The Princely States, Kashmir and the Canal Water Dispute

O Level Pakistan Studies History · Nationhood: 1947 to 1971. A short explanation of the idea, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid, a worked example and practice questions with answers.

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The idea

At independence the rulers of the princely states had to join India or Pakistan. Most chose easily. Trouble came where the ruler and the people followed different religions. In Junagadh and Hyderabad a Muslim ruler governed a Hindu majority, and India took both by force. In Kashmir a Hindu ruler governed a Muslim majority, and he joined India.

Fighting in Kashmir lasted until a UN ceasefire in January 1949. The promised vote of the people was never held, so the dispute stayed open and led to later wars.

Partition also cut the Punjab canal system in two. The headworks that controlled water for Pakistan's canals were left in India, which gave India power over Pakistan's farms.

Rules to remember

Common mistake

Students swap the rulers. Junagadh and Hyderabad had Muslim rulers with Hindu majorities; Kashmir was the opposite, a Hindu ruler with a Muslim majority.

Worked example

Pakistan said India's actions in Junagadh and in Kashmir did not match each other. Why?

  1. In Junagadh the ruler chose Pakistan, but India said the wishes of the Hindu majority mattered more.
  2. In Kashmir the ruler chose India, although most of the people were Muslim.
  3. So India followed the people in one state and the ruler in the other.

Answer: India used opposite arguments in the two states, and each time the result was that India kept the state.

Practice questions

Try each one, then open the answer.

1. Why did India object when the Nawab of Junagadh acceded to Pakistan?

  1. A
    the Nawab was a Hindu ruling over a Muslim majority
  2. B
    Junagadh lay on Pakistan's border in the Punjab
  3. C
    the British had already awarded the state to India
  4. D
    most of its people were Hindus
Show answer

Answer: D. The state was also surrounded by Indian territory. India occupied Junagadh in November 1947 and held a plebiscite, arguing on grounds of geography and population.

2. Which rivers were allocated to Pakistan by the Indus Waters Treaty?

  1. A
    Ravi, Beas and Sutlej
  2. B
    Indus, Ravi and Sutlej
  3. C
    Jhelum, Beas and Chenab
  4. D
    Indus, Jhelum and Chenab
Show answer

Answer: D. Pakistan received the western rivers and India the eastern rivers, the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.

3. Who was the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir in 1947?

  1. A
    the Nizam of Hyderabad
  2. B
    the Nawab of Junagadh
  3. C
    Sheikh Abdullah
  4. D
    Maharaja Hari Singh
Show answer

Answer: D. Kashmir had a Hindu ruler and a Muslim-majority population. Sheikh Abdullah was a Kashmiri political leader, not the ruler.

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