Princely states' status

To expand on Haji Essa Katchi's letter published in your issue of 18th November concerning Indian Princely states presented a unique problem and a highly complex one. It appears neither the British Labour Government of Prime Minister Attlee nor their last viceroy were fully conversant with the issue.
In India at that time there were 562 Princely states, a multi-cultured lot.
They varied enormously in shape and size - some as large as France and England, some as petty as having an area of less than four square miles and revenues of less than Rs 1,000 per month, unworthy to be ranked as political entities yet neither part of British India nor subordinate to any other government, except the Crown itself.
The Indian Independence Act passed by the British Parliament on 14th July 1947 released these Princely states from all their obligations to the Crown. It was not the intention of the British government to hand over their powers and obligations under paramountcy vis-à-vis the states to any successor government.
They had complete freedom, technically and legally they were independent although this had little meaning for the vast majority who fell in the category of petty to small states.
In this ground reality, leaving aside 10 Muslim States ruled by Muslim rulers within West Pakistan, the rest of them fell in India's apple basket with the exception of Junagarh, Hyderabad and Kashmir. Theses three states became problematic.
JUNAGARH: The Nawab of Junagarh signed the instrument of Accession with Pakistan which was wide off the mark, except the legality of Accession in terms of Indian Independence Act was unquestionable.
The instrument was accepted by the Governor General of Pakistan and ratified by the Constituent Assembly. This proved short lived. India sent infiltrators and managed a show of uprising.
The Nawab fled along with his family and dogs and took refuge in Pakistan.
HYDERABAD: Hyderabad was the largest state embedded in India and in status number one with its own judiciary, police, currency, postal system, railways and one division of trained Army. It's area was over 82,000 square miles and population nearly 16 million.
The ruler, HEH the Nizam of Hyderabad, issued a decree declaring that he would join neither India or Pakistan and that on 15th August he would assume the status of an independent sovereign ruler. This proved to be wishful thinking. On 11th September, 1948, the Indian Army moved in and annexed Hyderabad. The Nizam was dethroned.
KASHMIR: Kashmir was a Muslim majority area, contiguous to Pakistan. All other factors taken into consideration on which the boundary lines were drawn lead to the certainty of Kashmir becoming part of Pakistan.
But, under coercion from India, the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession with his drunken shaking hand enabling the Indian Army to move in to occupy the state.
This act became controversial from the very first day and still remains so. Junagarh and Hyderabad are closed chapters but Kashmir is not. It is worth noting, one common factor in all three cases, use of force by India.