Here Is Why Pakistan Claimed Junagadh In Gujarat As Its In New Political Map

On Tuesday, Pakistan issued a new political map of the country showing several parts of India as its territory.

This includes all of Kashmir, Ladakh, Sir Creek and Junagadh in Gujarat.

DAWN

While Pakistan's claim over Jammu and Kashmir is well documented, the story of Junagadh is not.

The history goes back to 1947 and the partition of British India into India and Pakistan.

Like Hyderabad which was ruled by the Muslim Nizam, the princely state of Junagadh in coastal Gujarat, wanted to join Pakistan following the partition.

Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III, the last Nawab of Junagadh wanted to merge his princely state with Pakistan.

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This, however, did not go down well with the Hindu citizens of Junagadh, who formed the majority of the population and India which saw it as a threat.

Following a revolt, India sent in troops and in September the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru proposed a plebiscite there.

In the plebiscite that was held in February 1948, around 95 per cent of the voters backed integration with India while Pakistan got a little over 100 votes.

But Pakistan has refused to accept the verdict and had taken the issue to the UN Security Council in 1948.

Unlike Kashmir, Pakistan did not pursue Junagadh much and it was eventually dropped from the map.

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It was largely forgotten by both sides for years until 2007, when Muhammad Jahangir Khan, the successor of the Nawabs who was now settled in Karachi raked up the issue again.

Even in 2016, he claimed that the Instrument of Accession of Junagadh was still valid under the Vienna Convention Law of Treatise.

The new political map of Pakistan is unlikely to flair up the issue again.

India dismissed Pakistan's move as ¡°an exercise in political absurdity¡±, saying it was laying untenable claims to territories in the Indian state of Gujarat and ¡°our Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and of Ladakh¡±. The statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) further said ¡°these ridiculous assertions have neither legal validity nor international credibility¡±.

"In fact, this new effort only confirms reality of Pakistan's obsession with territorial aggrandisement supported by cross-border terrorism," it added.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani lashed out at Pakistan, calling the changes in the map "preposterous".

"This so called "political map" of Pakistan released by Prime Minister Imran Khan today is a glaring example of how disconnected Pakistan PM is with ground realities. Pakistan will never succeed in its wicked design of undermining the unity and integrity of India," Rupani tweeted.

"This action of Pakistan is both preposterous and obnoxious. Gujarat condemns this absurd act of Pakistan unequivocally," he added.