 With the impending independence of India and Pakistan, the British announced that the British Paramountcy would lapse and the rulers of princely states were given the option of joining one of the two new countries (termed "accession") or staying independent.The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir chose to stay independent, given the mixed ethnic and religious composition of the state's population.Following an uprising in the western districts of the state and an armed invasion by Pashtun tribes from Pakistan, the Maharaja acceded to India on 26 October 1947.