GEOGRAPHY AZAD KASHMIR When the decision was made in June 1947 to divide the subcontinent, it was decided that the ruler of each princely state could decide which of the two new dominions he would join. It was recommended that the wishes of the population and the geography of the state be taken into consideration. Before partition actually took place in August, many of the states had come to a decision, with the exception of three; Junagadh, Hyderabad, and Jammu and Kashmir. Two of these, Junagadh and Hyderabad, were not contiguous with Pakistan. Their populations were predominantly Hindu, but the Muslim monarchs who ruled them did not wish to accede to India. Conversely, that state of Jammu and Kashmir bordered with Pakistan and was predominantly Muslim but had a Hindu monarchy. The state of Jummu and Kashmir has a total area of 84,000 square miles made up of three parts; Kashmir Province, Jammu Province, and the frontier districts. In 1947 Maharajah Hari Singh, the ruler of Kashmir, and his predominantly Hindu administration had no enthusiasm for joining either a Muslim Pakistan or an India moving in the direction of democratic socialism. In spite of pressure from Lord Louis Mountbatten, viceroy and Indian governor general-designate, to join one of the two countries, the maharajah procrastinated during the summer of 1947 in the belief that he might be able to remain independent of both nations. Soon after partition Gilgit and the Skardu region of Ladakh revolted against Kashmiri rule. These districts were far removed from Srinagar, the capital, and their overwhelmingly Muslim populations were in no mood to tolerate the few non-Muslim officials stationed there. The situation was similar in Punch, a small district in southern Kashmir. After their pro-Pakistan demonstrations were violently suppressed by the Hindu authorities, the Punchis revolted, and much of the district came under rebel control. By October 1947 Muslims living in the districts of Kashmir near the Pakistan border had set up an Azad (Free) Kashmir government at Muzaffarabad and had organized an independent army made up of ex-servicemen from the Punch and Mirpur districts of Kashmir. Many Muslim refugees from Kashmir who had fled to Pakistan also joined this army, and it ultimately received supplies from Pakistan. At this time a few thousand tribesmen from Pakistan's NWFP were preparing to enter Kashmir. Officially, they were neither supported nor opposed by Pakistan's officials, who were deeply preoccupied with the immense task of bringing order out of chaos that followed partitioned. The tribesmen met little resistance and plundered and massacred their way up the Jhelum Valley toward Srinagar. The maharajah first became aware of the proximity of the tribesmen when the lights went out in the palace at Srinagar, and the trouble was traced to the power plant thirty miles away that the tribesmen had captured. On October 26, 1947, the maharajah acceded to India, saying that "the other alternative is to leave my state and the people to freebooters". The accession was accepted by the governor general of India with the statement: "It is my government's wish that, as soon as law and order have been restored in Kashmir and its soil cleared of the invader, the question of the State's accession should be settled by a reference to the people". Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru accepted the principle of plebiscite on Lord Mountbatten's terms. Indian troops were flown in and successfully resisted the tribesmen who, disorganized and preoccupied with booty, were no match for a disciplined force, although they continued to be reasonably effective in guerrilla activity. Pakistan refused to recognize the maharajah's accession to India and, as Indian troops advanced in Kashmir in the direction of Pakistan's borders, the Pakistan government became increasingly alarmed. At first Pakistan army units were merely stationed in strategic locations inside Pakistan in case an Indian breakthrough should be attempted, but in May 1948 they crossed into Azad Kashmir and actively participated in holding the line against the Indian army. Neither government, however, wished to engage in any major offensive effort that might extend the fighting into either Pakistan or India. Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan of Pakistan agreed to a plebiscite on the condition that Indian troops be withdrawn, state troops be immobilized, and a coalition government with representatives of the Azad Kashmir government be placed in charge of the government at Srinagar. Prime Minister Nehru refused, and intermittent warfare continued. Early in 1948 India presented to the Security Council its charge that Pakistan had committed an act of aggression against it in Kashmir and recommended that the United Nations (UN) condemn Pakistan for the invasion of Kashmir and request Pakistan to withdraw its forces so that a plebiscite could be held. The UN was to be allowed to observe and advise. Pakistan countered by challenging the maharajah's accession to India and submitting charges of its own against India. The Security Council refused to condemn Pakistan for aggression and decided instead to consider the broad problem of how to restore peace and arrange a plebiscite in Kashmir. On April 21, 1948, the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) was set up to investigate the facts and determine the conditions under which a fair plebiscite might be held. On January 1, 1949, a cease-fire was arranged along a stabilized military front with the assistance of the commission. Despite UN resolutions and repeated rounds of talk, the dispute is yet unresolved. University in Azad Kashmir: Azad Kashmir University.