A.1. Princely States During Independence
During colonial rule, native states governed approximately one-third of the Indian sub-continent under treaties signed with the British in the late 18th century. Despite local autonomy, British control extended over their armies and external relations. Varying in size and significance, some princely states wielded substantial power, while others were more manageable. Nonetheless, several key events eventually led to their integration:
- Mountbatten’s role: Lord Mountbatten prevailed over the princes to sign the instruments of accession in August 1947, leaving defence, foreign affairs and communications to the union.
- The emergence of the Federal Centre: The independence and the making of the Federal Centre occupied the political space left by the collapse of British paramountcy. It intervened in their internal affairs regularly to engineer a great and relatively peaceful merger and democratisation process.
- The Standstill Agreement: It ensured thе continuity of еxisting practices and agreements between thе princеly states and indеpеndеnt India, replacing thе previous arrangements with British India.
Hence, after the loss of imperial support to the Princely States, the only course available to the princes was their integration into the body politic of either India or Pakistan.