Booklets

Introduction

From historical as well as political perspective, the Junagadh issue has not received its due attention. However, without any doubt, Junagadh is Pakistan‘s territory that is under illegal Indian occupation. After Partition of the Indian Subcontinent, Junagadh state was the first state that acceded to Pakistan and very few academic researches have addressed or even highlighted this issue.

The national conference titled ‗Junagadh: Challenges and Prospects‘ held on September 14, 2021 at Islamabad, Pakistan was aimed at highlighting the history of the Junagadh issue, recent developments, its status under international law, and the role of Junagadh community in Pakistan in a wider context. Academics from various universities and research institutions as well as key personalities participated in the conference to present their research and analysis on the subject. The selected papers presented in the conference have been included in this book for the readers. It is the first ever such publication of its kind dedicated to the issue of Junagadh.

This book sheds light on the issue of Junagadh from various perspectives. From historical perspective, it presents an overview of the administration of Junagadh State under the abi Dynasty. The state‘s strong administrative structure speaks clearly on the reality that Junagadh was indeed an affluent princely state. From an international perspective, this book also embraces its audience with deep insight regarding the legality of the issue. It describes in detail all cannons of international law that interpret the legality of the issue as valid and authentic. It also intends to analyse the different resolutions to trace the legal roots of Junagadh issue, its current status, and stance of India and Pakistan on Junagadh in the eyes of international law. Socio-political and economic perspective included in the book looks into the contribution of Junagadh community in the socio-economic development of Pakistan. For instance, the contribution of Memon family, Mohammad brothers and Abdul Sattar Edhi, all of whom JUNAGADH: PURSUIT OF UNTOLD HISTORY AND FACTS xx belonged to the Junagadh community. It will serve as a fresh perspective which presents a modern discourse on the issue of Junagadh, especially after the unveiling of the New Political Map of Pakistan.

The book critically describes the modern discourses, and developments on the Junagadh issue, such as, the efforts made on the issue in the previous century, the recent developments on the issue, and their key characteristics and achievements, the difference of these discourses from previous ones, as well as the impact of such discourses. Annexures that relate to historical facts have also been included in the end of the book in the chronological order of historical events.

The book essentially serves as the embodiment of all the aspects on the Junagadh issue which have yet to be fully researched by the academia and the research community. The first step in this direction taken by all the authors in this book, especially conference academic committee comprising of Prof. Dr. Samina Awan, Dr. Mujeeb Ahmad, Dr. Sajid Mahmood Awan, Dr. Farooq Ahmad Dar and Dr. Fakhar Bilal, deserve great appreciation in this regard. Efforts rendered by the team of MUSLIM Institute are also commendable especially the volunteers who supported during the editing process. I am thankful to all the researchers who contributed papers and presented their ideas in the conference enabling us to publish this book. I am indebted to His Highness Nawab of Junagadh Nawab Muhammad Jahangir Khanji for his input. I am confident that the book will be helpful in providing the researchers with the necessary preliminary knowledge on the topic which they can use to further their research on this critical matter.

Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Ali

Dewan of Junagadh State

Chairman, MUSLIM Institute