The Size of West Pakistan on 15 August 1947!

The Size of West Pakistan on 15 August 1947!

·         Unlike Patel, Jinnah could not accede any of the nine Princely States

·         Pakistan for “diplomatic mischief” by promoting non-acceding States

Dr. Hari Desai’s weekly column “Back to Roots” in “Asian Voice”, the Newsweekly of ABPL Group, London 30 June 2018. You may read the full text on https://bit.ly/2KvaO8w and comment.

·         The Sardar could manage to get most of the Princely States in independent India convinced to join the Indian Union even before 15 August 1947. Jinnah could have none of the nine Princely States joining the West Pakistan Union at the time of the Muslim Homeland taking birth! Of course, even historians, including Ayesha Jalal, the writer of the book, “The Sole Spokesman”, do claim that Jinnah did not want Partition. As such, in the words of Ayesha Jalal, Jinnah had to be satisfied with “a moth-eaten and truncated Pakistan” and he was quoted as telling one of his colleague that he would have been satisfied even with some acres of land as “a Muslim homeland” in the desert of Sind than being under the Hindu majority rule of independent India.

·         “On 15 August 1947, West Pakistan was less than half its present size. Nearly a year of negotiations, arguments, threats, and even chance, brought nine Princely States into the Pakistani fold. Thereafter, followed a long and staggered process of integration.” The bright son of Nawabzada Sardar Abdul Aziz Khan Bangash gives credit to his father for instilling in him the love of history. One of the first Princely States to sign the Instrument of Accession to Pakistan was Khairpur State of Sind. It was only on 3 October 1947. But before that Junagadh was acceded to Pakistan and Jinnah had accepted it on 15 September 1947. Of course, it was only on 9 November 1947, following the Arzi Hukumat movement, Junagadh became a part of Indian Union. 

·         Even when Pakistan is being debated as a Rouge state or a Failed state, facing lot many domestic problems, Islamabad continues to play mischief by promoting the former rulers of the Princely States which are not the part of present-day Pakistan. In February 2017, Pakistan had approved the minimum maintenance allowance for former rulers of the States that “acceded to Pakistan” be raised from less than Rs.25,000 to Rs. 500,000 annually. The federal cabinet of Pakistan had approved a 200 per cent increase in the allowance back in November 2007, but Article 5 of the Rulers of Acceding States (Abolition of Privy and Privileges) Order 1972 did not provide for an increase in maintenance allowance. The beneficiaries of the list presented include three dependents of Nawab of Dir, nine of former ruler of Makran, eight of Nawab of Kalat, two of the Nawab of Junagadh State, former rulers of Chitral, Khairpur, Bahawalpur, share holders of the Bantva State, the talukdar of Sultanabad, Sheikh Sahib of Mangrol and the Khan of Manawadar. Though it is a settled fact that Junagadh, Bantva, Mangrol and Manawadar, Sultanabad are part of India, Pakistan continues to play diplomatic mischief.