Nawab of Junagadh, Muhammad Jahangir Khanji in an interview with ARY News on Wednesday, harshly lamented India and called it a country of hypocrisy, and double standards. He criticized the nation for its continued violation of fundamental and minorities’ rights.
In a video statement channeled at ARY, Khanji stated that Indian forces illegally occupied Kashmir in October 1947. He demanded the Indian government to resolve the Kashmir issue as per the resolution of the United Nations.
نواب آف جونا گڑھ نے بھارت کا اصلی چہرہ بے نقاب کردیا#ARYNewsUrduhttps://t.co/mGp2TywUJZ
— ARY News Urdu (@arynewsud) September 30, 2020
Junagarh to be merged with Pakistan
Speaking about the state of Junagadh, the Nawab said that Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III was in favor of joining Pakistan, and on November 9, 1947, he had announced accession with Pakistan with the approval of the Junagadh state council.
India illegally occupied the state thereafter and the Nawab had to move to Karachi. “India carried out a so-called referendum in Junagadh state and desired results were achieved on the strength of the Indian Army,” he added.
Read more: Pakistan’s new Political Map: A Master Stroke?
Early in 2016, the nawab of Junagadh had suggested that the Junagadh state should be merged with Pakistan. “The occupation of Junagadh by India violated Article 26 of the Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties and the state should be merged with Pakistan”, he said. This was stated during a meeting with the Governor of Balochistan, Muhammad Khan Achakzai. Sultan Muhammad Ali, the founder of the Muslim Institute, was also present on the occasion.
Junagarh should be merged with Pakistan, says Nawab Khanji https://t.co/4OG61Em3Il
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) November 28, 2016
At the time of partition, over 550 states were given the choice to join either Pakistan or India. Junagadh was a princely state of pre-partition India. The Nawab of Junagadh had decided to join Pakistan, claims ARY News.
On August 5, 2020, Pakistan had approved and released a new political map of Pakistan, which includes territories of Jammu and Kashmir and a part of Ladakh. The map also included Junagadh, Manavadar and Sir Creek in Indian Gujarat as part of Pakistan.
Breaking: Pakistan says erstwhile state of Junagadh in Gujarat is now part of new Pakistani political map. https://t.co/kiCiNfmsyH pic.twitter.com/CrRd0U8sfx
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) August 4, 2020
Nawab of Junagadh exposing India’s hypocrisy
He said that India had occupied Kashmir on October 27, 1947, on the basis of the so-called annexation of the Maharaja. Only 13 days later, on November 9, 1947, in response to the annexation of Nawab of Junagadh to Pakistan, Junagadh was forcibly captured.
“The Nawab of Junagadh, while exposing the ugly face of India, revealed that the annexation of Junagadh state to Pakistan was done with the approval of Junagadh State Council, which India trampled on at gunpoint and legalized Junagadh with Pakistan. He declared the accession to be illegal,” claimed the news website.
Read more: Kashmir, Gurdaspur & Mountbatten?
The publication further revealed that the Nawab said in his statement that India had “trampled on the legal annexation of Junagadh with Pakistan at gunpoint and held a so-called referendum in Junagarh in the shadow of guns, in which India held a referendum at gunpoint”.
He questioned, “When they achieved the desired goal, why didn’t India hold a referendum in Kashmir in accordance with UN resolutions, and why have they failed to do so to date?” The Nawab further added, “If India is so fond of the referendum, then it should hold a referendum in Kashmir, so at least that there will be milk and water.”
GVS News Desk