Even though Arab invaded Sind in the early 8th Century, conversion to Islam was few. There were some Muslim population pockets such as small percentage of people of Multan area converting to Ismaeli Muslims in the late 10th Century after Fatimids of Egypt captured Multan in 985 AD. History tells us that at the time Mahmud of Ghazna’s various invasions during first half of the 11th Century, majority of the population of the area were Hindus or Buddhists.
Data Ganj Baksh Hujwiri was among the early Sufis of the area. But it was only after Muizaddin Mohammed Bin Sam (Shahabuddin Ghori) captured Lahore in 1186 and established Muslim rule in North India after 2nd battle of Tarain in 1192 that of Sufis, Baba Farid ( d 1206 ) Bahauddin Zakria (d. 1267) Nizamuddin Aulia ( d. 1325) & Christi of Ajmer ( d.1236) started moving in. Majority of the conversions therefore occurred from the late 12th Century onwards.
Conversion to Islam was however a slow process. Since there is no caste system in Islam, majority of the initial converts being poor belonging to the lower cast. Conversion of Jats, Rajputs, Khatris & Gujjars etc was even a slower process. For example, as late as the time of Guru Nanak (1469- 1535) there were as many non- Muslims as Muslims in the what is now Pakistani Punjab. Majority of Jats were Hindus who later converted to Sikhs.
It is impossible to completely deny forced conversions, however, the very fact that there are far more Muslims in the Western & Eastern part of the subcontinent than around Delhi, Agra, Lukhnow, Allahabad & Patna, suggest the reason of conversion were probably spiritual and economic.
Muslim Rajputs of Punjab were probably among the Babur’s army that fought Rana Sangha.
