Kashmir Silhouettes From the Past

 

 J &K & the Drama of Accession: The Mountbatten Plan for partition of India was announced on June 3. 1947 Various Princely states were given the right to join either India er Pakistan (with no option to remain independent). While over 550 princes' out of 565 officially recognized by the British Govt were persuaded to join the Indian dominion by Sardar Patel and his Man Friday VP Menon, there was resistance from three rulers: Nawab of Junagarh, Nizam of Hyderabad, and Maharaja of J&K. Nawaz of Junagarh, in fact, acceded to Pakistan and Jinnah accepted the joining though it violated the terms of Indian Independence Act 1947( geographical contiguity and the people's wishes). Ultimately, in Feb 1948, Junagarh acceded to India. Nizam of Hyderabad was toppled after an Army operation (Operation Polo) was launched in September 1948. Why was Maharaja Hari Singh hesitating in joining India? Hari Singh could also foresee the future trouble From the beginning he wanted to accede to India. He, however, had serious misgivings about Nehru for his inexplicable fondness for Abdullah. An episode in 1946 added to the complications - Abdullah started an anti-Maharaja agitation (Quit Kashmir) and was arrested on May 15, 1946. Nehru tried to enter J&K to meet/ represent Abdullah but was stopped from entering J&K without a formal permission. Nehru tried to force his way in but his car's tyres were fired upon and burst. He was arrested on June 22.1946 and kept at a Dark Bungalow at Dome, Muzaffarabad till Gandhi called him back after 2 days. Being vindictive and vain in nature, Nehru never forgot this humiliation and took out his revenge on the Maharaja in the years to come. Maisaraja therefore had his reasons for procrastinating in taking a decision for joining India: He wanted to join India and save himself/his Hindu population from the disaster that was happening in neighbouring Punjab Communal nots had broken out in Punjab from Feb 24, 1947 Entire British machinery, Mountbatten down to the British Resident were putting pressure on him to join Pakistan or, at least keep thing on hold. Jinnah was offering him several lollypops but Maharaja never trusted him. It must be pus on record that Maharaja refused permission to Jinnah to enter Kashmir several times in 1946 and 1947 He had serious misgivings about Nehru due to his arrogance and venality He did not trust Abdullah as he knew he was playing a double game. His apprehensions came true in 1953 when Abdullah was dethroned and arrested! June 3, 1947, Mountbatten personally came to Once the partition plan was announced on Kashmir (June 19-23, 1947) to persuade Hari Singh to join Pakistan. In a very interesting twist, Hari Singh refused to meet the Viceroy on the day of his return, pretending colic pain. Mountbatten told Nehru on June 24, 1947, that: He had told Hari Singh not to decide on joining any constituent assembly till Pakistan constituent assembly was set up and the picture became clearer. He had also suggested that in the interim Hari Singh should not declare independence and enter into "standstill agreement with both the new states, This is exactly what the Maharaja did. da "Hand Sal agreement with Pakistan and requested India foot a similar arrangement. That India did not respond is another story! The exile politician Mahatoku war dark Pan Hari Might had shared separations about Hat Singh that the interest of Kaley in the hatian Fat Maltargeted be allay his Nisha liked apprehend header Doily 196 Maharaja all along had his magivings abouй Nehru's protégé Abdullah who was playing a double game. Abdullah was trying to bargain with Jinnah as well as Nehru, looking for a better deal, he secretly travelled to Lahore in the first week of October 1947 but was humiliated when Jinnah refined to see him by saying that there is no need to see this man as "Kashunir is in my pocket Jinnah even declared that the coming Eid (October 1947), would be celebrated in Srinagar Once it became clear to Jinnah that Maharaja was not keen on joining Pakistan and Abdullah, post his humiliation, war seething for revenge, he was left with just one option to militarily seize Kashmir Pakistan launched Operation Gulag by mobilising totals from the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) on 22 October 1947. About 10,000 tribesmen, fully armed with modern weapons and under the direct control of Pakistan Army commanders, entered Muzaffarabad in motor-buses and on foot. All Hindus and Sikhs were killed and women raped! The same Sondrio was repeated in Uri and Baramulla! Saving the Valley Maharaja Hari Singh asked goat of India on Oct 24 to provide military assistance but Indian gout insisted that he sign the Instrument of Accession first. Nehru was ready to accept the accession of Jammu and 14 He Kashmir in Iratiamily star Maharaja Har transferred power to Matrka, was very dear that noticed of national inthe Nehru was giving pictorially is hie personal Friendship with Allah andas able for Marengo Hari Singh, Mr VF Mence Srinagar (with Sat Manakahan, then a La Cove in the India atomy) on Oct 25 ami adde Maharaja to brave Srinagar immediately r there is no army to defend the Maharaja of Kashmir and the Pakistani just 50 km away from binger As per Mr Pie, journalist, and author of Origins of a Depute Kashmir 1947. M Menon was able to get Maharajas goon the fratrument of Accession on Oct 25 only Dem Manekalaw's interview, recorded on 18. 