Background
At the time of the partition there were 565 big and small officially recognized princely states in India. This number varied through different periods of history. These states had a special constitutional status and did not form a part of the British India. Under the Partition Plan, these states were given an option to accede with either one of the two states, Pakistan or India. Most of the states had decided their future till August 15, 1947. Some of the states could not make timely decision; important among these were Kashmir, Hyderabad and Junagadh. We shall treat these states separately.
i. Kashmir issue
Immediately after the Partition Plan was announced the Congress leaders and the Rajas of the states neighboring Kashmir, especially those of the Patiala and Kapurthala started exerting pressure on the Maharaja of Kashmir for the accession of Kashmir to India.
The Viceroy himself interfered in India's favour. The Maharaja had disarmed the Muslim population of Punch and Jammu even before the declaration of Independence was made. Control of these areas, which bordered Punjab, was taken over the Raja's army. In order to expedite the movement of the Indian Army new roads were built very quickly in the south- eastern part of Kashmir.
These events caused great unrest among the Muslim population of Kashmir. By the month of August, armed rebellion broke out in Punch and Jammu. The Hindus and the Sikhs started killing the Muslims and five hundred thousand Muslims were driven out of this area. Since the Kashmir Liberation Movement, a group of the local freedom fighters, ran short of arms, it sent its representatives to the NWFP (now KPK) for procuring arms and ammunition. In this way the stories of Maharaja's atrocities were revealed to the valiant Pathans living in the tribal areas. Thousands of the tribal militants took arms and made way to Kashmir. When the news of tribal reinforcement was broken at Delhi, the British Governor General and the Indian leaders forced the Maharaja to sign a formal request for Kashmir's accession to India, which he did. In this way a larger portion of Kashmir territory was made a part of India, against the will of the majority of her population.
Although the Quaid-e-Azam was ailing and fully preoccupied with the problem of refugee rehabilitation, yet he kept himself in close touch with the developments taking place in Kashmir. He ordered the British Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan forces to deploy Pakistani troops in Kashmir, which he declined to obey. Pakistani armed forced were later moved to Kashmir when it was took late. The tribal militants reached Siri Nagar at a time when the first plane carrying Indian troops had already landed there. In January 1948 India took the issue to the United Nations and made a commitment to hold plebiscite in Kashmir both countries agreed to ceasefire on the United Nations request. This gave India golden opportunity to strengthen her position in the valley.
ii. Junagadh, Manawadar and Mangrol
Junagadh was a small princely state; located half way between Karachi and Bombay on Kathiawar coast, it had an overwhelmingly Hindu population but was ruled by a Muslim Nawab. Exercising his constitutional privilege, the Nawab decided his states' accession to Pakistan, two other small princely states located in the same vicinity namely Manawadar and Mangrol followed suit.
As soon as the news broke, Hindu population of the state took to streets and Indian troops started moving towards Junagadh. Under these circumstances the Nawab had no choice but to flee and take refuge in Pakistan. Few days later the Indian forces entered the state and took it over. Manawadar and Mangrol met almost similar fate.
iii. Hyderabad
Hyderabad in south India was one of the largest princely states in the British India. It had a population of 16 million according to 1941 census report. It had an area larger than the area of England and Scotland combined. Hyderabad was so wealthy and resourceful that it had all the potentials required for making a prosperous independent state. But unluckily the state had no access to sea, it was landlocked and surrounded by the Indian Territory. Majority of the Hyderabad's population was Hindu but its ruler, who held the title of Nizam, was a Muslim. The state had a long history of Muslim rule and was considered to be the most vibrant centre of the Muslim civilization and culture. The Nizam was inclined to make Hyderabad an independent state but when his intention was made known, the Governor General Lord Mountbatten and Indian leadership the Indian government started exerting pressure on him for the accession of the state to India. The Muslims of Hyderabad offered strong resistance to Indian efforts for the accession of the state, but they were rendered helpless when the Indian forces entered the state on September 12, 1948, only one day after the Quaid-e-Azam death. The Nizam ordered his troops and the volunteers of the "Ittihaad-ul-Muslimeen" to surrender. In this way Hyderabad, the most exquisite centre of the centuries old Muslim culture and tradition was lost to India.
