When we talk of Kashmir, we should really be talking about three geographical areas- Ladakh- Leh, Kashmir Valley, and Jammu.
Equally we need to look at another nomenclature (term) for the term” Princely State”.
The term Princely state was coined by the British rulers of India. It is another term for a term more familiar to most of us- a “Jagir. Or Zamindari”.
These Princes or Rajas or maharajas were not independents states, but were defeated rajas that were mostly subservient to the Muslim rulers of Delhi- the Mughals. When the British conquered Delhi, and the rest of India etc, they gave these Jagirdars/ Thakurs grandiose titles, and more importantly, gave them protection, and enshrined their Zamindari by fixing guaranteed revenue for their personal use. Their rule were enshrined in law, and protected by the British, who did not interfere in their day to day affairs.
Jammu and Kashmir was such a case. So was the case of the Rajasthan states, which are very relevant to the discussion at hand.
It should also be kept in mind that the British were quite upset at the prospect of India getting Independence in 1947.
There were very strenuous efforts being made by them to destroy the new nation even before it was created.
Some these efforts broadly speaking were
1) Support to the Muslim league, of Jinnah to create Pakistan,
2) Persuasion of the “princely states” to join Pakistan or to remain independent.
The last was very troublesome.
The British encouraged many ‘Princely states’ to not accede to the new India- Hyderabad, the Rajput states of Rajasthan, and also Jammu and Kashmir.
Jinnah and his allies had been working overtime to get the Border States to join Pakistan.
For an account of the Rajput states see;
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/3029
Part 11- Maharaja of Jodhpur chooses- India or Pakistan?
Jammu and Kashmir was in a similar state- Joining Pakistan meant according to promises made, free and unfettered wealth.
In effect they were being offered a blank page on which they could write whatever agreement they wanted as long as they joined Pakistan
Part of the argument made was, that the natural pull was to West Pakistan, and not to the India side, interim of lines of communication, trade etc. This was supposed to override any other consideration.
This was attempting offer- the Rajput states of Jodhpur, Jaisalmer etc almost signed the accession documents to Pakistan, but the scheme was foiled. - Part of the reason was that these were Jat majority states and the transfer would not have been peaceful.
In the case Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh we have some other factors to consider.
History:
The entire state was under the Jagirdari of the Dogra Rajputs since the time the British conquered the Punjab.
Hindus were marginalized, as those converted to Islam, were not allowed back, due to the intransience of the Kashmiri Pandits.
Hari Singh vacillated on signing the accession to India document – He was being swayed by promises from Pakistan.
When he finally signed, the invasion by Pakistani troops and their tribal allies was in full swing.
They wee being aided by British officers and British civil administration.
Referral to UN.
This was another example of Nehru’s foolishness, as was the setting up Article 370.
The demographics had been changed- the state though part of India, did not allow Indians ( Hindus/Sikhs) to settle in the state- Hundreds of thousands of refugees from Pakistan arrived ,but they were not given statehood or voting rights.
Why this was done was and is a mystery.
It created a running sore, and that sore still exists today.
No Government in power has taken steps to eliminate article 370, and integrated the people and the state fully into the Indian nation
Ravi Chaudhary
For a good account of the times see:
Integration of the Indian States
By V P Menon [Paperback 1985]
Transfer of Power in India, The
By V P Menon
