In the 70 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.
‘Bahawalpur: The Kingdom that Vanished’ by Anabel Loyd is based on conversations with Salahuddin Abbasi, grandson of the last ruler of Bahawalpur. Starting with the history of his State and his family, his memories add light to stories of Bahawalpur’s princes from old records and the accounts of British travellers and civil servants.
They also encompass a lifetime of first-hand experiences of the political life of Pakistan and his relationships with the country’s leaders.