Council of
Princes
The position of the Muslim League
was to make the maximum part of Pakistan territory. Most were undivided Punjab
(which included Amritsar), undivided Bengal (including Calcutta), Northwest
Frontier Province, Balochistan and Sindh. Some wanted even more, including a
corridor connecting the two parts of Pakistan besides Assam, including Delhi,
the capital of the Mughal Empire, the former Nawabi state of Odh, the Muslim-majority Nawabi state of Rampur and Sher Shah Suri. The capital was also
Patna. (This claim was jokingly called "Jinnahistan").
On the other hand, the desire of the
Congress was contrary to that of the Muslim League. The first priority was
undivided India, but by the beginning of 1947, the Congress had accepted that
partition was inevitable. Now India was trying to keep as much territory as
possible. In addition to the division of Punjab and Bengal, the states of Jammu
and Kashmir, Travancore and Hyderabad were to be acquired. By the beginning of
1947, the British had made it clear to the local Rajas that their personal
capitals would cease. They decide to meet someone from India or Pakistan.
The top priorities for Pakistan in
these states were Bahawalpur, Jammu and Kashmir and Kalat. Apart from this,
efforts were made to connect Junagadh, Hyderabad and Bhopal among the states
far from Pakistan. Broda, Indore and Travancore were also contacted. "Who
is willing to pay a high price?" This was an important criterion for the
rulers of many states. An example of this was Jodhpur. It was an overwhelmingly
Hindu-majority state in central India, with Nawabs as Hindus, but Nawabs kept
talking about accession to get good offers from both sides. Finally, after
intense pressure and generous pricing, India's accession was announced just a
week before independence.
.. .. .. .. .. ...
The state of Kashmir was one of the
most important of these chess pieces. Although it was a matter of the entire
state, the most important of these was the famous Kashmir Valley, where 93% of
the population was Muslim.
On the other hand, the population of
the eastern part of the state was mostly Provenڈal.
It included four districts of Jammu and Ladakh district.
One possible solution could be to
divide Kashmir on the lines of Punjab and Bengal. The situation was similar in
Punjab and Bengal. But no such proposal came from anyone in 1947. What was the
reason Because according to the principles laid down for the partition of
India, it was clear that the decision had to be made by the Maharaja. The
Maharaja would not have been contacted by Pakistan and Hari Singh was hesitant
about it. Ways of associating maharajas with them were used through
intimidation, greed, seduction and bullying. India took the initiative at least
a year ago.
...
On July 25, 1947, three weeks before
leaving the subcontinent, Lord Mountbatten, addressing the Chamber of Prince of
the Local Governing Body, stated that after leaving Britain, he would belong to
only two states. India and Pakistan. Not from any other state. Nawab, look at
your geography and decide for yourself according to the wishes of your people.
.. .. .. .. .. ...
When Pakistan was formed, the fact
was that there were many Indians who thought that this independent state would
not last long and would soon be absorbed back into India. Against such an
expectation, Pakistan soon emerged as a powerful state. The subsequent
separation of its two parts may have been inevitable, but apart from this,
Pakistan has been facing great adversity and difficulties in the best possible
way. Today, seven decades later, there is hardly anyone who doubts that this
country will last very long. This fact was soon accepted in post-independence
India as well. Except for a few extremist right-wing Hindus, "Unified
India" has never been a serious concept.
۔ ...
Now the states had to decide their
future. The rulers of Travancore, Hyderabad and Kashmir had the greatest desire
to maintain their personal states. The ruler of Trancor soon realized the truth
and reached an agreement. The issue of Junagadh (and its sub-state of
Manavadar), Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir was not settled till Independence
Day.
...
The acquisition of states by both
India and Pakistan was a politically divisive affair in which no one could
claim any coherent position or moral superiority. Like any political issue, it
was full of double standards.
In Junagadh, the Muslim Nawab
annexed the Hindu-majority state to Pakistan. Pakistan accepted immediately.
The situation was similar in Jammu and Kashmir, where Pakistan's objection was
to a decision made without consulting the local population. India, on the other
hand, refused to recognize the Nawab's accession, calling it unacceptable.
While Pakistan did the same about the accession of Jammu and Kashmir. The third
is that India killed Junagadh. Pakistan did the same in Jammu and Kashmir.
Fourth, India held a referendum. This was promised in Jammu and Kashmir but it
was not done there. Fifth, the Nawab of Junagadh formed an interim rebel
council in India. The same happened to those who rebelled against the Maharaja
in Azad Kashmir.
In Hyderabad, the Nawab tried to be
independent. He tried to buy the port of Goa from Portugal in order to break
the dependence on India. In November 1947, the Standalone Agreement was signed.
The uprising against the system in the state began in September 1948 After that
the army assassinated and captured the state. Here India refused to recognize
the right of the state ruler. This was contrary to the Indian position taken in
Jammu and Kashmir. Second, India used economic power against Hyderabad (its
economic rationalization) while criticizing Pakistan for doing the same in
Jammu and Kashmir. The third is the use of military force. Fourth, he did not
promise a referendum here. On the other hand, the objection raised on Jammu and
Kashmir for Pakistan was that it was a "clear decision based on the
aspirations of the people". In Hyderabad, the situation was the opposite.
The "Hyderabad Question" was considered by the UN Security Council in
1948 and 1949, but to no avail. Hyderabad was a regional and political region
of India. The matter was soon settled. (It was last discussed at the United
Nations on May 24, 1949).
(If you are a strict pro-India or
pro-Pakistan (or anti-India or anti-Pakistan) then you will ignore your double
standard and criticize others. And if not then you will have recognized that
this is how politics is.) ۔
.. .. .. .. ...
By the time Independence Day came,
all the rulers of the present states of India except Hyderabad, Jammu and
Kashmir, Junagadh, Manavadar and Mangrol had signed the Treaty of Accession.
Pakistan was waiting to be formally annexed. Amb, Bahawalpur, Chitral, Dir,
Kalat, Khairpur, Kharan, Lasbela, Makran and Swat have been agreed to join
Pakistan. The last state was Kalat, which was annexed on March 27, 1948.
And before we go back to Kashmir,
let's take another small turn and take a look at this last annexation from
Pakistan, which will show us how complicated and difficult these decisions
were.
Attached is a picture of the time
when these Nawabs met in March 1941. This chamber of princes was dissolved
after July 25, 1947.
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