ISLAMABAD: Nawab of Junagarh Muhammad Jahangir Khanji marked November 9 as a black day, since the Indian troops occupied the territory of Junagarh on the same day in 1947. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Nawab Jahangir demanded a secretariat for Junagarh in Islamabad to bring the princely state closer to Pakistan. He said Indian occupation of Junagarh was against the international law and norms. Nawab Jahangir said a living nation should remember its history and act accordingly.
Junagarh, he said, had a territory of 4,000 square miles and 100 miles coastline along the Arabian Sea with many ports. Among the 562 princely states in the Indian Sub-continent, Junagarh was the sixth richest and a welfare state, which provided free education to its citizens, and took responsibility to provide healthcare facilities to all of them, he added. He recalled that in October 1947, during his visit to Pakistan his grandfather Nawab Mahabat Khan signed an agreement of accession to Pakistan.
During the visit, his grandfather held a meeting with Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and decided to accede the state to Pakistan. The treaty of accession was ratified by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan. In the absence of his grandfather, India landed its troops and occupied the territory of Junagarh on November 9, 1947, he added.
The Nawab said after the creation of India and Pakistan, the sovereign rulers of the states were given the right of choice to stay independent or accede to India or Pakistan. He said Pakistan took the case of occupation of Junagarh to the United Nations Security Council. He vowed to continue struggle for the liberation of Junagarh. "I will not rest and will not stay quiet till I achieved my goal of the liberation of Junagarh."
The Nawab said Junagarh was part of Pakistan and would remain so. He said the Hindu and Muslim communities in Junagarh still expressed their loyalties to the Nawab of Junagarh. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should know that Junagarh would be part of Pakistan, he added.
He said it was the dream of Quaid-i-Azam and his grandfather that Junagarh should be part of Pakistan. He said after independence, the citizens of Junagarh came to Pakistan, set up businesses and industry, and carried out social welfare programmes.
The people of Junagarh played an important role in the progress and prosperity of Pakistan, he said, adding Abdul Sattar Edhi also belonged to his state. To a question, he said 2.5 million people belonging to Junagarh lived in Pakistan. He clarified that his grandfather never claimed any property or benefits from Pakistan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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