KASHMIR STORY
With Indian Govt scrapping Article 370 and 35A, a new chapter is going to start in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, as both the regions have been declared as Union Territories J&K with legislature and Ladakh without legislature.
But friends, are you aware how these Articles came into existence , and for that you will have to go back to history. Maharaja Hari Singh was last king of Jammu & Kashmir. In 1932 Sheikh Abdullah started a movement, which was earlier a movement for the upliftment of Muslims in the kingdom, and the Sheikh named this group as Kashmir Muslim Conference, and suddenly in 1939 this became National Conference, and later on this turned into political party. Till 1947 National Conference was carrying on the movement that Maharaja Hari Singh should leave Kashmir. In 1946 Shiekh Abdullah was arrested and sentenced to prison for 3 years. Jawaharlal Nehru being Kashmiri himself had a soft corner for Abdullah. In July 1946 he got the permission to meet Abdullah in prison as his lawyer.
In June 1947, it was announced that Pakistan will be carved out of undivided India. So many small states/kingdom agreed to merge with India, as they were ruling in the area which was going to India. So Sardar Patel wrote a letter to Maharaja Hari Singh on 3rd July 1947 with a request that he should merge his kingdom with India, as early as possible and this is for his benefit. On the other hand Jinnah was thinking that Kashmir will automatically come to him because of Muslim population. Raja Hari Singh was in dilemma, merging with Pakistan means becoming part of communal state and it was his fear about the fate of Hindus in Jammu region, Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir region and Buddhists in Ladhak region, which was holding him back.
After the partition, still there was no decision about Kashmir and Maharaja Hari Sigh was told that as your army is having more than 60% Muslims, Pakistan might try to manipulate them but Maharaja said he has full faith in his army. So when there was attack on Kashmir by Kabalis instigated by Pakistan army, and some Pakistani soldiers also joined them in plain clothes. That time Sheikh Abdullah from prison wrote to Raja of his solidarity with him. But when PM of J&K went to Delhi to discuss treaty of accession without any conditions, to India Nehru asked him where is Shiekh Abdullah, there will be no talk without him. Then Sheikh Abdullah was freed from prison, and again the Mahraja’s team went but this time they went first to Lord Mountbetton. Next day he called meeting where PM Nehru, Deputy PM & Home Minister Sardar Patel, Defence Minister Baldev Singh and Lt Col Sam Maneckshaw from General Head Quarter of Indian Army. Lord Mountbetton told Nehru that Maharaja has send unconditional merger plan with India, with request that Indian Army defends Kashmir from Kabali’s attack. Nehru started speech about the World War II has just ended and we should avoid war, now there is United Nation et etc. By this Sardar Patel was losing his patience, so not to embarrass Nehru in front of Lord Mountbetton, he asked Nehru in Hindi ‘ Do you want Kashmir or not?’ Nehru replied ‘yes I want Kashmir’. Sardar then told Maneckshaw, you have got order from PM go and mobilise the forces and defend Kashmir. On 27th Oct 1947 first aircraft carrying army soldiers landed at Srinagar airport and started defending the same. This war lasted for more than a year It was found that with Kabalis there were regular army soldiers from Pakistan, but Govt of Pakistan denied this and said the war is being fought by local rebels. India reported this fact with evidence o this to UN, UN Security Council then appointed one Commission headed by Owen Dickson, which was named as Dickson Commission. After Dickson visit to India & Pakistan, the report was submitted to UN, and then Pakistan admitted their soldiers presence with locals, and also admitted of supplying arms to them. Indian army was ready to counter attack and destroy their arm supplies and other control centres, but Nehru did not allow them to cross border and do this. Army protested, then Nehru replied we can not do this as Pakistan has still not declared officially this is war. Army had almost freed more than 60% of Kashmir and then suddenly on 1st Jan 1949 Nehru declared, Army was taken aback and requested Nehru to give them few weeks more so they can free remaining part of Kashmir, Nehru said that balance area we will take back through UN. Later it was learnt that Nehru did this on behest of Shiekh Abdullah, who had asked Nehru after you free Kashmir from Kabalis, are you going to hold elections to form govt in Kashmir. Nehru’s reply was affirmative Then Sheikh told him, I am known only in valley area , in that area which is not yet free, Muslims there never accept me as their leader then how I will win election. So to give Kashmir on platter to Shiekh, Nehru allowed that 40% of area to remain with Pakistan, which is now known as Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK).
After coming to power , Sheikh Abdullah became a dictator and refused to listen to Maharaja. Then Nehru with the help of his subordinate Iyengar tried for patch up between Maharaja and Shiekh, and it so happened that Nehru/Iyengar formula was totally in favour of Sheikh. Maharaja was so disgusted with this. Sheikh accused Maharaja that he was instigating the killings of Muslims. In the end matter reached at such level, that it had become difficult for Maharaja to live in Sheikh Abdullah’s Kashmir, and reluctantly Patel agreed to communicate to Maharaja that he should leave Kashmir. He then settled in Bombay.
After Maharaja left Kashmir then Nehru with Iyengar started giving thought for the special status for Jammu & Kashmir, which later ended in Article 370. And rest is history.
Friends, actually there are so many things which happened between Maharaja signing accession treaty and article 370, if I wanted to write about them then this blog would have become quite lengthy. Maybe after some time I may write about those happenings after doing thorough research.
Waiting for your comments/views/feed backs.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
8th Aug 2019