8 Junagadh
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Harrison Akins
Abstract
This chapter provides a case study of the princely state of Junagadh within the Kathiawar region of Gujarat on the Arabian coast. Before there was Kashmir, there was Junagadh. One month before Pashtun tribesmen crossed into Kashmir, the dispute over the minor princely state of Junagadh was already bringing India and Pakistan dangerously close to war and provoking serious disagreements within the Indian Cabinet that threatened to break it apart only weeks after the transfer of power. Even though Junagadh did not share a border with Pakistan, had a majority Hindu population and was surrounded by Indian territory, the state’s Nawab signed the Instrument of Accession for Pakistan to preserve his sovereignty and the privileged position of Muslims within the state. This chapter provides an overview of the negotiations through the autumn of 1947 between the Junagadh government and New Delhi, and the Indian government’s efforts to force the state government to accede to India, including the movement of the military into the region to force the hand of the Junagadh leadership, the activities of the Provisional Government of Junagadh representing the states’ subjects, and the eventual annexation of the state in November 1947.
Abstract
This chapter provides a case study of the princely state of Junagadh within the Kathiawar region of Gujarat on the Arabian coast. Before there was Kashmir, there was Junagadh. One month before Pashtun tribesmen crossed into Kashmir, the dispute over the minor princely state of Junagadh was already bringing India and Pakistan dangerously close to war and provoking serious disagreements within the Indian Cabinet that threatened to break it apart only weeks after the transfer of power. Even though Junagadh did not share a border with Pakistan, had a majority Hindu population and was surrounded by Indian territory, the state’s Nawab signed the Instrument of Accession for Pakistan to preserve his sovereignty and the privileged position of Muslims within the state. This chapter provides an overview of the negotiations through the autumn of 1947 between the Junagadh government and New Delhi, and the Indian government’s efforts to force the state government to accede to India, including the movement of the military into the region to force the hand of the Junagadh leadership, the activities of the Provisional Government of Junagadh representing the states’ subjects, and the eventual annexation of the state in November 1947.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of maps vi
- Introduction 1
- 1 British paramountcy and the princely states 26
- 2 The nationalist movement and the princely states 43
- 3 The All-India Federation, or the first failed accession 56
- 4 The debates over India’s constitutional future 70
- 5 The princes’ resistance to accession 92
- 6 Jammu and Kashmir 110
- 7 Hyderabad 145
- 8 Junagadh 182
- 9 Kalat 214
- Conclusion 242
- Bibliography 260
- Index 267
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of maps vi
- Introduction 1
- 1 British paramountcy and the princely states 26
- 2 The nationalist movement and the princely states 43
- 3 The All-India Federation, or the first failed accession 56
- 4 The debates over India’s constitutional future 70
- 5 The princes’ resistance to accession 92
- 6 Jammu and Kashmir 110
- 7 Hyderabad 145
- 8 Junagadh 182
- 9 Kalat 214
- Conclusion 242
- Bibliography 260
- Index 267
