Buddhism in Pakistan

Statue of a Buddha seated on a lotus throne in Swat, Pakistan

Buddhism in Pakistan took root some 2,300 years ago under the Mauryan king Ashoka. Buddhism was the religion of predominantly Buddhist empires such as the Indo-Greek Kingdom, the Kushan Empire, and the Maurya Empire of Ashoka which ruled over what is now Pakistan.

Quotes

• We are able to gather from these accounts that both Buddhism and Brahmanism were flourishing in the country, side by side, when the Arab invasion took place in the beginning of the eighth century ; and, as mention is made of monasteries which were, even then, m sore need of repair, Buddhism must have been well established for some centuries before that time as the remains of early stupas, found scattered about the land, clearly indicate.
  • Cousens, "An Antiquities Of Sind With Historical Outline" [1]

• It generally is conceded that a large and important portion of the population of Sind at the time of the Arab conquest was Buddhist. .... According to the Muslim sources, Buddhists were particularly well-represented in the Indus Delta region and on the west bank of the Indus River.
  • MacLean, "Religion And Society In Arab Sind" [2]