India, July 21 -- Pakistan today faces an unusual historical dilemma. A state created in 1947 on the foundations of Muslim political identity is increasingly presenting itself as the custodian of a civilisation that flourished thousands of years before the advent of Islam in South Asia. Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, Taxila and Gandhara have moved beyond being archaeological sites of historical importance and have become symbols of Pakistan's national identity, cultural diplomacy and international image-building. Pakistan increasingly presents itself as the inheritor of one of the world's oldest urban civilisations, the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), which flourished more than 5,000 years ago.

The renewed focus on the Indus civilisation has em...