Brig Anil Gupta
With due respect to the veteran politician and successor of the Sheikh, I would like to say that Dr Farooq Abdullah is trying to reveal less and hide more from the people about the happenings in 1948-49. He is constrained by the fact that he cannot go against the narratives sold so far by his party since 1947 to justify the role and decisions of his father Sheikh Abdullah. The decisions taken then by the Nehru-Sheikh duo not only impacted the lives of lakhs of people but continue to haunt even today. He has stirred hornets’ nest by his twin statements on 06 December after the Home Minister’s address in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on two bills related to Jammu and Kashmir. The era of 1948-49 as far as J&K is concerned was dominated by Sheikh Abdullah, Pt Nehru and Sardar Patel though Maharaja Hari Singh remained the central figure. Another key figure was the last British Viceroy Lord Mountbatten, a close friend of Nehru. The geopolitical situation on the turmoil due to the partition of the sub-continent by the British based on the two-Nation theory leading to largest ever bloody human migration followed by Pakistan’s attempt to forcibly annex the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The first statement of Dr Sahib that there was no way except taking Kashmir issue to UN since the situation at that time was different is deceptive since it does not explain the reasons for the hurry in taking the matter to UN by Nehru ignoring the advice of Sardar Patel but being influenced by Lord Mountbatten. Wasn’t 1st January 1948 too early to escalate the matter to the UN? Pandit Nehru on the advice of Lord Mountbatten, who was simply interested in securing the British strategic interest of control over theGilgit Frontier at any cost, and ignoring Sardar Patel took the issue to the UN Security Council for its mediation thus internationalising the matter that was so far between the two warring nations with one of them denying its involvement and terming it as tribal raids. Why was Nehru influenced by the advice of Mountbatten whose proximity to Churchill was well known.Even the Maharaja had said that the Viceroy in fact wanted him to merge his state with Pakistan when he met him in June 1947. Sardar Patel on the other hand was apprehensive that UN will linger on the matter and if a complaint had to be made to UN, India should be defendant instead of respondent. While Nehru had no doubt in the sagacity of the Governor General, he overruled his own deputy and the architect of modern India, the after effect of that is being felt by the nation till date. What emerges is that most of the decisions taken by Nehru viz a viz J&K were influenced by his close friendship with a Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdullah whose political future was always in his mind.
The second statement of Dr Farooq regarding need to divert troops from Kashmir to save Rajouri and Poonch is an afterthought to justify the hastily called ceasefire on 01st January 1949.Indian Army had made significant military gains in Kashmir retaking, Kargil, Dras, pushing back the Pak Army to hills and recapturing heights around Poonch. Rajouri had been recaptured on 12 April 1948. In short, the Indian Army was on the Victory path. The battle was soon to be shifting to the plains of Punjab had the Indian Army not been halted in its tracks by Nehru advised by Sheikh who was unsure of his future stature if the Punjabi and Pahari areas were also retaken by the Indian Army. The decision was taken more under the influence of his British military advisers who continued to occupy higher echelons of command in the Indian Army even after independence and to help his friend rather than on strategic realities.
In his book ‘Slender was the Thread’, then Brig Bogey Sen has written that the decision to hold and relieve Poonch saved thousands of civilian lives but at the military cost of diverting troops from the capture of Domel and Muzzafarabad during a period of vulnerability as well as diverting troops from the capture of Mirpur and Bhimber, a more meaningful strategical gambit.
Meanwhile, the UN Commission appointed to resolve the issue recommended”Issue would be resolved by democratic means of plebiscite once Pakistan withdrew its troops from captured territory”. India declared the ceasefire on 1st January 1949 and Pakistan never removed its forces from captured land. Thus, creating POJK which never existed prior to 01 January 1949 but suited the political ambitions of Nehru’s close friend Sheikh Abdullah in whom he had blind faith
A few more facts related to the period need to be brought to the notice of the readers who may not be aware of them.While Sardar Patel handled merger of all the princely states with Union of India as the Home Minister, Nehru did not allow Patel to deal with Jammu and Kashmir and dealt directly with the accession of the princely state with complete dependence on the advice of the Sheikh. It’s strange that while no conditions were set for merger of any of the 546 princely states, in case of J&K Nehru insisted with the Maharaja to release Sheikh Abdullah as a pre-condition. Once the Maharaja released Sheikh after he signed a Maafi Nama (Letter of Apology), Nehru later put another condition for the accession that Maharaja should hand over the reins of his state to Sheikh Abdullah. Even after the Maharaja had signed the Instrument of Accession, Nehru was wavering to accept the Instrument of Accession till Sardar Patel intervened firmly. The same was reported by then Lt Col Sam Manekshaw (later Field Marshal Manekshaw) who was present at the scene during the crucial hours of 26 October 1947.
Before the decision was finally taken to dispatch Indian Army troops, a meeting was convened in Delhi, which was attended by Pt Nehru, Sardar Patel, Defence Minister Sardar Baldev Singh, Commander in-chief General Butcher, GC-in-C Delhi and East Punjab General Russell and representative of Shiekh Abdullah- Bakshi Gulam Mohammad. The meeting was chaired by Lord Mountbatten. After the discussions the Commander in-chief appeared not sure about the victory. After a long silence they heard the heavy voice of Sardar Patel,”Generals please note, resources notwithstanding, the Government of India will do everything possible to help you in every way, but Kashmir should not be lost at any cost.”
The Commander in-chief wanted to put across his objections, but Sardar Patel did not give him any time. He got up and before leaving told him that he will receive planes along with supplies by the morning. Eventually the Indian Army won the war and Pakistanis were driven away. Such was the resolve of Sardar Patel with regards to Kashmir being part of India, much contrary to the narrative that Sardar was willing to give away Kashmir.
The fact is that British wanted the princely state to be part of Pakistan so that it could exercise control over the Gilgit Frontier. To this end, an operation order code named Operation Gulmarg had been issued by the British Commanders of the undivided Indian Army before August 1947. The British colonial mindset was too much influenced by the “Great Game ” strategy that they were ready to go to any extent for preventing Gilgit-Baltistan to fall in the Indian hands. Thus, Commander in Chief Butcher’s insistence on early ceasefire was part of the overall aim. Some sources reveal that he had informed his Pakistani counterpart (another English 4-star General) of the ceasefire well before it was announced.
Dr Farooq has rightly stuck to the narratives built in Kashmir which the nation was made to believe with the support of Congress that ruled the nation continuously for three decades since independence. The role played by Sardar Patel, Dr Ambedkar and Jammu’s Praja Parishad has been kept away from the nation. For Nehru, Sheikh Abdullah was Kashmir and he would go to any extent to keep his friend in good humor till the circumstances forced him to order his arrest in 1953. In fact, Nehru had gone to the extent of terming Praja Parishad movement of Jammu as “Communal”. The Praja Parishad movement wanted total and whole integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India and opposed the dictatorial attitude of Sheikh who wanted a “State within a State” with a separate constitution, separate flag and a separate Prime Minister and was opposed to the imposition of the Indian Constitution in toto.It’s workers were killed with the bullets fired on the order of Sheikh for hoisting the national flag Tiranga in parts of Jammu. But for Nehru Praja Parishad was ‘communal’and the Sheikh was a secular. This was the extent of bonding between Nehru and Sheikh that led the former to take decisions for which Bharat is paying till date. Nation needs to know these facts as well.
(The author is a Jammu based veteran, security and strategic analyst.)
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