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The reality is shrouded under lies and half truths. To understand the truth we need to seek help from history, comments Mian Mianzoor Ahmad Distortion of history leads to the distortion of the nations. Same has been done with the State of Jammu Kashmir right from uprising of 1931, changing of Muslim Conference into National Conference, genocide of Muslims in Jammu Province, invasion of India on 27th October, 1947 and many more. Here I would like to demystify the myth regarding tribal invasion which was actually Poonch rebellion against Dogra rule. In World War II, of the 71,667 citizens of the State of Jammu Kashmir who served in the British Indian forces, 60,402 were Muslims. This has been cited by Josef Korbel in ‘Danger in Kashmir’ (p-55). But of these Muslims, majority was from Poonch and Mirpur. After the war, Hari Singh (the ruler of the State at that time) fearing lest the Poonchies and Mirpuries rise against his authority after British withdrawal issued an order in July 1947 asking them to hand over whatever firearms and ammunition they had to the state authorities. Some Muslims of these areas even complied with the order but found themselves betrayed when discovered that the weapons confiscated from them turning up in the hands of their non-Muslim neighbors ——— Hindu and Sikh which constituted about 10% of the total inhabitants of that area. The Muslims were angered and therefore sought fresh weapons from the tribes of the North-West Frontier who were well known for their manufacture of arms resulting a deep relation between the two regions which has been further testified by Victoria Schofield in her book ‘Kashmir in Conflict : India, Pakistan and the Unending War’. “This laid the basis for direct contact between the members of the Poonch resistance and the tribesman who lived in the strip of mountainous ‘tribal’ territory bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan” (p-41) Besides this, the Muslims of the Poonch and Mirpur found themselves under duress of high taxes imposed by Hari Singh in order to regain control of these areas. “There was a tax on every hearth and every window. Every cow, buffalo and sheep was taxed and even every wife,” writes Richard Symonds who served with a group of British Quakers in Punjab as quoted by Josef Korbel in ‘Danger in Kashmir’ (p-68) Another event of importance that occurred in the State the same month was that the General Council of All Jammu Kashmir Muslim Conference passed a resolution on 19 July 1947 to the effect that,——— on the basis of geographical, economic, linguistic, cultural and religious considerations the accession of the State to Pakistan is indispensable because more than 80% of State’s population are Musalmans (Muslims) and all the major rivers of Pakistan flowing through the Punjab have their origin in Kashmir and the people of the State are strongly linked with Pakistan by dint of their religion, culture and economics. Therefore, it is imperative that accession of State be accomplished with Pakistan. On 12th August 1949, Cyril Radcliffe handed over final copies of Bengal and Punjab boundary awards to Mountbatten who announced the boundaries on 17th August 1947, two days after independence of India and Pakistan and the termination of the British paramountancy. With a delayed announcement, millions of people found themselves on the wrong side of the border. August 18, 1947 was Eid Day, a day of festivities for Muslims which however saw them victims of wholesale death, loot, massacre, arson, rape, abduction at the hand of Hindu and Sikh extremists. Seeing better part of Gurdaspur District i,e two Muslim dominated tehsils, Gurdaspur and Batala, and a small portion of Shakargarh tehsil awarded to India, Muslims of the State of Jammu Kashmir, of Jammu division in particular for their proximity to the area in question, suspected a rat in the pack and grew restless, Muslims of Poonch and Mirpur the more so. The Muslims denounced Hari Singh’s right to rule the State and demanded that Jammu Kashmir should be federated to Pakistan but Dogra forces opened indiscriminate fire killing and wounding scores of peaceful demonstrators. In Jammu city and its adjoining parts, Hari Singh’s government launched an ethnic cleansing operation against Muslims in which Dogra Army personnel took a vigorous part actively assisted by Hindu and Sikh extremists —— both local and those imported from the East Punjab. The Hari Singh was undertaking a systematic purge of Muslims. “Certain it is that the Hari Singh government was using its Dogra troops to terrorize many Muslim villages in the neighborhood of Jammu,” writes Horace Alexander in his book ‘Kashmir’ (p-7). “Later in the year, I myself saw villages near Jammu that had been completely gutted.” Dogra forces had wrought havoc on Muslims of the State of Jammu Kashmir and those of Jammu region particularly. Ian Stephens, editor of The Statesman (Calcutta) noted in his book ‘Pakistan’ that “unlike every part of the State, Hindu and Sikhs slightly out-numbered Muslims and within a period of