Junagadh State

The State of Junagadh was a princely state in the Kathiawar Peninsula of western India, located in present-day Gujarat. Ruled by the Babi dynasty of Muslim Nawabs since 1654, it was one of the larger princely states in the region firstly within the Maratha Empire and later by British India. In 1947, following the partition of India, Junagadh became the subject of a political dispute when its ruler, Nawab Mahabat Khan III, acceded to Pakistan despite the state's predominantly Hindu population and its geographical contiguity with India. This decision led to unrest and the eventual intervention of the Government of India. After a plebiscite held in 1948, in which an overwhelming majority voted in favor of accession to India, Junagadh was integrated into the Indian Union and later became part of the state of Gujarat. Pakistan claims sovereignty over the erstwhile princely state to this day.