पाकिस्तान बोला- जूनागढ़ पर भारत का अवैध कब्जा: यह कश्मीर जैसा अनसुलझा मुद्दा; PAK इसे अपने नक्शे में दिखा चुका

Mumtaz Zehra Baloch said that Pakistan’s policy statement on the Junagadh issue has always been clear.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch on Thursday accused India of illegally occupying Junagadh, a city in Gujarat that was annexed to India in 1948 following a plebiscite.

According to Pakistan channel Geo TV, during the weekly briefing, spokesperson Baloch said that Pakistan’s stand on Junagadh has always been clear. Junagadh is historically and legally a part of Pakistan. India’s occupation of it is a violation of the United Nations Charter and international standards.

Spokesperson Baloch said that Pakistan considers Junagadh as an unresolved issue like Jammu and Kashmir. He said that Pakistan has always raised the Junagadh issue on political and diplomatic forums and wants a peaceful solution to it.

Map of Junagadh princely state prepared in 1938-1939. It is currently located in the Gujarat state of India. One end of it touched the Arabian Sea and the other end was connected to Saurashtra.

Pakistan showed Junagadh in its map
This is not the first time that Pakistan has claimed Junagadh as its part. Even in August 2020, when Pakistan released a new map, it declared Junagadh as part of Pakistan. After this, the Indian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that this attempt of Pakistan is futile.

Why does Pakistan consider Junagadh as its part

India was divided in 1947. The British government implemented the Indian Independence Act 1947. Under this, the option of lapse of paramountcy was given. Under this, the kings of 565 princely states could either join their princely states with India or Pakistan or form their own independent nation.

By 15 August 1947, most of the princely states had joined India or Pakistan, but the issue of merger of three princely states was complicated. These three princely states were Junagadh, Kashmir and Hyderabad.

Among the three, the situation of Hyderabad and Junagadh was similar. 80% to 85% of the population was Hindu and the rulers were Muslims, but the situation was the opposite in Kashmir. There the king was Hindu and three-fourths of Kashmiris were Muslims. According to Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s ‘Two Nation Theory’, Junagadh should have merged with India.

On 15th August 1947, when the people of India were celebrating independence, the people of Junagadh were confused because on this day, Nawab Mahabat Khan of Junagadh had announced to go with Pakistan. That is, the conspiracy had been hatched.

Junagadh’s Diwan Shahnawaz Bhutto played a key role in this. It is said that Nawab Mahabat Khan wanted to stay with India, but Shahnawaz did not listen to him. Shahnawaz was the leader of the Muslim League from Sindh at that time and was close to Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

In ‘War and Peace in Modern India’, Srinath Raghavan writes that Shahnawaz met Jinnah in July 1947. Jinnah asked Shahnawaz to maintain peace till the date of partition. Shahnawaz obeyed Jinnah and did the same, but as soon as the date of 15 August 1947 came, Shahnawaz announced that Junagadh would merge with Pakistan.

Here the advice of Lord Mountbatten was also ignored, because Junagadh was connected to India by land and to go to Pakistan one would have to cross the sea.

The document merging Junagadh with Pakistan. It was also signed by Nawab Mahabat Khan of Junagadh.

Sardar Patel felt that Pakistan would not merge Junagadh
Initially Patel thought that Pakistan would not merge Junagadh, but Patel was proved wrong. A month later, on 16 September 1947, Pakistan announced the merger of Junagadh with Pakistan. India also opposed this.

Here, Patel asked Pakistan to reconsider this once again. He also offered to hold a plebiscite, but Pakistan rejected it.

After this, on 19 September 1947, Sardar Patel sent VP Menon, the Secretary of the Princely State Account of the Government of India, to Junagadh, but Menon was not allowed to meet the Nawab. Also, Shahnawaz spoke to him in a vague manner on behalf of the Nawab. That is, nothing was clarified.

VP Menon played an important role in merging the princely states with India. Menon was the secretary of the then Home Minister Sardar Patel.

Provisional government announced to bring Junagadh into India
The opposition to the Nawab’s decision was also increasing in many cities including Bombay. Meanwhile, 25 to 30 thousand people from Saurashtra and Junagadh reached Bombay. During this time, these people, under the leadership of Shamaldas Gandhi, nephew of Mahatma Gandhi and editor of Vande Akhbar, announced to free Junagadh from the rule of the Nawab.

