In this blog post we will explore few facts about Kashmir attack in 1947 like
Why Pakistan Attacked Jammu & Kashmir ?
Who was the ruler of Jammu Kashmir in 1947 ?
Why did he signed accession agreement with India?
While covering all the above specified topics you will get to know complete details about how India stopped Pakistan from occupying Srinagar.
1947 Jammu & Kashmir Attack
Indian and Pakistan gained independence in the month of August 1947. Two months following i.e. in the month of October 1947 Jammu and Kashmir was in a tense situation. At that time Jammu Kashmir was a princely state ruled by Maharaja Hari Singh.
He want Kashmir to be an independent state and he had opted out from the decision of becoming a part of either India or Pakistan.
Based on the location and demographics of Jammu & Kashmir, this decision turned out very dangerous both for the King and the state.
Pakistan grew increasingly anxious about the possibility that Kashmir could join India, so they planned a covert military operation to make Maharaja take a decision earlier as possible in their favor.
As a part of the operation they secretly mobilized thousands of armed tribal fighters from Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province. They provided support to them in all forms like supplying weapons, ammunition and giving guidance on transport & strategy to follow once they enter the princely state.
On October 22, 1947 these militias crossed the border into Kashmir via Muzaffarabad. Based on the pre planned strategy given Pakistan these group of militias looted the towns like Muzaffarabad, Baramulla, and Domel. These attack doesn’t seem like a military operation , it resembles a brutal rampage on the people of these towns.
In this ruckus they killed many people belonging to Hindus, Sikhs and in certain areas they even murdered Muslims.
The process the looting the towns and abducting women, burning houses slowed down their advancement, which literally bought time for Indian Army to prevent Srinagar from getting attacked and captured.
Within a few days, the intruders were only 50 kilometers away from Srinagar the capital of Kashmir.
The invading forces were moving closer to Srinagar and the state forces was falling apart and the situation is going away from control at rapid speed.
Moreover the civil administration stopped functioning because of this rampage and many people in order to escape from this violence they all were rushing into Srinagar City for their safety.
This caused widespread panic among both government officials and ordinary people.
Why Jammu & Kashmir Ruler Maharaja Hari Singh signed accession agreement with India?
By 24 October 1947, the situation had completely collapsed and literally the state was in a condition of total breakdown.
Accessing the situation Maharaja Hari Singh had decided to leave Srinagar and he did that quietly in the night. He was left with no other option, so he chose this drastic step.
He went to Jammu leaving behind his wealth, palace and even the functioning of his government.
As he left at such a critical moment, Kashmir had no competent leader who could handle the situation, so the situation has become even worse.
To protect his people and state , Maharaja requested India to send military help immediately.
But leaders of India at that time i.e. Jawaharlal Nehru Sardar Patel, and Lord Mountbatten, put a condition before Maharaja to offer help.
India would come to rescue only if Kashmir officially joined India. We could not take military action without a proper legal basis.
At the same time, these militants were nearing to Srinagar and the situation has become more precarious. So on October 26 1947, the Maharaja signed the Instrument of Accession with Indian Government. Its like a legal agreement which explains that Jammu & Kashmir would become part of India
After the agreement , India got control of defense, foreign affairs, and communications in Kashmir. Indian Government as the agreement , is now ready deploy its army.
This one document became the legal foundation for India’s ownership claim over Kashmir.
The First Emergency Military Airlift in Indian History :
After the agreement India had decided to stop Pakistan Miliary from capturing Srinagar and it carried out its first emergency military airlift to save Kashmir in 1947.
If the Srinagar airport was captured by the invaders, it would be almost impossible for Indian Army to reach in time. Reaching Kashmir Valley using roads is very dangerous and moreover its time consuming.
In the meanwhile attackers were moving quickly from Baramulla toward Srinagar. Looking at the urgency of the situation, on 27 October 1947, India launched a fast and risky airlift operation using old Dakota transport aircraft.
Each plane carried about 25-30 soldiers with weapons and ammunition to defend the Pakistan military attack. The first group of soldiers belonged to the 1st Sikh Regiment, led by Lt. Col. Ranjit Rai.
The mission was extremely dangerous , chances of landing the plane at Srinagar airport is very minimal. Below are the few possibilities which could have halted the plane from landing :
- Srinagar airport was not secured.
- Runway could have been destroyed.
- The aircraft could have been attacked while landing.
But despite these risks, the landing was successful.
Indian troops quickly secured the airport and they advanced toward Baramulla to stop the invaders . In this operation Lt. Col. Ranjit Rai was killed and he became first martyrs of the Kashmir conflict. Nation will remember his efforts in securing Kashmir from Pakistan’s capture.
This single operation saved Srinagar.
If it had been delayed even by one day [ whatever the reason may be] the city would likely have been captured by the invaders.
Conclusion :
Pakistan’s covert operation on Kashmir and Maharaja Hari Singhs timely [ few say it delay in decision ] decision of acceding Kashmir into India , has paved a way in creating history.
Hope you guys find this article useful. In our next blog posts we will cover more topics related to Indian princely states, Indian & Pakistan Wars etc.