Black
Day and new realisation of people of Jammu and Kashmir - 22 October observed as
a Black Day in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir State
Dr Shabir Choudhry 9 November 2013
It was almost an annual ritual for
many people of Jammu and Kashmir to observe 27 October as a Black Day in
various parts of the world and portray India as a villain in Kashmir,
responsible for all ills. These people under close guidance and encouragement
of the Pakistani secret agencies distorted facts and propagated as India
attacked Kashmir on 27 October 1947; and Tribesmen and Pakistan were good guys
protecting life and honour of the Kashmiri people.
Leaders of Kashmir National Party and
some others did not agree with the above thinking and approach. They believed
that role of both India and Pakistan had to be analysed in light of some hard
historical facts, which had been systematically distorted by Pakistan and some
Kashmiris.
Kashmir National Party leaders, after
detailed research produced literature to prove that there was a fundamental
difference in roles and presence of armies of India and Pakistan. After lapse
of the British Paramountcy, the State of Jammu and Kashmir also gained its
independence on 15 August 1947; and concluded a Standstill Agreement with
Pakistan. The Ruler of Kashmir also wanted to have a Standstill agreement with
India, but Government of India wanted to discuss more details of the Standstill
Agreement before signing it.
On 22 October 1947, Pakistan in clear
violation of the Standstill Agreement launched invasion of Kashmir, and for
that purpose sent Pakistan army in civilian clothes and hordes of savage
tribesmen to capture Srinagar. These tribesmen killed innocent people, raped
women, burnt houses and looted everyone. After conquering and destroying and
looting towns of Muzaffarabad and Uri, and burning the villages on the way they
reached Baramulla and destroyed the city.
Instead of continuing their advance to
the Capital of Jammu and Kashmir and most priced city Srinagar, which was at
their mercy, the tribesmen spent a few days in celebrating their victory,
looting, raping and kidnaping women. In the meantime, the Ruler of Jammu and
Kashmir, in order to save his Kingdom and his people contacted government of
India for help.
Difference
in role of Indian and Pakistani armies
India refused to send its army until the
Maharajah Hari Singh acceded to India. All the evidence proves beyond any doubt
that the Maharaja Hari Singh wanted to maintain his independence, but when
he realised that his subjects were butchered by savage tribesmen, their
property looted and women raped and kidnapped; and that he could lose his
Kingdom as well, he reluctantly agreed to provisionally accede to India.
Points
to remember are that:
1. Pakistani army and the tribesmen entered
the State territory uninvited and against the wishes of the Ruler; and the
Indian army entered Kashmir on the request of the Ruler.
2. Pakistani army and the tribesmen
entered Kashmir by violating a legally valid treaty - the Standstill Agreement;
Indian army entered Kashmir as a result of a treaty- provisional accession.
3. Tribal invaders entered Kashmir for the
purpose of looting, killing and kidnapping, with additional objective of
capturing Srinagar, however, evidence shows this was not their first priority,
whereas it must have been the first priority of those who arranged the tribal
attack. The Indian, army on the other hand, entered Kashmir to:
1/ Combat the invaders,
2/ Drive them out of the State
territory,
3/ Save life, property and liberty of
the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
It must be pointed out that role of
the Indian army changed afterwards; and they are and they have committed acts
they were not legally allowed and originally sanctioned. However, this is a
separate story, as this role changed many years after India claimed Kashmir to
be an 'integral part' of India.
Pakistan
had no locus standi
Another important point is that after
violation of the Standstill Agreement and attacking sovereignty of Jammu and
Kashmir, Pakistani role in Jammu and Kashmir was assumed as that of an
aggressor; and it was because of this fact that the Security Council allowed
India to maintain ‘bulk’ of troops; and asked Pakistan to ‘secure the
withdrawal from the State of Jammu and Kashmir of tribesmen and Pakistan
nationals not normally resident therein who have entered the State for the
purpose of fighting’.
Furthermore, after the provisional
accession with India and after violation of the Standstill Agreement Pakistan
had no locus standi in the matter of Jammu and Kashmir, as the issue was
between India and the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The people of Jammu and
Kashmir had three options:
1. To reject the provisional accession;
2. To affirm the provisional accession;
3. Or renegotiate new terms of this provisional
accession.
Pakistan only became a party to the
Kashmir dispute because of the de-facto occupation of the Kashmiri territory.
If the Indian army had ‘pushed out the raiders’ from the State territory before
the dispute was taken to the UN Security Council, then Pakistan would not have
been a party to the Kashmir dispute. The government of Pakistan knew this fact,
and it was because of this vulnerability that they refused to withdraw their
troops as demanded by the Security Council.
New
realisation among people of Jammu and Kashmir
With passage of time and with hard
work of organisations like Kashmir National Party and UKPNP, people of Jammu
and Kashmir learnt that they were fooled by the Pakistani establishment to
advance Pakistani national interests; and perpetuated suffering and miseries of
the people by promoting illogical and anti - peace and anti - people policies.
