Shiban Khaibri
The grateful nation remembers with reverence the saviours of Kashmir – Brigadier Rajindra Singh, MVC, Major Som Nath Sharma, PVC, Mohd. Maqbool Sheerwani and others, not only on Oct 25/26 every year but all the time, as to how they demonstrated the highest levels of the spirit of the love they had for the country and for the fortitude to save Kashmir and other parts of the state from the defiler marauders, the mix of savage Qabaliyees and Pakistani army men backed by some zealots and a few traitors. The History of the entire treachery and deceit, coupled by unparalleled loot, arson, killings, rapes, and other acts of savagery indulged in by these hordes of medieval make, is in the process of getting rewritten , of course, in its truer form. With the changing scenario on the firmament of the events, no mincing of words or veiled references to events leading to ambiguities should form the basic structure of describing the events that unfolded in 1947 in Kashmir. The origin of jihad openly declared by Pakistan was not in 1990 but verily in 1947 which continues even up till now. It may not be out of reference to point out that one Colonel Akbar Khan of Pakistan had conceived about it well before his heading the launching of the attack on Kashmir formally on Oct 22, 1947 and gave practical shape to it in 1947-48 to determine the future of the region and perhaps in his own way, that of the “rest of the world”. The valiant Brigadier Rajindra Singh Jamwal wrote a new chapter of bravery in the annals of contemporary military prowess and not only frustrated the swarming hordes of Qabaylee vermin nearly 6000 in number but halted their advancing spree to capture Kashmir and that proved decisive in that veiled invasion by Pakistan. Hardly, can there be a similar story of valour, when with less than 100 soldiers, many among them as non professionals in the sense of holding ancillary responsibilities, could an army officer gird up his lions to take on a treacherous enemy, many times more in strength and weaponry, ” to the last man” and he was the last man, as he single handedly fought till his martyrdom at Buniyar on the night of Oct 26/27 but not before giving a tough fight to the enemy at Uri, Mahura and Rampur. He was awarded the first Gallantry Award of the Independent India posthumously.
The second savior of Kashmir was Major Som Nath Sharma, PVC, who though with his left arm in plaster cast, fought gallantly while defending Srinagar aerodrome and thus the city of Srinagar. The marauders had succeeded in reaching Budgam just close to the airport on Nov3; 1947. He personally laid white cloth strips on the ground to guide aircraft of the IAF in full view of the enemy and moving from position to position in exposed manner, kept on loading magazines and fitting into the operating LMGs. His last message read that the enemy was 50 yards away and they had been heavily outnumbered and that he would fight to the last man and the last round. He was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, posthumously.
The third brave heart was a non military civilian, a Kashmiri lad of just 19 years who in Baramulla, riding a motorcycle on Oct 22 itself when the vermin hordes had stormed in, telling them “in confidence” not to advance towards Srinagar as Indian military had reached the outskirts of Baramulla . His “bluff” worked and the vermin hordes froze in their tracks for as long as four days which proved crucial. When the hordes of those looters, killers and rapists came to know about the reality, they captured him and fixed him on a wooden cross nailing him alive and then pumped 15 bullets into his bruised body.
As is fairly known that on Oct 26, the then Ruler of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, signed the instrument of accession and technically the entire state acceded to the Union of India , Indian army landed at Srinagar and the Qabaylees were driven back, most of them getting neutralized. While this all happened, most of the parts of the state right from Muzaffarabad had fallen into the hands of the enemy. Baramulla too suffered the most. To give the crux of what Baramulla had been reduced to , a report of the Defence Ministry said, ” Terror stalked the streets of the quaint little town. The inhabitants, Hindus and Sikhs alike left all their earthy possessions and fled to the hills. The deserted streets lay silent, echoing only to the rattle of the raiders’ nailed boots as they threaded their way between the corpses strewn around. A thick pall of smoke hung over the ravaged town and flames from burning houses cast a lurid glare over burnt out shells of what had been prosperous shops and smiling homes. With many young girls and much treasure now in their possession, the raiders gloated over their good fortune.” The overall destruction and mayhem indulged in by these tribals along with regular Pakistani army is, in short, spine chilling, be it Muzaffarabad, Baramulla, Nowshehra, Poonch, or that horrifying massacres in Mirpur.
Here, a mention of that epitome of valour, bravery, military prowess and administrative acumen of a Jammu Dogra who rose to an iconic stature was Gulab Singh around 1845. He rose to be endeared due to his special and unique qualities by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab. Gulab Singh was assisted by his most powerful General Zorawar Singh. The two were highly ambitious to consolidate the Dogra rule over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Baltistan and Gilgit, reviving an ancient Ladakhi claim on Tibet too. It was the increasing influence of the East India Company along with the Ruler of Punjab Sher Singh who had assumed power there after the legendary Ranjit Singh, that Gulab Singh ordered Zorawar Singh to stop further expeditions ( to annex full Tibet). Treaty of Amritsar of March 1846 gave Gulab Singh the official stature to be the Ruler of the entire state. It is, in short, how the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir came into existence. It is pertinent to mention here that like Gulab Singh, Ranbir Singh too refused to give greater role to the British in our state of Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Baltistan and Gilgit. Maharaja Pratap Singh, more or less, adopted the same policy, however, the British realizing the importance of this state to serve as a “buffer” for them against China, Russia, and Afghanistan wanted their say but the Maharaja system remained intact, sovereign and supreme in internal administration and matters until Maharaja Hari Singh taking reigns in his hands after the demise of Pratap Singh in 1925.
Maharaja Hari Singh kept the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir intact, independent, well consolidated and ably administered until October 1947 when the Qabayli raid on Kashmir was sponsored by Pakistan to forcibly annex it to their territory. At that time, Gilgit Baltistan being an integral part of the state, had a population of nearly 2 lacs , its majority being Shia Muslims. It was this entire state which acceded to India on Oct 26/27 , it may be repeated the entire state. The saviours of Kashmir who gave their supreme sacrifice while fighting the hordes of Qabayli vermin backed initially covertly by Pakistani regulars and later openly, never wanted fragmentation of the state .In other words, never would have desired that a larger part of our state could be forcibly occupied by Pakistan which is called Pakistan occupied Kashmir or Gulam Kashmir. On the auspicious day of the accession, while beholden people of the country in general and the citizens of this state in particular, pay our respectful tributes to these heroes and other martyrs, we have to resolve and work towards fulfilling their dream to have retrieved all the occupied areas from Pakistan and merge the same with the Union of India. Pakistan having no rights on the occupied parts of the state ceded Aksai Chin to China. In 1963 Pakistan “gifted” China nearly 5280 Sq. kms of the areas of our state occupied forcibly by it while holding on with nearly 92000 Sq.kms of the state to the west and north of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
While this writer has been, regularly for the last six years, advocating through these columns, for declaring a state Holiday on this day of accession ; at the same time, looking to the gross human rights violations and suppression of elementary political rights in PoK by the Pakistani rulers and the political peoples movement for liberation from Pakistani yoke getting more wide spread and intensely surfaced, where the demand reverberating the occupied airs being “Pakistan Kashmir Khaali Karo” and “wanting India”, the Indian government should extend moral, political and diplomatic support to the peoples’ movement there until that part joins the state and in the process also becomes a part and parcel of India. No fragmentation of the state as at present to continue and full merger of the entire state with the mainstream India should be our official declared policy.
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