Shamaldas Gandhi, UN Dhebar and members of the Junagadh People’s Conference meet at the office of the Gujarati daily Vande Mataram in Bombay on 19 August 1947. They are specially invited to attend the Kathiawar Political Conference on 25 August 1947.

On 15 September 1947, a 5-member Junagadh Committee was formed. After this, Shamaldas Gandhi met VP Menon and proposed to form a provisional government in exile of the Junagadh princely state.

Shamaldas Gandhi who formed the government in exile of Junagadh.

On 25 September 1947, the Provisional Government was announced under the chairmanship of Shamaldas in a public meeting held at Madhavbagh in Bombay. Shamaldas Gandhi became the Prime Minister and also took over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Rajkot was made the headquarters of the Provisional Government. After this, 5 ministers including the Prime Minister of the Provisional Government reached Rajkot.

Sarsenapati of Arji Loksena Ratubhai Adani had said that Sardar Patel wanted the people of Junagadh to fight this war. Only if the people of Junagadh and their representatives raise their voice, will Junagadh be able to remain in India. Then on 23 September 1947, it was decided to form Arji Government and a manifesto was also prepared on 25 September.

There was also temporary rule of Provisional government in Junagadh.

Seeing the rebellion the Nawab of Junagadh fled to Pakistan
The Provisional Government captured 160 villages in just 40 days from 30 September to 8 November 1947. After this, India allowed the Provisional Government to take control of the outer areas of Junagadh. After this, to force the Nawab of Junagadh to change his decision, the Provisional Government blockaded the areas around Kathiawar with the help of volunteer forces.

Since Junagadh was surrounded by India by land, after the declaration of Pakistan, the Indian government stopped all trade with Junagadh. Due to this, there was a shortage of food there. This led to a situation of rebellion in the state.

Nawab Mahabat Khan was scared of the crisis and rebellion looming over the state. After this, he handed over the rule of the state to Diwan Shahnawaz Bhutto and fled to Karachi, Pakistan with his family.

Nawab Mahabat Khan of Junagadh. He was fond of keeping dogs. It is believed that he had more than 800 dogs.

The Diwan of Junagadh State waited for Pakistan’s help till November
Diwan Shahnawaz of Junagadh State was constantly being challenged by the provisional government. He was proving unsuccessful in stopping it. After this, Shahnawaz wrote a letter to Jinnah on 27 October. In this he wrote, ‘We have run out of money. The grain reserves are also about to end. Muslims of Kathiawar do not see any future in Pakistan. There is no need to tell more than this. My senior colleague in the cabinet, Captain Harvey Jones must have told you the seriousness of the situation in Junagadh.’

After this, the Diwan of Junagadh State waited for help from Pakistan till November, but no help was received. Loksena of the Provisional Government started a movement against Shahnawaz. This increased the tension.

Meanwhile, the Junagadh princely state raised an army of 670 Muslim men. They were deployed at different places to deal with the rebellion in the state, but now Shahnawaz started feeling that it was beyond his capacity to handle the rebellion.

India takes control of Junagadh on 9 November 1947
By 2 November 1947, the Provisional Government also captured Navagadh. On 7 November, Shahnawaz sends his senior cabinet colleague Harvey Jones to Rajkot to meet Provisional Government Prime Minister Shamaldas Gandhi. In Rajkot, Harvey appeals to Shamaldas to take control of Junagadh.

However, on 8 November, Shahnawaz changed his stance and said that the Indian government and not the Provisional government should take over Junagadh. On the same day, he fled to Pakistan. On this basis, India took control of Junagadh on 9 November 1947.

After this, Junagadh’s Independence Day is celebrated on 9 November. Despite Sardar Patel’s displeasure, a referendum was held in Junagadh on 20 February 1948. Out of 2,01,457 registered voters, 1,90,870 people voted. In this, only 91 votes were cast for Pakistan.

People of Junagadh celebrating after the plebiscite on 20 February 1948.

Now know the reason behind Patel’s interest in Kashmir
Historian and Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Rajmohan Gandhi has written in his book ‘Patel a Life’ that Sardar had no special interest in Kashmir, but when Jinnah went against his own principle of partition on religious grounds and tried to annex Junagadh and Hyderabad to Pakistan, Patel started taking interest in Kashmir.

If Jinnah had allowed Junagadh and Hyderabad to join India without any problem, there would have been no dispute over Kashmir and it would have gone to Pakistan. Jinnah had rejected this deal. Later, due to this, Pakistan had to lose Kashmir from its hands.