They realised that Pakistan was not sincere with the cause of Kashmir because
of imperialist designs and strategic and economic interests. They were
interested in the territory of Jammu and Kashmir; and welfare or independence
of the people was not their priority. Had welfare of the people been close to
their heart then they would have adopted different policies and, at least, would
have granted fundamental rights to the people living in so called Azad Kashmir
and Gilgit Baltistan.
Thinking people of Jammu and Kashmir
came to know that it was not India that attacked Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian
army came to Kashmir on the request of the Maharaja of Kashmir to save him and
the people from the attackers. People learnt that their motherland and their
sovereignty were attacked by Pakistan in clear violation of the Standstill
Agreement; and that this naked aggression subsequently resulted in forced
division of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
So root cause was the attack on 22
October 1947, and all else that followed was by - product of this unprovoked
attack. In view of this stark reality, it was imperative that thinking people
observed 22 October as the Black Day in history of Jammu and Kashmir. In
Britain, Kashmir National Party arranged a two hours live TV debate in which
around 30 people participated which included many prominent Kashmiri
nationalist leaders.
Also KNP observed Black Day in
Muzaffarabad, Kotli and Bagh. Other nationalist parties also observed similar
functions in various parts of so called Azad Kashmir, and sent a clear message
that thinking people of Azad Kashmir could no longer be fooled in name of
religion or Muslim brotherhood.
Black
Day seminar in Srinagar
People of Azad Kashmir have been
observing 22 October as a Black Day for some year, but what has surprised many
Kashmir watchers are two events that have taken place in Jammu and Srinagar.
Muslim population of the Indian occupied Kashmir are accustomed to routinely
observing 27 October as a Black Day, a day when the Indian troops landed in
Srinagar, even though they came there on the request of the government of Jammu
and Kashmir. Hitherto, they have never observed 22 October as a Black Day.
However, this year on 22 October, Jammu and Kashmir Youth Development Forum (JKYDF), a political forum
represented by people from different walks of life, organised a seminar at
Zaberwan Park on the banks of famous Dal Lake in Srinagar to discuss the
negative role of the Tribal Invasion on Kashmir in 1947. Press release issued
by JKYDF stated:
‘Contrary to the past when separatists used to observe
October 27, the day Indian Army landed in Srinagar, as Black Day, a group of
young and energetic persons this year changed the trend by observing October 22
as Black Day. It was on October 22 when tribal militia backed by Pakistani Army
invaded Kashmir in 1947.’
Farooq Ganderbali, Chairman JKYDF said: “Matter of the facts is that
our sovereignty was violated on 22 October 1947 when hordes of tribesmen from
North West Frontier of Pakistan attacked and invaded J&K State. They
mercilessly killed and looted people. Religion was not an issue to them and
their victims included Muslims as well as non-Muslims. In fact, first person
who was killed by these so called Jihadis was a Muslim from Muzaffarabad area
of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Our struggle is not against Pakistan or Pakistani
people; it is against injustice and negative role of Pakistan and its agencies
played from last 65 years in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a historic fact that the
State of Jammu and Kashmir was independent after the end of the British Raj and
that Tribal Invasion was supported by Pakistani authorities in clear violation
of the Standstill Agreement concluded between the Maharaja Government and
government of Pakistan.”
President J&K Socialist
Democratic Party, Dr Drakshan Indrabi said: “If people of Pakistan
can hold demonstrations against injustice in Pakistan and no one questions
their loyalty and no one calls them traitor, then why should we be afraid of
holding demonstrations against those who do injustice to us.” She further said, “Pakistan has divided people on different issues, they
kill their own people and nobody is safe in Pakistan; and the democratic system
of Pakistan has been occupied by its army”.
Advocate Bilal Ahmad, a social activist in his
speech said: “The Tribal Invasion was planned and supported by government of
Pakistan, and its aim was to punish the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir who
refused to accede to Pakistan. It divided our beloved motherland and divided
families of the State. It killed innocent Kashmiri men and women. It plundered
and looted Kashmiri resources. It is the main cause of our present miseries and
troubles. The genie of extremism and hatred released in name of jihad in
October 1947 to advance political agenda, continue to spread extremism and
hatred. Unfortunately that policy of promoting extremism to advance political
agenda continued until very recently, and forces of extremism and hatred have
become power in their own right. Tribal Kabalis didn’t even spare mosques in
Kashmir and looted the valuables which people had kept their thinking they are
safer places as no Muslim would dare to loot a masjid.”
Tufail Ahmad Bhat President Wattan
Parast Party while appealing the people of Jammu and Kashmir to observe complete
shut down and black out on October 22, said: ‘the bitterness and wretchedness
of this day is such that no Kashmiri can afford to forget 22 October 1947’. He
said, ‘Tribal invasion communalised the Kashmiri politics in which people of
the State suffered immensely. In this unprovoked attack which forced the
Maharaja to join India. Pakistan always tried to exploit Kashmiris in the name
of religion’.
Engineer Ghulam Hassan Organizer
JKYDF expressed
his serious concern on the rise of religious intolerance in areas of Pakistani
Occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. “Lashkar-e-Taayyaba
and other jihadi groups have entrenched their positions in POK and the puppet
government of POK has instructed the local administration to accommodate the
Pakistani and other jihadis by all means possible, including in madrasahs and
state run schools.”
