Edited: Israr
Hasan
Date: 25 Oct. 2015
68 years ago in today’s date the Kashmir
accession to India took place. The following tells the story.
Hari Singh was the hereditary Hindu Maharaja of
the most strategically situated princely state in India, the State of Kashmir,
where India, China, Tibet and Pakistan were destined to meet.
One morning of 1947, a distinguished visitor
occupied the seat beside Hari Singh.
Louis Mountbatten had known the Hindu ruler since they had played polo
on the soft green grass of Jammu during the Viceroy’s tour with the Prince of
Wales. Today, Mountbatten had
deliberately arranged his visit to Hari Singh to force a decision on Kashmir’s
future.
Logic dictated that Kashmir wind up in Pakistan.
Its 85% of people were Moslem. Its 600-mile border stretched through Pakistan.
The only railway line of Kashmir passed through Sialkot. Its post and telegraph
system for connection with the outer world was arranged within Pakistan.
Kashmir’s roads and bridges networks were passing through Rawalpindi and
Sialkot.
The Viceroy accepted that logic. He told
Maharaja he had guarantee of Patel on behalf of the future government of India
that if Hari Singh joined Pakistan, India would raise no objection. Furthermore, he said, Jinnah had assured him
that Hari Singh would be most welcome and given an honored place in his new
dominion.
‘I don’t want to accede to Pakistan on any
account,’ Hari Singh answered.
‘Well,’ Mountbatten said, ‘It’s up to you, but
I think you should consider it very carefully since after all almost 90% of
your people are Moslem. But, if you don’t,
then you must join India.
‘No,’ replied the Maharaja, ‘I don’t wish to
join India either. I wish to be independent.’
Those were the words that the Viceroy did not
want to hear. ‘I’m sorry,’ he explained, ‘you just can’t be independent. You’re a land-locked country. What I mind most though is that your attitude
is bound to lead to strife between India and Pakistan. You’re going to have two rival countries at
daggers drawn in your neighbor. You’ll
be the cause of a tug-of-war between them.
You’ll end up being a battlefield.
That’s what’ll happen. You’ll lose your throne and your life, too, if
you’re not careful.’ The Maharaja sighed
and shook his head. He kept a gloomy
silence until he reached the fishing camp, which was set up on the river Trika.
Trout fishing was offered to the distinguished visitor. Hari Singh made certain
Mountbatten had no chance to corner him alone.
The Viceroy spent his next two days in trout
fishing in the Trika crystal waters. On the third day, he insisted he had a
formal meeting the following morning with the Maharaja, his Prime Minister and
their staffs before his departure to draw up an agreed policy statement.
‘All right,’ the Maharaja agreed, ‘if you
insist on it.’
The following morning an ADC came to
Mountbatten and informed him that His Highness was suffering from an upset
stomach and his doctor would not allow him to attend their meeting. Mountbatten was sure; the story was ‘absolute
baloney’. Hari Sigh refused even to see
his old friend before he left. A problem which would embitter India-Pakistan
relations for about three-quarter of a century and imperil world peace had
found its genesis in a diplomatic stomach ache. (Freedom at Midnight by
Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins).
The 565 princely states were given free option
to join either India or Pakistan on or before 15th August 1947. They were given no option to remain independent. The state of Jammu & Kashmir made a Stand
Still agreement with Pakistan to keep its railway and road transportations,
trade and commerce, and postal and telegraph functional as usual. Pakistan took this gesture of Maharaja
Kashmir a good sign in his favor. But Kashmir was not sincere in it.
Long before Independence, the Muslims opposition
against Maharaja government was escalating and a political party of Muslim Conference
was set up in 1933 under leadership of Sheikh Abdullah and Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas.
When Maharaja Hari Singh could not decide Kashmir’s accession to Pakistn, the
all-out invasion of Kashmir started on 22 October 1947 by independent raiders’
column, consisting of two to three hundred lorries full of frontier tribesmen
of about five thousand—Afridis, Waziris, Mahsuds, Swathis, and soldiers of the retired
Pakistan Army—advanced from Abbottabad in the NWFP along the Jhelum Valley Road.
The raiders marched towards Baramula along the road leading to Srinagar;
captured the Mathura Power House, and plunged Srinagar in darkness.
