https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Pakistani_family_names
All are shared with Indian Punjabi cates and clans dhillon, Jutt, warraich, janjua, sethi etc
Conversion
The common misconception is that Muslims in subcontinent converted due to fear of the sword. The narrative makes it appear as if conquest = conversion, but it is a false belief. For instance, after Muhammad Bin Qasim annexed Sind and parts of Southern Punjab at age 17, his administration was full of Hindu Brahmins due to their experience in governance and familiarity with local political climate, which made them invaluable to the Arab conquerors. The conquest of Multan was welcomed by the non-Hindu groups particularly the Jats (not-Hindu), who had been oppressed according to Lane Poole. Majority of population of Sindh was Buddhist and had no intention of defending their homeland for a Hindu sovereign [4].
Poole describes “The work of conquest, as often happened in India, was thus aided by the disunion of the inhabitants, and jealousies of race and creed conspired to help the Muslims.” [6]
The temples were largely left alone partly due to revenue they provided to the new administration via pilgrim tributes. This is not to say there weren’t instances of desecration, but to say there was a systematic attempt to “submit” people to Islam by destroying temples and executing those who refused, a narrative peddled by some corners is completely false.
When Ghaznavid governor of Hindustan territories, Ahmad Niyaltigin (Turk) rebelled, Sultan Masud (reign 1030-1041) sent a Hindu General, Rai Tilak to take care of the problem. Tilak in fact volunteered for this role and was happily accepted for being a native of Hindustan. Tilak’s army was composed of his fellow Hindus who upon entering Lahore, captured Niyaltigin’s Muslim followers and cut off their hands to spread terror which lead to many desertions. Niyaltigin took to flight, who was eventually caught and killed by the Jats who had an agreement with Tilak. Sultan Masud would invite Tilak to the Ghaznavid court along with the head of Niyaltigin. Lastly, besides being Hindu, Tilak was not a high born, but a son of a barber and his rise in Ghaznavid ranks was based purely on merit [1].
The Hindu section of Ghaznavid army was used as a counter balance Turkish commanders who were disposed as they would not sympathize and cause a rebellion. Of the many examples, when Sultan Masud cornered his uncle Yusuf Subuktigin by arresting him in a fortress, the cavalry responsible for the transport was Hindu (or Sawar-i-Hindu).
Besides the army, Hindu vassals also supplemented Ghaznavid forces in times of need. Rais and Rana are two names that appear when in 1151, Sultan Bahram Shah intercepted Ghurid, Alauddin. These are not anomaly as there were Hindus in Ghaznavi service as well both in the army and administration, according to Seljuk Vizier’s Siyasatnama we discover that the Ghaznavid army had Turks, Hindus, Khurasanis, Arabs & Ghurids that were kept separately for better cohesiveness and to benefit from each group’s ethos which individually contributed to diversity. The leader of the contingent was addressed with the title Sipahsalar-i- Hinduan and were utilized in Ghaznavid battles against Ilak Khan in Balkh & against Khanids. [2]
Of course then there is the infamous sacking of Hindu temples. Then again the objective here was never to negate the exploits of Mahmud Ghaznavi in India, but the underlying point here is forced conversions in Punjab to which we find no reference and the service of Hindus in the upper echelon of Ghaznavid state machinery & Muhammad Bin Qasim’s administration only prove that there was no systemic attempt at forcing Islam on non-Muslims. [2]
Another thing to add is that the non-Muslim involvement in state affairs only grew with subsequent rulers, for example at one point the Grand Vizier of Mughal Empire was a Punjabi Hindu by the name Rai Todal Mal during Akbar’s reign, unarguably the peak of Mughals.
If we look at entire Hindustan the overwhelming majority is still non-Muslim, it was the basis of demanding Pakistan as a way to prevent living under a Hindu majority. As mentioned earlier if conversions were forced then surely states like Bihar would be Muslim majority considering that is where all these Muslim rulers based themselves. In Punjab specifically, in 1941 census just over half (53.2%) of Punjab’s population was Muslim, Hindus at 29.1% and Sikhs at just 14.9%. Yet previously in 1881 the census recorded Muslims at 47.6%, Hindus at 43.8% and Sikhs at 8.2%. [3]. And according to this same 1881 census half of Jatt population did not even convert to Islam even after a thousand plus years of the Religion’s presence in Punjab. [4] [4]
Process of Conversions in Punjab:
One of the main issues with the argument of Muslims converting to Islam forcibly is that Punjab has always remained a periphery territory for Delhi based Central Asian Muslim rulers where this supposed forced Islamization were to occur. Wouldn’t places like Uttar Pradesh be majority Muslim given the duration of Islamic rule in Hindustan? Yet Interior Indian remained overwhelmingly non-Muslim. Bengal is another example of a periphery territory with a substantive Muslim populat
So, if it wasn’t the fear of the sword then what was it which lead to the Islamization of Punjab? The answer according to scholar Richard Eaton are shrines built on gravesite of Sufi saints, which operated as an institution. Prominent ones being in Taunsa, Makhad, Siyal Sharif, Sharqpur and of course Lahore which were located near the great rivers of Punjab whose dawah activities would bring Punjabis to Islam. Beyond the urban areas during dry seasons the nomads who were mostly Jats would bring their animals to the river areas, which would then have them rub shoulders with urban folk and their new faith. It is important to note, Jats were not Hin
As stated these shrines were an institution on their own, which connected the various tribes to the center in Delhi. Ghazi Malik who went on to found the Tughluq state and became known as Giyasuddin Tughluq was a regular at Pakpattan shrine during his days as a Dipalpur governor for Khaljis, where he was told by the diwan that his descendants will rule India, which of course became a reality. The two battles which lead to the formulation of Tughlaq dynasty had a significant presence & role of Khokhars, whether the common denominator was the Pakpattan shrine is a question I cant answer for sure. State patronage would follow and shrine keepers were even honored with robes and even employed in to imperial service. dus.ion.ial service.
Khokhars, Bhattis, Wattus & Siyals all claim to have been converted during Baba Farid’s (1173-1266) time & as mentioned all were willing to raise an army at the call of the shrine’s diwan [5]. The marriage alliances between clans and shrine keepers only strengthened this relationship, the great Punjabi rebel Jasrath Khokhar himself was father in law to Shaykh Faizullah of Pakpattan shrine according to a 16th century book, Jawahir-i-Faridi. [5]. The process of conversions was gradual and took a few centuries to complete, but its clear Islam had been present in Punjab well before even the Mughals had set foot & more or less the major tribes in Punjab had already converted.