The following item consists of two statements: one labelled as the Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R). You are to examine these. two statements carefully and select the answers to these items using the codes given below:
Assertion (A): Shah Alam II spent the initial years as an emperor far away from his capital.
Reason (R): There was always a lurking danger of foreign invasion from the north-west frontier.
Assertion (A) states that Shah Alam II spent the initial years as an emperor far away from his capital. This statement is true. Shah Alam II, who became the Mughal emperor in 1759, was unable to assert control over Delhi due to the dominance of powerful local chieftains, particularly Najib-ud-Daula (Najib Khan Rohilla). Consequently, he spent the early part of his reign, especially after the Battle of Buxar in 1764, residing at Allahabad under British protection. He returned to Delhi only in 1772, under the protection of the Marathas.
Reason (R) states that there was always a lurking danger of foreign invasion from the north-west frontier. This statement is false in the context of explaining Shah Alam II's absence from Delhi. While the north-west frontier historically presented a vulnerability to foreign invasions (e.g., by Ahmad Shah Abdali), Shah Alam II's inability to reside in Delhi was primarily a consequence of internal political instability and the power struggles among various Indian factions such as the Rohillas, Marathas, and the British. An immediate or primary threat of foreign invasion from the north-west was not the cause of his displacement after 1761.
Therefore, Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
Options (1) and (2) are incorrect because Reason (R) is false. Option (4) is incorrect because Assertion (A) is true.