| In the seventy or so years since Independence, much less has been written
about the Princely States which acceded to Pakistan than those that
remained in India. The name of the once great State of Bahawalpur is no
longer remembered among its well-mapped peers over the border in
Rajasthan.
This book is based on conversations with Salahuddin Ahbasi, grandson of
the last ruler of Bahawalpur, who was bom a year before Partition. Starting
with the history of his state and his family, his memories add light to stories
of Bahawalpur’s princes from old records, letters and the accounts of
British travellers and civil servants. Pakistan’s troubled history has clouded
a clear picture of the nation and shrouded its component parts. From the
microcosm of Bahawalpur, this account helps to join the dots for a more
coherent view of the macrocosm of Pakistan and queries the future route of
the Islamic State.
|
