Let me add some detail that might re-orient your views.
Mountbatten came with an additional mission over and above that of presiding over independence and partition. He came with a mission from the King-Emperor to explain to the princes what they might and might not do. Please check the records; EVERY prince who thought that he might like to be independent was told categorically and directly by Mountbatten that Britain WOULD NOT recognise the independence of any party other than within the ambit of the two Dominions. This was categorically stated to Hyderabad, for instance.The other principle that he shared, apparently not authored by HM, was that a state was free to join either Dominion, subject to contiguity. This had implications for Travancore, for Hyderabad, for Junagadh, for Jodhpur and for Kashmir (actually for another bizarre example, but let me confuse a few issues at a time). Travancore was told not to be silly and not try to be independent, Hyderabad was told that she could not be independent, Junagadh was pressurised after opting for Pakistan, on the contiguity account, Jodhpur was pressurised through the volatile personality of the ruler, and with
@M. Sarmad around, nobody needs to be told about Kashmir.
She didn't, actually; the closest that this got was the last-moment transfer of a large sum of money to a British bank, and then an instruction to send this to Pakistan - or rather, to transfer it to Pakistan's account in a British bank. This was blocked, and the case continues to this day. But Hyderabad never actually acceded to Pakistan. She seems to have wanted independence.
Yes.
No.
Ho hum.