19.194) Maharaja left Kashunir for Jammu during the to Delhi on Oct 26. Save the was very little time available, the Defence Committee, headed by Mountbatten decided to air tilt a battalion of the Army to Srinagar on Oct 27, 1947 prednight of Oct. 25-20 with his family VP Menon fleet General Dalhart, acting in collusion with Find Mountbatten and Iss British Army top Bram tried their best to derail the plan to airlift ame and troops to Kashmir, despite Bandar Patel’s specific instructions. Commander-in-Chieti, Marshal Audidntek took the position that no ame were available in Delhi. The entire British command did everything possible to all airliال of troops to Kashmir. The British wanted to give none to Pakistan Army and its tribesmen to take control of as much territory as possible before the snows set in by November. Patel's acumen sow though this and he ensured that Indian trope started flying to firinagar on morning of October 27 he made a public broadcast over radio, requesting for private planes to airlift the jawing By 10:30 am. Delhi received a wireless me from the Srinagar airfield conveying the news that Lieutenant Colonel Ramjet Rai and his 148 troops of the Sikh Regiment had landed. Mountbatten expressed his unhappiness in these classic words, "With great diffusedly I have combined Pated that if JK integrates with Pakistan you should not feel bad But my entire plan filled. All this happened became if that bloody foot Hari Singh," Revealing, indeed! Indian army took the tribesmen and regulars from the Pakistan Army head on, driving them back. By Nov 9, 1947, Baramulla had been linesmen. Soon after, Uri too was liberated but cleared of the Pakistani regulars plus the Army was given orders not to proceed beand Li. Had our political leadership Army listened to the cleansing Dome and Muzaffarabad would have been easy, since the raiders were on the run. On Jan 1.1948. Nehru decided to take the matter of Kashmir invasion to the UN Fighting continued in different sectors of J&K right through 1948. On January 1, 1949, ceasefire came into effect, depriving the Indian Army a chance to cleanse I&K of the Pakistani intruders Post Independence J&K: In Oct 1947, Shiekh was appointed Head of Emergency Administration. This ad hoc arrangement continued till Sept 1951 when elections were held for the Constituent Assembly of J&K-the elections were so genuine that nomination papers of all 75 rivals were rejected. Shiekh Abdullah thus ruled J&K as an unelected Prime Minister for 4 years due to a benevolent Pt Nehrul In Aug 1953, Abdullah was removed as PM and arrested on the charge of hobnobbing with Britain and the US for creating an independent Kashmir! He was released in 1964 but soon after, his mentor, Pi Nehru died. Over the next decade Abdullah led a chequered life. After the 1971 war, Abdullah decided to make peace with Mrs Gandhi. After prolonged discussions, he was made Chief Minister in 1975 even while his political party had zero seats in the state assembly! Shiekh Abdullah remained CM till he died in Sept 1982. He was followed by his son, Farooq Abdullah, his son-in law GM Shah (briefly) and, later his grandson Omer. Of the last 50 yrs., Abdullah Dynasty has ruled J&K for almost 40 yrs! Why was Shiekh Abdullah dethroned in 1953? The answers to this riddle can be traced to the Machiavellian British plans to control J&K as part of The Great Game. The first attempt was to compromise a young Yuvraj Hari Singh by trapping him in a sex scandal in Paris in 1921 with help of his aide de-camp, Captain CW Arthur of the British Army. This episode scarred the young prince's psyche the betrayal, cheating and exploitation hurt him and he never forgave the British. The Yusra developed a deep mistrust of the British and their nefarious designs though he was intelligent and suave enough not to openly show it During the First Round Table Conference (Nov 1930), Maharaja Han Singh was fielded by the British as the opening speaker. Much to the horror of the British, Hari Singh as the Chairman of the Chamber of Princes, literally knocked the wind out of the British strategy when he got up to make his speech "While Indian Princes valued the British connection, they had full sympathy for the aspirations of their motherland for an equal and honourable place in the comity of nations. As Indians and loyal to the land whence they