The word Afghanistan is itself a fairly recent invention. Afghans were a small portion of this piece of land. The area has had all sorts of different names and rulers. Khwarismshah, Persia, Turkestan. There is lot of invented romantism about pakhtun and pashtun but the fact remains otherwise. Central Asian Turkmen ( not modern day Turkey ) have been ruling and passing through this area. People forget , allmost the entire southern half of present day Afghanistan was part of Iranian Sassanids and the as for past, before the central asian hordes came, Hindu empire were stretching from Peshawar to Bamiyan!!
This is off-topic but the above post needs a reply!
The word Afghanistan is itself a fairly recent invention
You are right , however , if you forget about the 'name' part that is true for about all modern nations and countries - be that the whole of Europe or US or Iran or partially about China and especially abut India or Pakistan. I do not get what's your specific point here: Bout all m0Modern countries are result of recent history - borders and visas are 150+ years old- Nation States and nationalism is a product of colonialism in the past few centuries!.
Central Asian Turkmen ( not modern day Turkey ) have been ruling and passing through this area. People forget
Historic relations of CE with Afghanistan have been integral - the same is with modern Pakistan, Indus valley - or with regions of Iran and turkey. Up to circa 900 CE their history can not be easily segmented due to migration patterns. Many of the CE empires regimes were based in Afghan, pak or even Iran - History of that era has to be viewed in the demographic, territories and trade/human links of the past.
Hindu empire were stretching from Peshawar to Bamiyan!!
That's true for the Buddhists empire and regimes and not for "Hindu empire" - (unless you buy into the 'recent' ideology of Hindutva or colonial Hindu reformists. of course Hindu is also a modern recent word.) Buddhist governments extended vast not just afghan and pak but to Central Asia and modern china as well. Punjab and Sindh were Buddhist once. For a very brief period, Indus based bhudhist rules in most part of modern India as well. When the backlash of 'baramins (?) and elimination of Buddhist began from south India and finally reached up to Punjab, (Buddhist were forcefully converted and enslaved) - then for a very brief period 40-50 years (?) there was rule of Punjabi Rajas in parts of Afghanistan. So "Hindu" regime is limited to few decades - unless you go into vedic times and arian migration. Much of that narrative is fuzzy (modern Indian stories are speculative or out-right fabrications) If you go back pre-hindu times - that of IVC or before, Kabul/Indus/ Kandhar/baloch region (which were fertileand irriagated lands in that era) is integral and linked in every manner
Point is that narrating history with modern India/ Hindu bias and worldview is not quiet right.
is lot of invented romantism about pakhtun and Pashtun
I do not get about what romantism are you talking? If it is chit-chat or claims of likes of asfand anp- pkmap- that is political posturing - so better be ignored.
Modern Pushtoon tribe's known and written history starts from 15-16 century whereas the origin of tribe is as yet debated (11-13 century). Region of their origins is also debated as yet. First full accounts are from Hindu kush region/Kandaar or sistan- Their rise may probably be from potohar/ghakhar region as well- Pushtoon are in Multan and Kashmir since long. It is topic which pushtoon may better discuss- So it is you who is infusing past histories into known history of Pushoons tribes. In the past few centuries, pushtoon history, their bravery and warriorisms and pushtoon-wali are indeed glorious and "romantic". Pushtoon tribes fought in Iranian empire, in Kashmir, with Hindu with rajas of Punjab, with Mughals whiles mostly they were friends, with marauders marhattas when they fell upon Indus regions, with colonial British etc in the past centuries . Pushtoon tribe's struggle for independence is well known in the recent history . As said earlier, Pushtoon or afghan history is integral to ce tribes and regions, and it cannot be easily separated - that's one reason that modern Afghanistan is integrated.