Pakistan reiterated its stance on the Junagadh issue, condemning India’s alleged illegal occupation of the region.
During a weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch emphasized that Pakistan’s position on Junagadh—a city in India’s Gujarat annexed in 1948—has remained consistent.
“Junagadh was annexed to Pakistan. The country sees this matter in historical and legal perspective. Junagadh was a part of Pakistan and India’s illegal occupation of it is a violation of the United Nations Charter and international norms,” she stated.
The spokesperson further highlighted that Pakistan “has always been raising the Junagadh issue at political and diplomatic forums and wants a peaceful solution to it.”
“Pakistan also considers the Junagadh issue as an unfinished agenda like Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK),” she added.
The claim over Junagadh, a coastal area in Gujarat, is particularly interesting because of its history. On August 4, 2020, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan released a new political map that sparked a strong reaction from India. The updated map continues to claim Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh as Pakistani territories, but it also made a surprising new claim over Junagadh and parts of Sir Creek in Gujarat. Sir Creek is a disputed area between Gujarat in India and Sindh in Pakistan.
When the British were leaving India in 1947, they left about 500 princely states to decide whether to join India, Pakistan, or stay independent.
The ruler of Junagadh at the time, Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khan Babi III, was known for his lavish lifestyle and love for animals. He had around 2,000 dogs and celebrated their birthdays and weddings with great parties. He also worked to protect the Asiatic lion by creating the Gir forest, which remains its only habitat today. He also improved livestock, including the Gir cow and the Kathiawari horse.
Alongside Babi, the dewan (prime minister) of Junagadh, Shah Nawaz Bhutto, played a crucial role. Bhutto’s family name is still influential in South Asian politics.
In September 1947, Nawab Babi decided to join Pakistan, arguing that Junagadh was linked to Pakistan by sea. Bhutto personally delivered the accession papers to Pakistan's leader, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. However, this decision faced opposition from the largely Hindu population of Junagadh, leading to conflict. By October 1947, Babi and Bhutto moved to Pakistan, but unrest continued in Junagadh. Some of Junagadh's protectorates, like Mangrol and Babariawad, joined India, while Bantva Manavadar joined Pakistan.
Bhutto reportedly called for local control, which allowed India to gain control of Junagadh by November 1947. In February 1948, a plebiscite was held in Junagadh and Bantva Manavadar, where the people voted to join India. The princely states officially became part of India shortly after.
Today, the Junagadh royal family, now headed by Jehangir Khan, lives in Karachi, Pakistan, but maintains connections with India through family marriages.
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