about 11 weeks, starting in August, systematic savageries ——— practically eliminated the entire Muslim element in the population, amounting to 5,00,000 people. About 2, 00,000 just disappeared, remaining untraceable, having presumably been butchered.” (p-200). On 10th October 1947, London Times gave news that “in one area 2, 37,000 Muslims were wiped out in a well conceived manner except those people who escaped to Pakistan along the border. This massacre of Muslims was done by Dogra forces of the State and Hari Singh was himself guiding (the operation).” This has been further authenticated by a renowned historian, Professor Harry Alastair Lamb in his book “Kashmir: A Disputed Legacy’, “These atrocities had been perpetrated not only by uncontrolled bands of hooligans but also by organized units of the Hari Singh army of police”. (p-123) In retaliation of this large-scale massacre, arson, loot, rape and abduction of Muslim women at the hands of Hindu and Sikh extremists facilitated by Dogra Army, Muslim youths under the leadership of Sardar Mohammad Ibraheem Khan organized a strong army of about 50,000 in number. They got arms from here and there and started fighting the Hari Singh Dogra Army. Incidentally, this Sardar Mohammad Ibraheem Khan of Poonch was an elected Muslims Conference member of Praja Sabha who narrowly escaped arrest in Srinagar and flew secretly to Pakistan. Here he set in Muree to collect weapons and ammunition for Poonchies and Mirpuries so that they could use them in their struggle against Dogra troops. At Muree one Khursheed Anwar, an Ex-major of British Indian Army, joined him. He was a cosmopolitan and knew Kashmir, Punjab, North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the tribal area very well. Sardar Muhammad Ibraheem now hoped to get weapons through him from Ilaqa Ghair where the Pakhtuns manufactured them in their own workshops. Major Khursheed succeeded not only arranging weapons but also mustered a few dozen pathan volunteers also. They came to help out their brethren in Poonch as they had old ties with each other. Many of them were themselves descendants of pathans who had settled there during Durrani supremacy over Poonch and Kashmir.
A number of Kashmiri Muslim families from Poonch were settled in the Rawalpindi and Jehlum districts of the Punjab. In addition, the Chief Minister of the North-West Frontier Province, Khan Abdul Qayoom Khan was a Kashmiri from Poonch. (Ayesha Jalal, The State Martial Rule, Cambridge, 1990, p-58) The transfer of power by the British to the new Dominions of Pakistan and India on 14th and 15th August, 1947 brought no respite to the troubled situation which the Hari Singh now faced as an independent ruler. Unrest in Poonch had turned into an organized revolt against the Dogra rule. The Pakistani Government however believed that the uprising in Poonch was a legitimate rebellion against the Dogra rule, which was gaining increasing sympathy from the tribesmen of the North-West Frontier, who were also sympathetic to the troubles in the Punjab. The Pakhtuns came to know that the Dogra forces were killing and looting thousands of Muslims in the State of Jammu Kashmir. In order to stop the genocide of Muslims in Jammu Division of the State, a couple of thousand Wazirs, Mahsuds, Afridis and Mohmands etc slung their bundles of ammunition and rifles on their shoulders and boarded their buses and trucks to proceed to Kashmir. On 21st October, 1947 they reached at Hazara- Muzaffarabad frontier near Domel where Rawalpnidi-Srinagar roads crosses over Jhelum via a bridge which was guarded by 4th Infantry Battalion under the command of Lt. Col. Narain Singh. This Lt. Col. Was a Dogra as were half of the members of the garrison and the other half was composed of Muslims of Poonch. These Muslims soldiers had got disaffected with Dogra regime for its connivance in the ethnic cleansing of Muslims of Jammu Division including those of Poonch and Mirpur. They knew that the Dogra regime intended to accede to India and New Delhi had annexationist design over the state. Besides the presence of Patiala State infantrymen stationed at Jammu and Patiala gunners positioned at Srinagar Airfield on 17th of October 1947 could not have gone unnoticed. In order to fore-stall New Delhi’s grand design, the Domel Muslim garrison mutinied on 23rd October 1947 and killed their commander Narian Singh and majority of Dogra solders but some of them managed to board jeeps to flee towards Muzaffarabad and Uri. On hearing of the shots the Muslim Army under the command of Major Khursheed rushed towards the bridge and crossed over to Domel. The Poonch-Mirpur front was left to the command of Mohammad Zaman Kiani, an ex-INA veteran. On 24th of October 1947, All Jammu Kashmir Muslim Conference formally declared independence and announced the establishment of the Republic of Azad (free) Kashmir with advocate Sardar Mohammad Ibraheem Khan as President. When the situation in Kashmir particularly in Jammu Division developed into mass killing, the government of Pakistan and Kashmir exchanged a number of telegrams. Karachi