How did the British treaties of Lahore and Amritsar shape the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir?

The treaties of Lahore and Amritsar, concluded in 1846 following the First Sikh War, were instrumental in the formation of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.1

Under these agreements, Gulab Singh, the Dogra ruler of Jammu, was recognized as the maharaja of an expansive Himalayan kingdom situated between the Indus and Ravi rivers. This arrangement effectively transferred the Vale of Kashmir—which had been annexed by the Sikhs in 1819—to Gulab Singh in exchange for a cash payment to the British.12

The creation of this state served a strategic purpose for the British, establishing a political buffer zone between their Indian empire and the expanding influence of Russia and China to the north. While the treaties defined the state's existence, the precise boundaries remained largely undemarcated due to the rugged terrain and remote, unsettled regions, leading to long-standing ambiguity regarding the state's northern and eastern frontiers.1