November 2005 a

November 2005

Kashmir

Insights - Kashmir Story

250 B.C.: Shrinagari (today's Srinagar is located about three miles from Shrinagari) near the ancient capital Pandhrenatha is founded by Ashoka the Great .   Hindu rulers control this part up to  1149 AD.

1322 AD Turks, under  Zulkadur Khan, first invade Kashmir.   Subsequent efforts result in conversions to Islam.  A few Hindu families resist conversion efforts.   1540 AD  Mirz Haidar, a relative of Humayun (of the Mogul dynasty) conquers Kashmir. Kashmir gradually absorbed into Mogul Empire.

1810-1820: Maharajah Ranjit Singh, a great leader of the Sikhs, regains Jammu and appointed his Dogra feudatory Gulab Singh to rule the State.

Mar 16, 1846: The present State is created by a treaty between the British East India Company acting on behalf of the British Government and Maharajah Gulab Singh in Amritsar.

1931: Sheikh Abdullah and his Muslim Conference raise a revolt.. 1939: Muslim Conference becomes the National Conference. Aug 15, 1947: India gains independence. The ruler of Kashmir, Maharaja Hari Singh yet to make up his mind regarding accession.

Letter from Maharaja Hari Singh to Lord Mountbatten on Pak invasion of J&K in 1947 

My dear Lord Mountbatten, 

I have to inform Your Excellency that a grave emergency has arisen in my State and request the immediate assistance of your Government. As Your Excellency is aware, the State of Jammu and Kashmir has not acceded to either the Dominion of India or Pakistan. Geographically my State is contiguous with both of them. Besides, my State has a common boundary with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and with China. In their external relations the Dominion of India and Pakistan cannot ignore this fact. I wanted to take time to decide to which Dominion I should accede or whether it is not in the best interests of both the Dominions and of my State to stand independent, of course with friendly and cordial relations with both. I accordingly approached the Dominions of India and Pakistan to enter into standstill agreement with my State. The Pakistan Government accepted this arrangement. The Dominion of India desired further discussion with representatives of my Government. I could not arrange this in view of the developments indicated below.   In fact the Pakistan Government under the standstill agreement is operating the post and telegraph system inside the State. Though we have got a standstill agreement with the Pakistan Government, the Government permitted a steady and increasing strangulation of supplies like food, salt and petrol to my State.     Afridis, soldiers in plain clothes, and desperadoes with modern weapons have been allowed to infiltrate into the State, at first in the Poonch area, then from Sialkot and finally in a mass in the area adjoining-Hazara district on the Ramkote side. The result has been that the limited number of troops at the disposal of the State had to be dispersed and thus had to face the enemy at several points simultaneously, so that it has become difficult to stop the wanton destruction of life and property and the looting of the Mahura power house, which supplies electric current to the whole of Srinagar and which has been burnt. The number of women who have been kidnapped and raped makes my heart bleed. The wild forces thus let loose on the State are marching on with the aim of capturing Srinagar, the summer capital of my government, as a first step to overrunning the whole State. The mass infiltration of tribesman drawn from distant areas of the North-West Frontier Province, coming regularly in motor-trucks, using the Manwehra-Mazaffarabad road and fully armed with up-to-date weapons, cannot possibly be done without the knowledge of the Provincial Government of the North-West Frontier Province and the Government of Pakistan.   In spite of repeated appeals made by my Government no attempt has been made to check these raiders or to stop them from coming into my State. In fact, both radio and the Press of Pakistan have reported these occurrences. The Pakistan radio even put out the story that a provisional government has been set up in Kashmir. The people of my State, both Muslims and non-Muslims, generally have taken no part at all. 

With the conditions obtaining at present in my State and the great emergency of the situation as it exists, I have no option but to ask for help from the Indian Dominion. Naturally they cannot send the help asked for by me without my State acceding to the Dominion of India. I have accordingly decided to do so, and I attach the instrument of accession for acceptance by your Government. The other alternative is to leave my state and people to free booters. On this basis no civilized government can exist or be maintained. 

This alternative I will never allow to happen so long as I am the ruler of the State and I have life to defend my country. I may also inform your Excellency's Government that it is my intention at once to set up an interim government and to ask Sheikh Abdullah to carry the responsibilities in this emergency with my Prime Minister. If my State is to be saved, immediate assistance must be available at Srinagar. Mr. V.P. Menon is fully aware of the gravity of the situation and will explain it to you, if further explanation is needed. In haste and with kindest regards, 

Yours sincerely, 

Hari Singh 

October 26, 1947 

Response from Lord Mountbatten 

My dear Maharaja Sahib, 

Your Highness' letter dated 26 October 1947 has been delivered to me by Mr. V.P. Menon. In the circumstances mentioned by Your Highness, my Government have decided to accept the accession of Kashmir State to the Dominion of India. In consistence with their policy that in the case of any State where the issue of accession has been the subject of dispute, the question of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the State, it is my Government's wish that, as soon as law and order have been restored in Kashmir and its soil cleared of the invader, the question of the State's accession should be settled by a reference to the people. 

Meanwhile, in response to Your Highness' appeal for military aid, action has been taken today to send troops of the Indian Army to Kashmir, to help your own forces to defend your territory and to protect the lives, property, and honour of your people. My Government and I note with satisfaction that Your Highness has decided to invite Sheikh Abdullah to form an interim Government to work with your Prime Minister.

 Mountbatten of Burma 

October 27, 1947

Dal Lake Kashmir

The matter was taken up by the newly founded United Nations, and "law and order" as declared by Mountbatten is yet to be restored,.   This 'dispute' is on the agenda of the two nations of India and Pakistan and attempts are made by both sides.   In the meantime a tragedy unfolds in this territory.   Nature has inflicted a heavy blow to the Kashmiris,  and the human tragedy should help us to rise above politics and come to their aid, irrespective who controls their lives.

The Kashmir Earthquake (also known as the Northern Pakistan earthquake or South Asia earthquake) of 2005 was an earthquake that occurred at 08:50:38 Pakistan Standard Time,  (09:20:38 India Standard Time), on October 8, 2005 with the epicenter in the Pakistan-administered region of the disputed territory of Kashmir. It registered 7.6 on the moment magnitude scale making it a major earthquake similar in intensity to the 1935 Quetta earthquake, the 2001 Gujarat Earthquake, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. 

As of 21 October, the Pakistani government's official death toll was 53,182 [1] (including more than 13,000 killed in North West Frontier Province), with reports of 1,360 deaths in Indian-administered region of Kashmir. Figures from the central government in Pakistan have been outstripped by estimates from regional officials placing the country's death toll at 79,318 [2]. Some estimate that the death toll could reach 100,000[3]. 

Most of the affected areas are in mountainous regions and access is impeded by landslides that have blocked the roads. An estimated 3.3 million were left homeless in Pakistan. The UN reported that over 4 million people are directly affected. Many of them are at risk of dying from the spread of disease. It has been estimated that damages incurred are over 5 billion US dollars.

United Nations considers the human disaster is greater than what was suffered in the tsunami last year.  When the Media flashes the news it saddens us.   The number of disasters seem to escalate the misfortunes of the most vulnerable people.    It is high time we view this earth as our common inheritance, and downplay man-made boundaries, and learn   more  about one another's history and culture, and break out of our cocoons.    If we want other people to look on our culture favorably, it goes without saying, that we should do like wise to others.

Let us be World Citizens.

Shalimar Gardens

Road to Pahalgam.