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Letter from Maharaja Hari Singh
to Lord Mountbatten
on the eve of Pak invasion on J&K in 1947
My dear Lord Mountbatten,
I have to inform Your Excellency that a grave emergency has arisen in
my State and request the immediate assistance of your Government. As
Your Excellency is aware,the State of Jammu and Kashmir has not
acceded to either the Dominion of India or Pakistan. Geographically
my State is contiguous wit h both of them. Besides, my State has a
common boundary with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and with
China. In their external relations the Dominion of India and Pakistan
cannot ignore this fact. I wanted to take time to decide to which
Dominion I should accede or whether it is not in the best interests
of both the Dominions and of my State to stand independent, of course
with friendly and cordial relations with both. I accordingly
approached the Dominions of India and Pakistan to enter into
standstill agreement with my State. The Pakistan Government accepted
this arrangement. The Dominion of India desired further discussion
with representatives of my Government. I could not arrange this in
view of the developments indicated below. ln fact the Pakistan
Goernment under the standstill agreement is operating the post and
telegraph system inside the State. Though we have got a standstill
agreement with the Pakistan Government, lhe Govemment permitted a
steady and increasing strangulation of supplies like food, salt and
petrol to my State.
Afridis, soldiers in plain clothes, and desperadoes wnh modern
weapons have been allowed to infiltrate into the State, at first in
the Poonch area, then from Sia1kot and finally in a mass in the area
adjoining-Hazara district on the Ramkote side. The result has been
that the limited number of troops at the disposal of the State had to be dispersed and thus had to face the enemy at several points
simultaneously, so that it has become difficult to stop the wanton
destruction of life ad property and the looting of the Mahura power
house, which supplies electric current to the whole of Srinagar and
which has been burnt. The number of women who have been kidnpped and
raped makes my heart bleed. The wild forces thus let loose on the
State are marching on with the aim of capturing Srinagar, the summer
capital of my government, as a first step to overrunning the whole
State.The mass infiltration of tribesman drawn from distant areas of
the North-West Frontier Province, coming regularly in motortrucks,
using the Manwehra-Mazaffarabad road and fully armed with up-to-date
weapons, cannot possibly be done with out the knowledge of the
Provincial Govemment of the North-West Frontier Province and the
Government of Pakistan. Inspite of repeated appeals made by my
Government no attempt has been made to check these raiders or to stop
them from coming into my State. In fact, both radio and the Press of
Pakistan have reported these occurences. The Pakistan radio even put
out the story that a provisional government has been set up in
Kashmir. The people of my State, both Muslims and non-Muslims,
generally have taken no part at all.
With the conditions obtaining at present in my State and the great
emergency of the situation as it exists, I have no option but to ask
for help from the Indian Dominion. Naturally they cannot send the
help asked for by me without my State acceding to the Dominion of
India. I have accordingly decided to do so, and I attach the
instrument of accession for acceptance by your Government. The other
alternative is to leave my state and people to free booters. On this
basis no civilised government can exist or be maintained.
This alternative I will never allow to happen so long as I am the
ruler of the State and I have life to defend my country. I may also
inform your Excellency's Government that it is my intention at once
to set up an interim government and to ask Sheikh Abdullah to carry
the responsibilities in this emergency with my Prime Minister.
If my State is to be saved, immediate assistance must be available at
Srinagar. Mr. V.P. Menon is fully aware of the gravity of the
situation and will explain it to you, if further explanation is
needed.
In haste and with kindest regards,
Yours sincerely,
Hari Singh
October 26, 1947
Nice read.
BTW do provide link for letter. @k_arura
to Lord Mountbatten
on the eve of Pak invasion on J&K in 1947
My dear Lord Mountbatten,
I have to inform Your Excellency that a grave emergency has arisen in
my State and request the immediate assistance of your Government. As
Your Excellency is aware,the State of Jammu and Kashmir has not
acceded to either the Dominion of India or Pakistan. Geographically
my State is contiguous wit h both of them. Besides, my State has a
common boundary with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and with
China. In their external relations the Dominion of India and Pakistan
cannot ignore this fact. I wanted to take time to decide to which
Dominion I should accede or whether it is not in the best interests
of both the Dominions and of my State to stand independent, of course
with friendly and cordial relations with both. I accordingly
approached the Dominions of India and Pakistan to enter into
standstill agreement with my State. The Pakistan Government accepted
this arrangement. The Dominion of India desired further discussion
with representatives of my Government. I could not arrange this in
view of the developments indicated below. ln fact the Pakistan
Goernment under the standstill agreement is operating the post and
telegraph system inside the State. Though we have got a standstill
agreement with the Pakistan Government, lhe Govemment permitted a
steady and increasing strangulation of supplies like food, salt and
petrol to my State.
Afridis, soldiers in plain clothes, and desperadoes wnh modern
weapons have been allowed to infiltrate into the State, at first in
the Poonch area, then from Sia1kot and finally in a mass in the area
adjoining-Hazara district on the Ramkote side. The result has been
that the limited number of troops at the disposal of the State had to be dispersed and thus had to face the enemy at several points
simultaneously, so that it has become difficult to stop the wanton
destruction of life ad property and the looting of the Mahura power
house, which supplies electric current to the whole of Srinagar and
which has been burnt. The number of women who have been kidnpped and
raped makes my heart bleed. The wild forces thus let loose on the
State are marching on with the aim of capturing Srinagar, the summer
capital of my government, as a first step to overrunning the whole
State.The mass infiltration of tribesman drawn from distant areas of
the North-West Frontier Province, coming regularly in motortrucks,
using the Manwehra-Mazaffarabad road and fully armed with up-to-date
weapons, cannot possibly be done with out the knowledge of the
Provincial Govemment of the North-West Frontier Province and the
Government of Pakistan. Inspite of repeated appeals made by my
Government no attempt has been made to check these raiders or to stop
them from coming into my State. In fact, both radio and the Press of
Pakistan have reported these occurences. The Pakistan radio even put
out the story that a provisional government has been set up in
Kashmir. The people of my State, both Muslims and non-Muslims,
generally have taken no part at all.
With the conditions obtaining at present in my State and the great
emergency of the situation as it exists, I have no option but to ask
for help from the Indian Dominion. Naturally they cannot send the
help asked for by me without my State acceding to the Dominion of
India. I have accordingly decided to do so, and I attach the
instrument of accession for acceptance by your Government. The other
alternative is to leave my state and people to free booters. On this
basis no civilised government can exist or be maintained.
This alternative I will never allow to happen so long as I am the
ruler of the State and I have life to defend my country. I may also
inform your Excellency's Government that it is my intention at once
to set up an interim government and to ask Sheikh Abdullah to carry
the responsibilities in this emergency with my Prime Minister.
If my State is to be saved, immediate assistance must be available at
Srinagar. Mr. V.P. Menon is fully aware of the gravity of the
situation and will explain it to you, if further explanation is
needed.
In haste and with kindest regards,
Yours sincerely,
Hari Singh
October 26, 1947
Nice read.
BTW do provide link for letter. @k_arura