Unearthed Reality of Junagadh Issue

Junagadh was a very famous and rich princely state of the subcontinent. In 1736 A.D., Bahadur Khan Babi, the son of Shayr Khan Babi, declared Junagadh a sovereign state following the reign of Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughal Emperors. Junagadh and other princely states were placed under British suzerainty after the British colonized the subcontinent. Since these princely states were allowed to exercise their internal powers, the British were expected to handle the state's defence and foreign policy. Junagadh has the distinct honour of being the second-largest Muslim state and the fifth-largest overall state out of the 562 states that made up British India. Moreover, it had a standing army of its own and a proper system of governance. Almost all of the assets used to create the important princely realms were present in Junagadh.

According to the Indian Independence Act of 1947, all the States had three options; they could join the state of their choosing (India or Pakistan), proclaim independence, or continue to be separate from other states. Nawab Mohabat Khanji, the then governor of Junagadh reached an agreement with Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Governor General of Pakistan and signed the 'Instrument of Accession'. This was not the sole decision of the Nawab of Junagadh but there was a state council, in which there were Hindu and Muslim members who were representatives from respective communities. As a result, they were consulted before the accession decision was made, and the Nawab decided what would happen to Junagadh based on their opinion.

On the 15th of September 1947, Junagadh actually became the first princely state to accede to Pakistan. Following signing this "Instrument of Accession," the Pakistani flag was raised over Junagadh's state building. As a result, Junagadh was officially incorporated into Pakistan. The Honourable Nawab visited Karachi, Pakistan's capital at the time, once the agreement was finalised to go over the specifics of the accession process. Behind his back, Shamal Das Gandhi and his affiliates sparked disorder in the state to create a pretext for Indian interference. On November 9, 1947, the Indian army advanced its troops; the occupation was made and the Indian army removed the Pakistani flag and hoisted its own flag on the state house.

Lord Mountbatten initially stated at the time of partition that states would be free to choose whether to join regardless of geographic compulsion. However, he later reversed himself and ordered geographic contiguity to support India's illegal occupation of states like Junagadh. In order to prevent India from being divided into several nations, the Indian government created this foundation, and Mountbatten was also influenced by it.

Pakistan was constrained as much as possible, both geographically and economically. Not only was their territorial dishonesty, but Pakistan also received far less than its fair share of all other assets, including military forces, artillery, railways, etc. Pakistan was still a young nation at the time, and it was struggling with issues including a lack of resources and an unorganised army, among others. Since Pakistan was unable to respond to Indian aggression in Junagadh, India took advantage of the predicament and forcibly seized the state. The Nawab of Junagadh, who was in Pakistan for the accession's legal formalities, was unable to leave. Soon after this obvious violation of justice and fair play, Pakistan's Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah appealed to the UN for a solution on behalf of Pakistan.

India sent troops to Kashmir under the false excuse that it would later withdraw them after the situation with law and order had improved. There has been no difference in Indian policy among states, and Junagadh is no exception. The subject of Junagadh has its roots in realistic politics and international law. On the one hand, India claims that Maharaja Hari Singh signed the "Instrument of Accession" with India, despite the fact that there is no "Instrument of Accession" in the case of Kashmir and no such document could be found in India's library in England. But in the case of Junagadh, there is a clear-cut written document available; and even the issues like Junagadh state will surrender the foreign policy, defense and communication to Pakistan were also settled. However, neither Pakistan's claim regarding Junagadh nor Kashmir is recognised by India. It has been the Indian double standards. The colonisation by India is not yet complete; it is still going on in the twenty-first century.

The people of Junagadh and the exiled ruler, H.E. Nawab of Junagadh, still yearn for justice. Since Sir Zafarullah Khan presented the case before the UN, nothing has changed. We still have work to do to make sure that the injustices and miseries meted out to the people of Junagadh, which are still occurring today, come to an end. H.E. the Nawab of Junagadh has been leading this initiative on his own in Pakistan as well as internationally and regionally. The recent inclusion of Junagadh in the new political map of Pakistan in 2020 has paved the way for research and development on the issue. The Pakistani government should raise this matter in the international fora since it violates the right to self-determination when the state's assigns decide in Pakistan's favour and India forcefully occupies it.

To conclude, it is the duty of the entire Pakistani people, particularly the media, academia, civil society, and all other institutions to play their roles in bringing the Junagadh issue to the forefront. Moreover, A committee in the parliament should also be constituted, and a desk for Junagadh should be established in Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, similar to the desk for Kashmir. Furthermore, the formation of a committee in the parliament should be materialized as soon as possible, especially in the wake of Pakistan’s inclusion of Junagadh in its new political map. The Pakistani government should establish a Junagadh House in Islamabad, which will have the same legal status as the Kashmir House and all other Provincial Houses. It will help a great deal in enlivening the issue.