India and Pakistan got independence from the British in 1947. According to the Indian Independence Act 1947, all the princely states were given the choice to choose whether to stay with India or to join with Pakistan. At that time Jammu and Kashmir used to be the biggest concession in the country. Maharaja Hari Singh ruled this princely state. According to the majority Muslim population there, Pakistan was confident that this princely state would go with it, but Hari Singh wanted to merge his kingdom with neither Pakistan nor India. So they decided to remain independent.
After being despised by Hari Singh, Pakistan adopted another tactic to take over Kashmir. He sent the Pakistani army to capture Jammu and Kashmir in the form of tribal invaders. These invaders also got the support of local Muslims. The distraught Maharaja Hari Singh sought help from India.
The Indian Army started repelling the invaders. India put the Kashmir issue before the Security Council of the United Nations on 1 January 1948. The United Nations Security Council passed Proposition 47 on 21 April 1948. Under this, both countries were asked for a cease-fire. At the same time, he told Pakistan that he withdrew from Jammu and Kashmir soon.
When the Indian Army entered Kashmir, Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdullah supported a referendum on the issue. Indo-Pak were not satisfied by the UN Security Council's separate interpretation of the ceasefire treaty. However, in November 1948 both countries agreed to the referendum. Later India shied away from it and said that Pakistan should first withdraw its forces from Kashmir.
