WHEN the British Raj drew its final breath in 1947, the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir stood at a decisive crossroads.

Under the June 3 Partition Plan, the 562 princely states were granted the right to accede either to India or Pakistan, or to remain independent. The principle was clear: “The Indian States will be free to decide whether they will accede to the new Dominion of India or Pakistan, or to remain independent.” Kashmir, with its Muslim-majority population and geographic contiguity with Pakistan, had a natural and undeniable affinity with Pakistan. This aspiration was crystallized on July 19, 1947, when Kashmiri leaders passed the Resolution of Accession to Pakistan—long before Pakistan itself formally came into being. Yet, on October 27 of the same year, India violated this principle, sending its troops to forcibly occupy the valley, sowing the seeds of a protracted tragedy.

India’s betrayal of principles did not end with Kashmir. The Muslim-ruled state of Junagadh, whose Nawab opted for Pakistan, was annexed through coercion. Hyderabad, which sought independence under its Muslim ruler, was crushed in 1948 during “Operation Polo,” a brutal campaign that left tens of thousands of Muslims massacred. Kashmir became another victim of the same colonial-style coercion, where the will of its people was trampled under the boots of occupation. The darkest blow came on August 5, 2019, when New Delhi revoked Articles 370 and 35A of its own constitution, stripping........

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