Bashir Ahmad Sofi, a law student of Kashmir
University also addressed the seminar and said: “The Tribal Invasion communalised
the Kashmiri politics in which people of the State suffered immensely and it
was this unprovoked attack.”
The seminar also passed 11 resolutions which were sent
to various human rights organisations, Embassies and OIC. The seminar, the resolutions
and speeches prove that people of the Valley have, at last, understood that the
root cause to their problems was and is, that unprovoked attack that was
arranged by government of Pakistan and which resulted in the forced division of
the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Unfortunately, Pakistani governments have not
changed their policy of using violence as a weapon to advance their agenda and
for this purpose send militants where ever they are required.
Black Day seminar in Jammu
Jammu Kashmir Unity Foundation also arranged a seminar in Jammu to
observe 22 October as Black Day. According to the Press release issued by the
JKUF, many prominent leaders and scholars participated and addressed the
seminar which include the following: Balwant
Singh Mankotia, Member Legislative Assembly and President JK National Panthers
Party; Hukum Chand Sharma, Secretary General Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh
Committee, Sohail Kazmi, Secretary General Press Club of Jammu; Anwar Choudhary
and prominent Gujar leader; Rajiev Chuni, President SOS – an organisation of
POK Refugees; Ajaat Jamwal, Convenor, JKUF and Dr Ajay Chrungoo, Chairman Panun
Kashmir.
Balwant
Singh Mankotia said: ‘22
October is the day of invasion of Jammu and Kashmir. To call it tribal raid is
a misnomer. Tribesmen were used by Pakistan Army as the frontal hordes to hide
the nature of regular invasion on Jammu and Kashmir State. The day is the
Blackest Day because this invasion broke up the State and rendered thousands
and Lakhs of Hindus and Sikhs as refugees in their own state. Thousands were
killed and abducted during the invasion. We have to remember all those who
perished during the invasion. We have also to remember that Pakistan broke up
the State and captured almost half of it. The people of occupied Jammu and
Kashmir are denied all rights of freedom and during these years we have only
seen a sham democracy on that side and also colonisation by the Pakistani
citizens. This day reminds us of the challenges to the peace, harmony, unity
and integrity of the State.’
Dr
Ajay Chrungoo said:
‘On 22 October 1947, State of Pakistan declared its first war in Jammu and
Kashmir. This was invasion and not a tribal raid. Pakistani army conducted this
invasion only using tribesmen from North West Frontier Province to disguise it
as a revolt of the people against the Maharaja. Tribesmen were mobilised to
wage a jihad in Jammu and Kashmir and were given the specific task of religious
cleansing. The Pakistan Occupied Kashmir was cleansed of its Hindu and Sikh
population. Thousands of Hindus and Sikhs were killed and thousands of women
were abducted and converted and sold off.’
Rajiv
Chuni in his speech
asserted: ‘Pakistan invasion changed not only the political but historical map
of the country also. The area which Pakistan annexed from India in Jammu and Kashmir
is being used as a safe haven for anti - India activities; and is being
projected as Azad Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan and the activities launched by
locals. Government of India has always shied away from talking on Jammu and
Kashmir with Pakistan on one hand while on the other hand it resolved in the
Parliament being legal owner of the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. The Government
of India should talk to Pakistan and ask it to vacate the illegally occupied
Jammu and Kashmir state. Some historian have distorted the facts about Pakistan
invasion on Jammu and Kashmir in 1947; and human rights of lakhs of people were
violated by Pakistan aggression, thousands were killed, thousands abducted and
sold in brothels in Pakistan. Rivers and wells were filled with dead bodies and
refugees crossed rivers not on bridges of concrete or wood but bridges of
bodies’.
Hukum
Chand Sharma said:
‘Pakistan was also worried about the secular credentials of the people of Jammu
and Kashmir as a whole and wanted to disrupt the secular harmony so that the
Two Nations theory becomes successful’.
Conclusion
Some other speakers also
addressed both seminars in Jammu and Srinagar, and highlighted similar issues.
I have decided not to include summaries of their speeches because this article
is already too long; and for the same reason I have not included any summaries
of speeches of those who addressed Black Day conferences in so called Azad
Kashmir.
One may ask, then why I have
included summaries of the speeches from seminars in Jammu and Srinagar; and
left out those who spoke in Azad Kashmir. Reason is simple, it was the first
time that some thinking people arranged seminars of this kind on that side of
the Line of Control, so this is something new; and many people on the Pakistani
side of the divide do not know about these events.
These seminars prove one thing, no
matter how strong is the propaganda of the occupiers; facts cannot be kept
hidden for ever. It gives me immense pleasure that the process of holding a
Black Day on 22 October by the Kashmir National Party has changed the thinking
of the people; and has started a new movement which hopefully will help to
change the course of history. In this regard, the seminars held in Jammu and
Srinagar, and the new realisation among the thinking people will play a crucial
role in years to come.
Writer is a political analyst and author of many books and
booklets. Also he is Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs.
Salute to the struggle of kashmiris.
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