accused Srinagar of organized expeditions against Muslims, and of the Dogra troop’s raids into West Punjab. In many such telegrams as quoted in the Security Council Official Record, Thrid year, No 1-15, pp (75-82), the Governor General of Pakstan, Quaid-i-Azam, Ali Muhammad Jinnah suggested that Prime Minister of Kashmir may visit Karachi to discuss the developments that have taken place and endorsed the suggestion made by Prime Minister of Kashmir to have an impartial inquiry made into the whole affair. But despite this, nobody from the Dogra Government came to Karachi, and no Commission to carry out an impartial inquiry was ever established. The arrival of Tribal Pathans could not have remained a secret. Their news of march in buses and trucks was communicated by George Cunningham, Governor of the North-West Frontier Province to Mountbatten, Governor General of India. ‘I am afraid the Kashmir situation is going to be serious crises’, writes George in Cunningham in his dairy on 20th October 1947. ‘My own position is not too easy,’ wrote Cunningham. “If I give my support to the movement thousand more will flock to it and there may be a big invasion; if a resist it, I have to bear the brunt if the movement fails through lack of support” he wrote in his dairy on 22nd October 1947. Cunningham however does not refer to Jinnah or any other Pakistan official either ordering or having any knowledge of a specific invasion plan. This has been further authenticated by K.H Khursheed, Jinnah’s Private Secretary “I left Karachi on October 1, 1947. My last meeting with the Quaid-i-Azam was on September 30, 1947. We discussed Kashmir for two hours. We discussed everything and the Quaid-i-Azam told me: please convey to our leader in Kashmir that I do not want to create any trouble for the Maharaja at the moment. I want them to remain calm and we shall deal with the situation later on as it arises.” (Quoted by Rajendera Sareen in his book Pakistan: The India factor, New Delhi, 1948, p-221) Government of India in order to justify their invasion on State of Jammu Kashmir launched a propaganda that there was no Poonch rebellion but that 1,00,000 ferocious Tribesman had invaded Kashmir at the instigation of Pakistan Government who looted and killed everyone coming in their way; and that they had been imparted training and supplied transport facilities by Pakistan Army. (Reflected in Jammu Kashmir Confilict by A.H Bhat p-393) Sheikh Abdullah who was released on the behest of Nehru and Patel came into existence subsequent to Indian occupation of state of Jammu Kashmir likewise launched a false propaganda that the Pathans were rapists and that they were so greedy and ignorant that they broke into the house of Kashmiri and broke open the brass handles of Samavors thinking them to be made of gold for being of the same colour. This was designed to generate hatred in Kashmir against Pakistan and tribesmen. Only a simple minded fellow could believe that the world’s finest gunsmiths could not differentiate between brass and gold (p-393). Government of Pakistan knew what was going across Jehlum as such a big operation could not remain secret. However, they did not have time nor resources at their command to finance irregular warfare in State of Jammu Kashmir. The propaganda launched by government of India and National Conference against the Poonch Rebellion labeling it as tribal invasion was a process which leads to the complete invasion of State of Jammu Kashmir on the fateful day of 27th October 1947.
(The author is chairman, Muslim League, Jammu Kashmir and an Executive Member of APHC. He can be contacted at mianmanzoorahmad@yahoo.com)
A number of Kashmiri Muslim families from Poonch were settled in the Rawalpindi and Jehlum districts of the Punjab. In addition, the Chief Minister of the North-West Frontier Province, Khan Abdul Qayoom Khan was a Kashmiri from Poonch. (Ayesha Jalal, The State Martial Rule, Cambridge, 1990, p-58) The transfer of power by the British to the new Dominions of Pakistan and India on 14th and 15th August, 1947 brought no respite to the troubled situation which the Hari Singh now faced as an independent ruler. Unrest in Poonch had turned into an organized revolt against the Dogra rule. The Pakistani Government however believed that the uprising in Poonch was a legitimate rebellion against the Dogra rule, which was gaining increasing sympathy from the tribesmen of the North-West Frontier, who were also sympathetic to the troubles in the Punjab. The Pakhtuns came to know that the Dogra forces were killing and looting thousands of Muslims in the State of Jammu Kashmir. In order to stop the genocide of Muslims in Jammu Division of the State, a couple of thousand Wazirs, Mahsuds, Afridis and Mohmands etc slung their bundles of ammunition and rifles on their shoulders and boarded their buses and trucks to proceed to Kashmir. On 21st October, 1947 they reached at Hazara- Muzaffarabad frontier near Domel where Rawalpnidi-Srinagar roads crosses over Jhelum via a bridge which was guarded by 4th Infantry Battalion under the command of Lt. Col. Narain