in the 8th century, the region of Pakistan was home to a diverse plethora of faiths, including [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Zoroastrianism]].{{R|Stubbs-Thomson-2016}}{{sfn|Malik|2006|page=47}} During this period, [[Sufi]] [[Dawah|missionaries]] played a pivotal role in converting a majority of the regional population to Islam.{{sfn|Lapidus|2014}} Upon the defeat of the [[Turk Shahis|Turk]] and [[Hindu Shahi]] dynasties which governed the [[Kabul Valley]], [[Gandhara]], and western Punjab in the 7th to 11th centuries CE, [[Muslim conquest in the Indian subcontinent|several successive Muslim empires]] ruled over the region, including the [[Ghaznavids|Ghaznavid Empire]] (975–1187&nbsp;CE), the [[Ghorid]] Kingdom, and the [[Delhi Sultanate]] (1206–1526&nbsp;CE).{{sfn|Samad|2011}} The [[Lodi dynasty]], the last of the Delhi Sultanate, was replaced by the Mughal Empire (1526–1857&nbsp;CE).{{sfn|Faroqhi|2019}}

[[File:View_of_Makli_by_Usman_Ghani_(cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Makli Necropolis]], a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]] rose to prominence as a major funerary site during the [[Samma dynasty]]{{sfn|Junejo|2020}}]]

The Mughals introduced Persian literature and high culture, establishing the roots of [[Indo-Persian culture]] in the region.{{sfn|Canfield|2002}} In the region of modern-day Pakistan, key cities during the Mughal period were [[Multan]], [[Lahore]], [[Peshawar]] and [[Thatta]],{{sfn|Chandra|2005}} which were chosen as the site of impressive [[Mughal architecture|Mughal buildings]].{{sfn|Malik|2006|page=79}} In the early 16th century, the region remained under the [[Mughal Empire]].{{sfn|Metcalf|Metcalf|2006}} In the 18th century, the slow disintegration of the Mughal Empire was hastened by the emergence of the rival powers of the [[Maratha Confederacy]] and later the [[Sikh Empire]], as well as invasions by [[Nader Shah]] from Iran in 1739 and the [[Durrani Empire]] of Afghanistan in 1759.{{sfn|Haleem|2013}}{{sfn|MacDonald|2017}} The growing political power of the British in Bengal had not yet reached the territories of modern Pakistan.{{sfn|Simpson|2007}}