[Cronos]

That's not true. Ancient Sogdiana (which consisted of a large part of present day Afghanistan and whose princess married Alexander) was converted into a satrapy by the Persians. The Greeks never stayed there long enough to start a Hellenistic society there. The society was influenced by Hellenistic thought but the people were Sogidans, Persians, Pusthuns, Baluchis, etc. The Tajiks are an Irani people, while the Pashtuns were there earlier, being a more indic race. The Hazaras are remnants of Genghis Khans army and the Uzbeks are Turkic tribes. They ARE the descendants of those who built the Bamiyan buddhas, with other bloodlines coming in. By the same token, the Italians have no claim over the treasures of Rome, the British over Stonehenge or any other Britonnic artifact.

It's not just geography, it's the country's history, it's past.

[Right Wing Professor]

Gandharan culture is considered to be a fusion of Hellenism and Indian Buddhism. See, for example, http://www.caroun.com/Art/Pakistan/BuddhistArtofNorth-WestPakistan.html. Invasion of Turkic and Persian tribes came later. No one knows who descended from the inhabitants at that time, but culturally, there's no link.