Harbans Singh
August 14, 1948 marked the end of a heroic, and often lonely, resistance of the Skardu garrison. It had taken seven long and grueling months but in the end with the last of the ammunition exhausted there was little choice but to surrender. Unknown to leaders in Delhi then, its reverberations were to be felt long after in the history of the region. Today it is a potent tool for China to claim role in South Asia for the proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor connecting Kashgar in Chinese province of Xin Jiang to Gwadar in Balochistan gives it access towards the Gulf region.
The fact that we do not forget to lodge a protest whenever there is a move by China to undertake any project in the Pakistan occupied region of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir is laced with the irony that we failed to help those who were defending Skardu in semi starved condition and limited arms and ammunition. Timely defence of Skardu would have not only kept the region within the State but would have also been instrumental in regaining Gilgit after the perfidy of Gilgit Scouts under the British officers Major Brown and Captain Matheson.
Under their command the Gilgit Scouts carried out a coup de tat, taking the Dogra Governor as prisoner. After a brief and ineffectual resistance, the Governor was overpowered and on 3 November Major Brown ceremonially raised the Pakistani flag. Thus with Gilgit secured as a firm logistic link with Peshawar, the Pakistani backed and supported rebel forces of 2000 marched towards Skardu. Situated on the banks of Indus, the fort was defended by a garrison consisting of detachments from the 6 JAK. It was a mixed battalion consisting of Muslims and Sikhs and commanded by Lieut. Colonel Abdul Majid Khan. He was headquartered at Bunji. A detachment under Major Sher Jung Thapa was posted towards the east in Leh.
By now, depleted by defection and betrayal, and on the run in some places, the command of 6 JAK was handed over to Lieut. Colonel Sher Jung Thapa after promotion. With little threat at Leh because of its Buddhist population, he was asked to proceed to Skardu with all available force that could be spared. He reached Skardu on 3 December with a total strength of two officers, two JCOs and 75 other ranks of whom three were Muslims.
Even as Lieut. Colonel Sher Jung Thapa prepared a defence of the area, he requested reinforcements from Srinagar and also suggested that permission be granted to withdraw the garrison and civil administration to Kargil. Rejecting the suggestion, Srinagar ordered him to defend Skardu till ‘last man, last bullet’. By now, it need be remembered, the operational control of the State Forces was under the command of Indian Army which had already averted the threat to Srinagar and had begun to push the invaders back on the road to Muzaffarabad. Those taking decisions in Srinagar, however decided to send reinforcements under the command of Captain Prabhat Singh and Captain Ajit Singh. The first contingent was 90 strong and the second 70. It was minimally equipped and consisted of ‘orderlies, bandsmen and storemen’, as Major General D.K.Palit puts it. The first group began its 200 miles march after being dropped at Kangan on 13 January, 1948 and it made its way through snow, frostbite and damaged bridges to reach Skardu on the night of 10/11 February just in time for the assault launched by the enemy. The night also saw 31 Muslim other ranks and three wireless operators defecting from the fort. The second group arrived on 13 February, and a third, of equal number arrived on 15 February. In addition, there were more than 200 refugees in the fort who had to be fed from the meager resources at the command of the garrison.
Srinagar was not unaware of the difficulty but it still inexplicably depended upon whatever State Forces could be spared from other fronts for the rescue operation. Thus once again reinforcement was dispatched this time under Brig. Faqir Singh. This column crossed Zoji La in severe winter conditions and consisted of three platoons of infantry and was joined by another platoon of 6 JAK at Kargil. It was ten miles short of Skardu when it came under attack from the surrounding ridges. To cut the story short, it suffered heavy casualties and an injured Brig. Faqir Singh retreated to Kargil and from thence to Srinagar. It was then that the first personnel of the Indian Army, Major Coutts, but no troops, were attached to the column as Special Officer. More troops, this time from 7 JAK and 5 JAK were ordered to join Major Coutts as Biscuit Column and also, another officer of Indian Army, Lieut. Colonel Sampuran Bachan Singh joined the column. Soon, however, both the officers of Indian Army were recalled to their units. Thus, the Skardu garrison found itself in dire straits with more than 800 people to be fed from a ration for 80 and little hope of rescue.
Still optimistic, the garrison of Skardu waited for a miracle to happen. Instead more reverses were taking place. The troops between Zoji La, Kargil and Skardu were neutralized one after the other since the enemy had grown in strength, had control of vantage points and the local population too had opted to go with the tide. At Skardu, each enemy attack was eating into the manpower and ammunition of the defenders and each day into the rations. On May 12 Kargil had fallen to the enemy, and still there was no sign of the Indian Army making any move to help Skardu. It was then, on 16 May, 1948, that Srinagar ordered Lieut. Colonel Thapa to withdraw garrison and refugees to Olthing Thang. It was also ordered to carry maximum load of arms and ammunition. The gallant officer reminded that he had requested withdrawal when line of retreat was safe. Now that the countryside was totally under the control of enemy it was suicidal to retreat along with civilians, women and children, and stretcher cases. He, therefore, requested Srinagar to rescind order to withdraw and instead send help.
His request to rescind order was accepted but no help could be sent. A few sorties of air force did make ineffective attempts to air drop ammunition. Finally, with the last bullet exhausted, Lieut. Colonel Thapa sought permission to surrender. Ironically, it was 14 August and Pakistan was celebrating the first anniversary of its creation. Upon surrender, the enemy fell upon the surviving, killing men and raping women if not butchering them. Only Lieut. Colonel Thapa and his orderly survived and that because as a young hockey player in Dharamsala he was acquainted with a certain Captain Douglas Gracey, now Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army!
But those of us who are living, spare a thought for those who lived through a siege lasting more than six months, famished, hoping for the Indian Army to come and carrying out the order ‘last man, last bullet’! Let us not forget the sacrifice of those gallant men simply because they belonged to a State Force that was raised by those who were at loggerheads with the emerging powers of the times!
(The writer is author of ‘Maharaja Hari Singh : The Troubled years’)
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