So, Jammu and Kashmir is the biggest reason that India and Pakistan have bad relations. The biggest reason this is the case is because of the resentful Muslim population of the Kashmir Valley under Indian rule. However, if Pakistan instead ruled Jammu and Kashmir, instead, the Hindu population of the Jammu area, which make up about a third of the population and are ethnically similar to the population of Himachal Pradesh, would be resentful of Pakistani rule, merely changing the areas of resent.
In blue is the Hindu-majority parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Now, at the time of Indian independence, rather than trying in vain to stay independent, let's say the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir realizes that keeping the Islamic population of Kashmir under his rule is doomed to fail, and decides to accede to the new states. Muslim-majority Kashmir is given to Pakistan, while Hindu-majority Jammu and Buddhist-majority Ladakh are given to India. Jammu would probably be incorporated into Indian Punjab (and later spun off as part of the state of Himachal Pradesh if that still occurs ITTL), while Ladakh is likely its own state. The Partition of India would likely cause population exchanges between the areas, as there are significant Muslim minorities in Jammu and there were significant Hindu minorities in Kashmir. That would mean a slightly larger Partition population exchange and even more people killed in the violence, and Partition would lead to massive wounds and a divide between the two nations as OTL, but without the Kashmir controversy, I think relations would be significantly better.
Thoughts?
In blue is the Hindu-majority parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Now, at the time of Indian independence, rather than trying in vain to stay independent, let's say the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir realizes that keeping the Islamic population of Kashmir under his rule is doomed to fail, and decides to accede to the new states. Muslim-majority Kashmir is given to Pakistan, while Hindu-majority Jammu and Buddhist-majority Ladakh are given to India. Jammu would probably be incorporated into Indian Punjab (and later spun off as part of the state of Himachal Pradesh if that still occurs ITTL), while Ladakh is likely its own state. The Partition of India would likely cause population exchanges between the areas, as there are significant Muslim minorities in Jammu and there were significant Hindu minorities in Kashmir. That would mean a slightly larger Partition population exchange and even more people killed in the violence, and Partition would lead to massive wounds and a divide between the two nations as OTL, but without the Kashmir controversy, I think relations would be significantly better.
Thoughts?