Tribal Invasion – Pakistan’s first proxy war

 Tribal Invasion – Pakistan’s first proxy war

 

Speech of Dr Shabir Choudhry in a seminar arranged by Kashmir National Party to observe and condemn ‘Tribal Invasion’ which Pakistani government managed on 22 October 1947 to capture the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

Mr Chairman, friends and colleagues Aslamo Alaykam

 

I want to thank Asim Mirza and other people who helped to arrange this seminar to observe Black Day. KNP leadership can rightly take credit for being the first one to take this courageous step and tell the Kashmiri nation that Black Day should be observed on 22 October and not on 27 October as we have been observing in the past.

 

On the advice and instructions of JKLF senior leadership, and under the influence of propaganda and wrong history taught to us (prepared by Pakistani bureaucrats to advance their imperialist aims in Jammu and Kashmir), we always observed Black Day on 27 October to coincide with the landing of the Indian army in Jammu and Kashmir. This wrong history and propaganda of Islamabad under the cover of religion is taught to us right from childhood, and the aim of that is to make us obedient slaves of Pakistan rather than rational human beings and loyal citizens of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

The KNP leaders said after the lapse of the British Paramountcy, Jammu and Kashmir emerged as an independent state on 15 August 1947, and this fact was acknowledged by Pakistani leaders, and they concluded a Standstill Agreement with the government of Jammu and Kashmir. When KNP leadership announced that we should observe a Black Day on 22 October because it was on this day Pakistan and Pakistani-backed tribesmen attacked the sovereignty of the State of Jammu and Kashmir by violating terms of the Standstill Agreement there was an outcry against this move.

 

Some Kashmiri parties, including some JKLF leaders accused us for promoting a pro Indian agenda, as in their view we were diverting attention away from the Valley; and they accused us for creating problems on the Pakistani side of Jammu and Kashmir and weakening the struggle. When I looked at todays Urdu papers of Azad Kashmir it gave me immense satisfaction and a real sense of achievement, as papers were full of news items showing that different Kashmiri parties observed 22 October as a Black Day. My pleasure and sense of achievement was enhanced with news that the JKLF also observed 22 October as a Black day.

 

This proves that we were right at that time, and we are right now. We are trend-setters and our thinking is ahead of other parties and political activists. Whenever something new is introduced, and even when it is not new and has been hidden by those who occupy us, people will oppose that either due to lack of knowledge or on instructions of those powers which want to maintain the status quo. KNP leadership is determined to bring out facts and educate the young Kashmiris about our rich historical past, about events of the 1940s and the present-day forced division so that they can make informed decisions as to how to fight those who occupy us and take forward our struggle in line with international requirements.

 

The root cause of our present troubles and trouble since 1947 is that unprovoked aggression against us which started on 22 October 1947, and resulted in killing of tens of thousands of innocent people of Jammu and Kashmir, looting arson, rapes and kidnapping of Kashmiri women. Furthermore, it forced the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir to seek help from India to save his State, life, property and honour of his subjects. The Indian help came only after the Maharaja agreed to sign an Instrument of Accession with India which was provisionally accepted and had to be ratified by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Of course, to date we have not had an opportunity to ratify or reject that Provisional Accession.

 

The Indian forces landed in Kashmir on the morning of 27 October 1947; and Pakistani governments and Pakistani-backed parties are encouraged and helped to observe that day as a Black Day. I have no problem with that. However, this fact should be understood that if there had been no tribal attack on 22 October 1947, there would not have been any need to seek help from India, and the Indian troops would not have landed on 27 October. In other words, 27 October is a by-product of the events that started on 22 October, and without this unprovoked aggression, the aim of which was to capture the Kashmiri Capital, we could have been an independent State.

 

Furthermore, whereas Pakistan and Pakistani-backed tribesmen entered the State territory by violating the Standstill Agreement, and against the wishes of the government and the Ruler of Jammu and Kashmir; the Indian troops entered the Kashmiri territory at the request of the Ruler of Jammu and Kashmir and as a result of a treaty between the two States.

 

Mr Chairman

 

It must be pointed out here that the present role of the Indian army and para-military forces goes far beyond the terms of the agreement under which they entered the State. I and my other colleagues condemn all human rights abuses taking place in Jammu and Kashmir whether committed by men in uniform, secret agencies or jihadi groups or other militants; but we must understand historical facts and who did what in name of Kashmir dispute.

 

Some people in order to justify the ‘Tribal Invasion’ claim that the tribesmen came there to help Muslims who were being butchered by Hindus and Sikhs in Jammu. This story is totally wrong; and is advanced only to provide a cover to the atrocities of these savage tribesmen. Communal riots started in Jammu in third week of August 1947 when non Muslims uprooted from Pakistani Punjab poured in to Jammu from Sialkot and Gujrat areas. Horror stories and condition of these ‘migrants’ provided fuel required to start riots and non Muslims from outside the State also took part in these riots in which Muslims were the main target.