derived their birth and infant nature, the princes stood solidly with their countrymen for India's enjoyment of a position of honour and equality in the British Commonwealth of Nations. His outspoken support to the "seditious" demand for independence came as a major setback to the Government of India, for nobody had dared to openly say such things in those days, and in many ways, it set the tone for the First Round Table Conference. Hari Singh was henceforth a marked man in the eyes of the British an "unreliable ally": Attempts immediately started to weaken the Maharaja by engineering a communal riot in J&K using Shiekh Abdullah as the cat's paw (July 1931)! The then J&K PM. George Edward Wakefield let it be known through his personal assistant, Khalifa Abdul Hakim, that he was 'impressed' with Abdullah, even though the Regency Council had taken a grim view of Sheikh Abdullah's seditious utterances. A Lahore based organization. The Kashmir Conference, was activated by the British Indian Government under the direct control of the Governor General, Lord Inwin Abdullah was encouraged to launch his political outfit, Muslim Conference in 1932 British wanted control of Gilgit-Baltistan as a key "listening post for Central Asia and Russia (by then the USSR). The British had, in 1913, created a special armed force known as Gilgit Scouts, led by British officers on loan from the British Army, to control the territory 15British control was achieved on March 26 1815, with the Maharaja ceding control and administration of Gilgit town plas most of the Calgit Agency and the hill-states Hunza, Nagar, Yasin and linkman for 60 years to the British-a deed signed by Maharaja and Mr LE Lang, on behalf of the British Crown. Once partition of India was announced, the British cancelled the lease and entire Gilgit Baltistan was handed over to Maharaja Hari Singh on August 1, 1947 who appointed Brig Chan Sara Singh as Governor. However, the British were aware that since the Maharaja was inclined towards acceding to India, they would lose control over the Northern Territories. They meticulously planned a division of J&K and the major players were Maj Gen Henry Lawrence Scott, the Chief of State Forces, George Cunningham, Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Maj William Brown and Capt. Mathieson, both officers of Gilgit Scouts. Titled Operation "Data Khel" the strategy to oust the governor and hand over Gilgit to Pakistan was planned well in advance by Lieutenant Colonel Roger Bacon, the outgoing political agent at that time. Around midnight of 31 Oct 01 Nov 1947, about 100 men of Gilgit Scouts under Maj William Brown surrounded Governor's house. In the late morning, Maj Brown sent a terse message to the Governor to surrender or else, he threatened, that all non-Muslims in Gilgit would be massacred. On Nov 1, Maj WA Brown and Capt. Mathieson declared accession of Gilgit with Pakistan by raising the Pakistani flag. The Muslim elements of the State Forces joined the rebels and executed the non-Muslim troops. The combined force conquered Skardu (the capital of Baltistan) and threatened Ladakh, leading to the eventual formation of Gilgit-Baltistan which continues to be under Pakistani control. Though Maj Brown had committed 'treason in military terms by violating the official orders and policy of the British Govt, he was rewarded with an MBE (Member of Most Exalted Order of the British Empire) in 1948, for 'services rendered to the British Empire This exposes the evil designs of the British 16 and their determination to keep Gilgit- Baltistan 'safe' for their use! Since Nehru sent Shiekh to plead India's case in the UN in 1948, he was able to open his channels with the British and US intelligence, who goaded him to declare independence! That ultimately led to his unceremonious removal as PM of J&K By removing Shiekh at a crucial moment in 1953, Nehru probably saved J&K for India. Abdullah had proved to be an unreliable ally. personal equations notwithstanding! Over the nest few years, gradually, J&K was made into near normal state: J&K came under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India in 1954 The Constituent Assembly of the state passed a resolution in February 1954, extending some provisions of the Constitution of India and formally ratifying the accession of the state to India per the Instrument of Accession. J&K came under the jurisdiction of Election Commission of India in 1962. In December 1964, the Indian government extended provisions of Articles 356 and 357 of the Constitution of India, which allowed for President's rule in the state. In April 1965, the legislative assembly approved renaming the positions of Sadarst Riyasat to Governor and Wazir-i-Azam (Prime Minister) to Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

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Courtesy: Sanjeev Munshi Koshur and Samachar- 2025, July