By Ajay Kaul
Srinagar, Oct 22 (NVI) It was this day in 1947 when the geography of Jammu and Kashmir was changed by a brutal and inhuman invasion by Pakistan Army and the militia supported by it because of its lust for land.
Pakistan launched the invasion under ‘Operation Gulmarg’ to forcibly annex Jammu and Kashmir, then a Princely State ruled by a Dogra King Maharaja Hari Singh.
Actually, when the Princely States were acceding to either India or Pakistan, Hari Singh was undecided and wanted more time to take a call, even as the most popular leader of Kashmir at that time, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, was in favour of joining India.
The indecision proved massively costly for Hari Singh as Pakistan had lustful eyes on the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
So, without waiting for Hari Singh to take a decision, Pakistan launched an invasion to capture it by force.
On October 22, 1947, it sent thousands of armed personnel, including Army men and Pashtun tribesmen and led by Major General Akbar Khan, to capture Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan thought that Jammu and Kashmir could be annexed within days as Hari Singh had under his command a comparatively lesser number of ill-equipped and lesser trained militiamen.
The Pakistani troops, in civilian clothes to look like tribesmen, along with the militiamen stormed across the border and quickly reached Muzaffarabad, defeating and killing Hari Singh’s forces.
The invaders unleashed terrorism on the local people of all hues. But the minority Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and Christians were the worst hit as the invaders resorted to killings, mass rapes, kidnappings, arson and looting.
As they moved ahead towards Srinagar, the Pakistani forces, en route, butchered thousands of civilians, indulged in looting and set entire villages on fire.
Women and girls of Kashmiri Pandits and Christian Nuns were gang‑raped and kidnapped and taken to Pakistan. Hundreds of such abducted women were later kept in slavery or sold at brothels in Pakistan.
As Maharaja’s militiamen were no match for the trained and brutal Pakistani invaders, Sheikh Abdullah marshalled thousands of volunteers, including Kashmiri Muslims, Pandits and Sikhs, to counter the advancing Pakistani forces.
Sans any weapons, they were armed with sticks, sickles and other farming tools but they were highly motivated to defend their pious land of Jammu and Kashmir from the foreign Pakistani invaders.
However, they could not stop the advance by the Pakistani forces which were nearing Srinagar.
Realizing the unfolding catastrophe where even he could have been captured, Maharaja Hari Singh fled from Srinagar to Jammu and sought urgent help from India.
However, the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir had not yet joined it and hence, provision of support could be difficult.
It is then that the Maharaja, using his powers as the Ruler of Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir, signed the Treaty of Accession on October 26, 1947.
The very next day, India flew its troops into Srinagar where they got a rousing reception from hundreds of Kashmiris, mostly Muslims, at the Airport.
The Indian troops immediately launched an operation to flush out the Pakistani invaders from Jammu and Kashmir.
In the fierce fighting that ensued, Pakistani troops started facing reverses and were forced to retreat backwards.
Pakistan sent in more regular troops but they were no match to the Indian forces.
In the subsequent months, Pakistani invaders were pushed back beyond Baramulla, Kupwara, Tangdhar etc.
But then came the Ceasefire imposed by the UN Security Council, by which troops of both India and Pakistan stood still at the locations where they were present.
Subsequently, the UNSC adopted a Special Resolution No. 47 in April 1948, which mandated three steps:
Step 1 — Withdrawal of all tribesmen and Pakistani nationals who had entered Jammu and Kashmir to fight.
Step 2 — Reduction of Indian forces to the minimum level required for law and order after Pakistan’s withdrawal.
Step 3 — A referendum be held under the supervision of UN-nominated Administrator to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to decide whether they would want to join India or Pakistan.
Pakistan never fulfilled the first step mandated by the UNSC Resolution, thus making a mockery of the world body’s decision. As a result, the other two steps could not be taken.
By that time, Pakistan was already occupying about 78,000 square kms of Jammu and Kashmir, which was thus divided into two parts and remains so.
Pakistan did not even return thousands of Kashmiri women and men, mostly Pandits, who were abducted.
Such is the evil character of Pakistan. (NVI)
