Sir,
I appreciate Sanjeev K Sharma’s brain storming a military genius who has lived through Dogra Rule, Kashmiri Rule and is keenly watching the current Central Rule in J&K after its reorganisation; reproduced in Daily Excelsior on page 4 of last Sunday edition. I am enriched by Gen G S Jamwal’s historical revelations in the interview.
J&K was very dear to British. That is why they gave it in the safe hands of maharaja Gulab Singh. Lord Mountbatten wanted it to go to Pakistan after partition, which was a British creation. But they saw the Dogra Ruler as a stumbling block. It proved right. Since mighty Mountbatten couldn’t manipulate the way he wanted, he prompted a military coup and ensured that the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan easily passes over to the other side while the rest is militarily annexed by Pakistan as per his pre-approved operational plan. This has been very well explained by the General including suspense over Maharaja’s desire to stay independent. Whatever it may be, compelling circumstances and British design were also the major factors behind maharaja’s dilly-dallying accession. Since Gen Jamwal is a committed Dogra and a great military thinker, soon we will know lot more from his forthcoming Book, which he has told us in the interview. Why does Kashmir pot continue boiling? Who is/are responsible for Kimbroglio? What the future beholds for J&K, particularly Jammu? Hope that will be revealed in the book and we will know how (un)/successfully Maharaja outmanoeuvered the British at their partition plan but couldn’t secure a peaceful future for his loving subjects.
I fully agree with the seasoned General that ‘had Sheikh and his successors ruled J&K without biases and not suppressed Jammu & Ladakh’, there would have been no demand or justification for abrogating Article 370. I am sure his wise counsel, “Jammu must be compensated now” will be taken seriously by the UT administration.
Knowing that Mountbatten wanted J&K to go Pakistan but Maharaja wanted to stay independent and later Sheikh wanted it to be his Sheikhdom, a question arises; by inserting a condition of ‘ascertaining the will of the people on accession’, was Mountbatten promoting independent J&K under Sheikh and that is why the narrative of Azadi resounds in the valley. Irony of J&K is that the answers raise the questions and the questions do not have the answers. Hope the interview has ignited minds and thrown up ideas.
Col J P Singh
Gandhinagar, Jammu
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