Dominion of Pakistan – Jodhpur State (1947) relations
 
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PAKISTAN
(Occupied Kashmir)
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Marwari Kingdom of Jodhpur
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The Princely states of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer too, Yes its true very much so, also both wanted ironically to opt for Moslem Pakistan in 1947, and ally themselves with that country, but Lord Mountbatten opposed the move altogether.
Shahid Hamid reports the actions and attitudes of Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, commander-in-chief of the Indian army during the 18 months preceding the 1947 Partition of British India. And for 26th of July in 1947, he pens down this in [Twilight] on page 211, he records as follows:
The Maharajas of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer want to opt for Pakistan. They were against doing so by Mountbatten himself. Hyderabad, 'the most faithful of Ally of the British Crown', has signed a standstill agreement. Kashmir is a very tricky case. Kak, the Prime Minister, wants to join Pakistan. Sir Conrad Corfield, the Political Secretary, maintains that His Majesty's Government had let down the States and has not honoured its treaty commitments. He has been pleading their cause forcefully, much to the dislike of Mountbatten. When found out that he was not making any headway he resigned and is leaving for the United Kingdom. Patiala has had succeeded the Nawab of Bhopal as the Chancellor of the Chamber of Princes
The Rajput princely state of Jodhpur was a strange case of tilting towards Pakistan despite having a Hindu King and a large Hindu population, according to the latest census at the time of the 1947 Independence, with a Indo-Aryan Rajputana Muslim population of 214,151 Indian Muslims out of the total population of 2,555,904 inhabitants respectively. While the prince, Maharaja Hanvant Singh, was strong in his willingness to join the modern Republic of India, he somehow got the idea that it might be more beneficial for him to join Muslim Pakistan on account of the fact that his state shared border with the soon to be born country. Further, he was convinced into joining Pakistan by Jinnah who offered him full port facilities in Karachi along with military and agrarian support. However, when Vallabhbhai Patel was made aware of the possibility of Jodhpur going to Pakistan, he immediately contacted the prince and offered him sufficient benefits and explained to him the problems of joining a Muslim state. Eventually the Jodhpur prince was won back. Historian Ramchandra Guha, in his work “India after Gandhi”, notes that on being presented with the Instrument of Accession, the Jodhpur prince dramatically took out a revolver and held it on the secretary’s head saying, “I will not accept your dictation”. However, few minutes later he calmed down and signed the document. He expressed a wish to join Pakistan but Mountbatten warned him that his subjects were mostly Hindus and his accession to Pakistan would create problems. As a result Jodhpur, too, acceded to Indian Republic on the 11th of August in 1947. He succeeded his father as Maharaja of Jodhpur on 9 June 1947 and held the title till his death in a plane crash on the 26th of January in 1952.[1]
Pakistan (West) and Jaisalmer[edit]
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PAKISTAN
(Occupied Kashmir)
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Rajput Kingdom of Jaisalmer
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Jaisalmer being contiguous to neighbouring Pakistan (Western), as a newly created sovereign country wanted to because Jodhpur wanted to accede to it being further out would've surrounded with it, with otherwise an isolated semi-exclave state if it were to remain as it did, including Jodhpur, but depending on Bikaner state too with regards to the Ferozepur dispute (1947) in the Radcliffe Line award further north, would have been difficult for Indians as an accessible route to Jaisalmer. According to the latest census at the time of the 1947 Independence, with a Indo-Aryan Rajputana Muslim population of 27,456 Indian Muslims out of the total population of 93,246 inhabitants respectively. Jaisalmer State was a Bhatti Rajput kingdom in the far-western part of present-day Rajasthan, West India, from the mid-12th century CE until 1947. In 1156 CE, Rawal Jaisal moved his capital from Ludarva to Jaisalmer because the former was vulnerable to attacks from Turko-Afghan and Baloch tribes. On the 11th of December in 1818 Jaisalmer became a British protectorate in the Rajputana Agency of British India.[2][3] Following the Independence of Pakistan/India in 1947, Jaisalmer acceded unto the Dominion of India. So on the 15th of May in 1949, it was United with certain other princely states to form the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan.
The Partition of India in 1947 lead to the closing of all the trade routes on the Indo-Pak border and reduced Jaisalmer a drought-prone desert backwater on the International border. Hidden surprising fact During Partition of India/Pakistan, the then Raja of Amarkot state, Rana Arjun Singh opted for Pakistan despite a Hindu majority in the region. The royal family had its historical roots in Sindh. His love for Sindh and hatred for Indian Congress made Rana choose Pakistan. Royal family which willingly chose to stay within Pakistan post-Independence and whose rulers actively participated in Pakistani politics along side Bhutto. His predominantly Hindu electorate voted for their Ruler Rana Arjun Singh in an election which marked the call for Partition of British India. That Rajputana States bordering Sindh should accede to Pakistan. He actually fought the decisive 1946 election under the All-India Muslim League and won! He wanted Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Jodhpur to join Pakistan and NOT Hindustan and it is said he gave a blank piece of paper to the ruler of Jodhpur to put-in any condition of accession as he wished.
And the shocking part was that the then Maharaja Hanvant Singh of Jodhpur was seriously considering this option!
Even Maharaj Kumar of Jaisalmer was open to join Pakistan with one condition - in case of Hindu-Muslim issues, he'll side with Hindus. Some debacle and doubtful issues later, these two Desert States did Not join Pakistan. The interlocutor from Jinnah's side with these three certain States? Was Rana Arjun Singh of Amarkot! Irrespective of verbal gymnastics, the reality is pretty simple - Rulers of Amarkot did not want to give-up their Sindhi-land (now in Pakistan) and all the trappings of their feudal life and come to Modern India.
What would be interesting to know is how many Hindus from Tharparkar remained back in Sindh in 1947 because they'd trusted their optimal hopes on these Sodha Rajputs to look after them.
References[edit]
- ↑ "HH The Maharaja Hanwant Singh". Maharaja Jodhpur website. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2014. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Princely States of India
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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