Throughout the course of her history since independence, Pakistan has faced a persistent crisis of identity. Seldom can one find a country in the comity of nations whose intelligentsia and often the common people be seen speculating about the basis and rationale of their country. In the case of Pakistan, it is a common observation that our intelligentsia spares a major part of its time and the newspapers and periodicals spend a lot of their space on discussing the questions such as why did the country come into being? What purpose has it served? What can ensure its survival? Will it hold itself together against all divisive and centrifugal tendencies? Expressed in others words, Pakistan has for long suffered from an existential crisis.
The Court of the great Mughuls
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Kingship is one of the oldest institutions in history which has survived in spite of all vicissitudes of politics: civil wars, assassinations, deposition from throne, and overthrowing and beheading by adversaries. It emerged again and again from the debris of revolution and ashes of civil wars. Today, some' kings are surviving after surrendering their powers and some of them are enjoying their old status because of absence of any challenge. Historically, the institution passed through different stages and structured and re-structured itself according to its interest and fulfilling the demands of time.
Kingship is one of the oldest institutions in history which has survived in spite of all vicissitudes of politics: civil wars, assassinations, deposition from throne, and overthrowing and beheading by adversaries. It emerged again and again from the debris of revolution and ashes of civil wars. Today, some' kings are surviving after surrendering their powers and some of them are enjoying their old status because of absence of any challenge. Historically, the institution passed through different stages and structured and re-structured itself according to its interest and fulfilling the demands of time. James Frazer in Golden Bough traces the origin of kingship in human society and how the king became the strongest person in the community. According to him the earliest position of a king was that of a magician; he was regarded as the most powerful man who had control over natural forces and was able to protect people from evil forces and natural calamities. This concept transformed him into a holy and sacred person and he was treated as god whose orders should be obeyed. To elevate his status, the magician-king
posed as a son of the moon or the sun which were considered mysterious objects; to people it was done to alienate himself from ordinary human beings and raise his status to that of a superhuman.