Singh. This Lt. Col. Was a Dogra as were half of the members of the garrison and the other half was composed of Muslims of Poonch. These Muslims soldiers had got disaffected with Dogra regime for its connivance in the ethnic cleansing of Muslims of Jammu Division including those of Poonch and Mirpur. They knew that the Dogra regime intended to accede to India and New Delhi had annexationist design over the state. Besides the presence of Patiala State infantrymen stationed at Jammu and Patiala gunners positioned at Srinagar Airfield on 17th of October 1947 could not have gone unnoticed. In order to fore-stall New Delhi’s grand design, the Domel Muslim garrison mutinied on 23rd October 1947 and killed their commander Narian Singh and majority of Dogra solders but some of them managed to board jeeps to flee towards Muzaffarabad and Uri. On hearing of the shots the Muslim Army under the command of Major Khursheed rushed towards the bridge and crossed over to Domel. The Poonch-Mirpur front was left to the command of Mohammad Zaman Kiani, an ex-INA veteran. On 24th of October 1947, All Jammu Kashmir Muslim Conference formally declared independence and announced the establishment of the Republic of Azad (free) Kashmir with advocate Sardar Mohammad Ibraheem Khan as President. When the situation in Kashmir particularly in Jammu Division developed into mass killing, the government of Pakistan and Kashmir exchanged a number of telegrams. Karachi accused Srinagar of organized expeditions against Muslims, and of the Dogra troop’s raids into West Punjab. In many such telegrams as quoted in the Security Council Official Record, Thrid year, No 1-15, pp (75-82), the Governor General of Pakstan, Quaid-i-Azam, Ali Muhammad Jinnah suggested that Prime Minister of Kashmir may visit Karachi to discuss the developments that have taken place and endorsed the suggestion made by Prime Minister of Kashmir to have an impartial inquiry made into the whole affair. But despite this, nobody from the Dogra Government came to Karachi, and no Commission to carry out an impartial inquiry was ever established. The arrival of Tribal Pathans could not have remained a secret. Their news of march in buses and trucks was communicated by George Cunningham, Governor of the North-West Frontier Province to Mountbatten, Governor General of India. ‘I am afraid the Kashmir situation is going to be serious crises’, writes George in Cunningham in his dairy on 20th October 1947. ‘My own position is not too easy,’ wrote Cunningham. “If I give my support to the movement thousand more will flock to it and there may be a big invasion; if a resist it, I have to bear the brunt if the movement fails through lack of support” he wrote in his dairy on 22nd October 1947. Cunningham however does not refer to Jinnah or any other Pakistan official either ordering or having any knowledge of a specific invasion plan. This has been further authenticated by K.H Khursheed, Jinnah’s Private Secretary “I left Karachi on October 1, 1947. My last meeting with the Quaid-i-Azam was on September 30, 1947. We discussed Kashmir for two hours. We discussed everything and the Quaid-i-Azam told me: please convey to our leader in Kashmir that I do not want to create any trouble for the Maharaja at the moment. I want them to remain calm and we shall deal with the situation later on as it arises.” (Quoted by Rajendera Sareen in his book Pakistan: The India factor, New Delhi, 1948, p-221) Government of India in order to justify their invasion on State of Jammu Kashmir launched a propaganda that there was no Poonch rebellion but that 1,00,000 ferocious Tribesman had invaded Kashmir at the instigation of Pakistan Government who looted and killed everyone coming in their way; and that they had been imparted training and supplied transport facilities by Pakistan Army. (Reflected in Jammu Kashmir Confilict by A.H Bhat p-393) Sheikh Abdullah who was released on the behest of Nehru and Patel came into existence subsequent to Indian occupation of state of Jammu Kashmir likewise launched a false propaganda that the Pathans were rapists and that they were so greedy and ignorant that they broke into the house of Kashmiri and broke open the brass handles of Samavors thinking them to be made of gold for being of the same colour. This was designed to generate hatred in Kashmir against Pakistan and tribesmen. Only a simple minded fellow could believe that the world’s finest gunsmiths could not differentiate between brass and gold (p-393). Government of Pakistan knew what was going across Jehlum as such a big operation could not remain secret. However, they did not have time nor resources at their command to finance irregular warfare in State of Jammu Kashmir. The propaganda launched by government of India and National Conference against the Poonch Rebellion labeling it as tribal invasion was a process which leads to the complete invasion of State of Jammu Kashmir on the fateful day of 27th October 1947.
(The author is chairman, Muslim League, Jammu Kashmir and an Executive Member of APHC. He can be contacted at mianmanzoorahmad@yahoo.com)