When
Srinagar plunged into darkness on Oct. 24, Hari Singh was alarmed. He gathered all his precious belongings from
all his royal palaces; uploaded on eight to ten trucks and slipped to
Jammu. Jammu had already been swiped by
its Moslem population. He instantly appealed India for help just on his arrival
in Jammu. On the evening of 24 Oct. the
Government of India received a desperate appeal for help from the Maharajah.
India also received from its Supreme Commander information regarding the
raiders’ advance and intentions. On Oct. 25 a meeting of the Defense Committee
of Govt. of India was held, presided by Lord Mountbatten. Mr. V.P. Singh, on
behalf of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Mountbatten, instantly flew to Jammu
with Instrument of Accession. Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession
without hesitation on 26th Oct. and a series of air convoys with
fighting men and materials were dispatched to Srinagar air field on and from
the same day. Later, Mountbatten acknowledged Maharaja’s appeal through his
separate letter dated 27th October.
The accession of Kashmir to India, as I
understand according this letter, was conditional upon a plebiscite of the
people of Jammu and Kashmir, after the raiders attack on Kashmir ends and peace
prevails. Mountbatten’s letter to Maharaja Hari Singh was as follows:
“My dear Maharaja Sahib,
Your Highness letter dated
26 Oct. has been delivered to me
by Mr. V.P. Menon. In the special
circumstances mentioned by Your Highness my Government has decided to accept the
accession of Kashmir State to the Dominion of India. In consistence with their policy that in the
case of any state, where the issue of
accession has been the subject of dispute, the question of accession
should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the
state, it is my Government’s wish that
as soon as law and order have been restored in Kashmir and her soil cleared of
the invaders, the question of the state’s accession should be decided by a reference
to the people.
Meanwhile, in response to Your Highness appeal for
military aid, action has been taken today to send troops of the Indian Army to
help your own forces to defend your territory and to protect the lives,
property and honour of your people.
My Government and I note with satisfaction that Your
Highness has decided to invite Sheikh Abdullah to form an interim Government to
work with your Prime Minister.
I remain
Yours Sincerely,
Mountbatten of Burma
Signed
New Delhi,
27 October, 1947.”
The news of Indian fighting
forces and materials made a panic in the invading mujahedeen who retreated in
haphazard way. There is no valid reason why they wasted two days in Baramullah,
while they could advance to Srinagar and took control of the only airport within
6-8 hours.
Qudratullah Shahab gives his four possible
reasons in his book, Shahab Nama, which are as follows:
First, the leading commander of
mujahedeen, Major Khursheed Anwar, spent his time in Baramullah in
strengthening his position in the forthcoming state of Jammu and Kashmir,
before entering into Srinagar.
Second perception: Bharti intelligence
and Sheikh Abdullah’s men began to spread the false rumors that Indian military
men were already present in Srinagar to greet th mujahedeen.
Third the mujahedeen in
Baramullah were waiting to receive the enforcements which were sent under
leadership of Maqbool Shirwani of National Conference.
Fourth opinion: Mujahedeen could
not advance to Srinagar due to mechanism of Kashmiri Qadianis and Bharti
Qadianis.
But Dominique Lapierre &
Larry Collins, the authors of “Freedom at Midnight” tell a different story, as
follows:
“By pausing to sack the convent
in the little city of Baramullah, only 30 miles from Srinagar, when the Pathan
raiders should have been driving on the capital of Kashmir and its vital
airfield, they would stop here. All day on Monday, 27 October, while the First
Sikhs secured their fragile hold on Kashmir’s only airport, the Pathans in
Baramullah were giving vent to their ancient appetites for rape and pillage of
the Convent of Mary. They violated the
nuns, massacred the patients in their little clinic, looted the convent chapel
down to its last brass door-knob and fittings. They had given the Indian
soldiers of the critical hours they needed to install themselves in the Vale of
Kashmir.”
References: “Freedom at Midnight”; by Dominique Lapierre & Larry Collins.
“Shameful Flight” by
Stanley Wolpert;
“Pakistan From 1947 to
Creation of Bangladesh”, A Keesing’s Research Report;
“Jinnah, India, Partition,
Independence”, by Jaswant Singh;
“Shahab Nama” by
Qudratullah Shahab;
Enc. Wikipedia, Enc.Britannica, Magazines and Newspapers.
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