 

If aim of this tribal attack was to help Muslims who were killed in riots then they should have proceeded towards Jammu where Muslims were in the minority. They could have entered the State territory from Sialkot which is only about 28 miles from Jammu or from Gujrat. Furthermore, why did they wait till 22 October (two months) before they launched this tribal attack, Muslims of Jammu needed urgent help in August 1947, but Pakistani government and these Tribesmen did not make any move, they did not even issue a statement against these riots.

 

The reason for this is that until mid October 1947, Pakistani authorities were under this impression that the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir will accede with Pakistan; and by helping Muslims of Jammu (when they were under attack) or by speaking in their support the Government of Pakistan did not want to annoy the Maharaja and risk losing Jammu and Kashmir. However, when Pakistani government realised that the Maharaja did not want to join Pakistan and wanted to remain independent; and he even refused to allow Mohammed Ali Jinnah to visit Srinagar for a holiday, they decided to teach him a lesson.

 

Pakistani government was really annoyed and felt humiliated and let down. They decided to punish the Maharaja and take over Kashmir by force. In complete violation of the Standstill Agreement, they stopped all the essential supplies including food and oil entering the State; and despite repeated requests from the Maharaja government, Pakistan did not allow resumption of supplies of essential goods to Jammu and Kashmir.

 

To make matters worse for the Maharaja, Pakistan government encouraged a rebellion in Poonch where Muslims were very resentful. Muslim soldiers who took part in the Second World War had returned to their homes and were more conscious of their rights and use of gun. Furthermore, Pakistan accused the Maharajah government for attacking Pakistani territory; and demanded that either the Maharaja or his Prime Minister should immediately visit Karachi (Pakistan) to resolve these issues.

 

The Maharaja denied these charges, and said how his small army (8000, in total and scattered in various parts of the State) could attack Pakistan; and for what purpose he would do that. Both governments exchanged telegrams to resolve these issues between second week of October and 19^th October 1947; and the Maharaja suggested to set up a Joint Commission to investigate these matters. Pakistani government showed no interest in any kind of investigation or any Commission; and while these communications were going on, Pakistan assembled tribesmen from North West Frontier in name of Jihad and attacked the Valley of Kashmir which had overwhelming Muslim majority, and where there were no riots and Muslims were not under attack.

 

Clearly the aim was not to help surrounded Muslims of Jammu, but to punish the Maharaja by capturing his capital – Srinagar. As noted earlier if the aim was to help Muslims of Jammu, then the tribesmen should have been directed to Jammu Province via Sialkot and Gujrat; and that attack should have taken place in August 1947, and not on 22 October.

 

In this brutal attack, non Muslims were the main target – their men were systematically killed, their women were raped and kidnapped and taken back to North West Frontier. Their houses were burnt; however, the tribesmen showed great equality when it came to looting- they looted everyone; even those items which were stored in a Masjid (Mosque) by Muslims and non Muslims hoping that Muslim tribesmen will not loot their belongings from a place of worship, were also looted. Any Muslim who tried to protect non Muslims and criticised these tribesmen were also killed on spot. It is believed that more than 30 thousands people lost their lives in this brutal attack.

 

To us 22 October is rightly called a Black Day, but to rub salt in our wounds, and to hide their crimes, imperialists of Pakistan and their foot soldiers camouflaged their crimes in name of religion and fabricated false stories to justify their atrocities and naked aggression. Sad thing is that these people have not learnt anything, and they still continue to promote those policies which divide people in name of religion; and time has come that we people of Jammu and Kashmir stand up and be counted.

 

Situation in Gilgit Baltistan

 

Mr Chairman

 

Yesterday I received a phone call from a nationalist leader from Gilgit who is under detention there just because he spoke out against policies of Pakistan. This man, Baba Jan is a political leader and believes in peaceful struggle. He demands fundamental rights for the people of Gilgit Baltistan and exposes Pakistani oppression and exploitation. He has not committed any crime; and yet he is suffering in prison because he believes Pakistani occupation of these areas is illegal and against the wishes and interests of the local people.

 

While talking to me Baba Jan said: ‘Dr Shabir Choudhry, give my Salam (greetings) to my brothers of Azad Kashmir who are observing a Black Day to condemn and expose the Pakistan’s Kashmir policy and the tribal invasion. Tell them I fully support you and wish you all the best for your seminar. While you talk about your miseries and problems, please do not forget about the problems we face in Gilgit Baltistan.’

 

Baba Jan further said, ‘like you people we are also occupied, but we are in worst condition because we don’t even enjoy those rights which you people have been enjoying for many decades. I support struggle of those people who are fighting for their rights and freedom on the Indian side of the LOC. I also support your struggle, but I cannot go to Muzaffarbad or Srinagar and fight for you because I am also in chains in Gilgit Baltistan. I believe my struggle is on this side of the divide where I am occupied and oppressed. I can only help you or fight to liberate you brothers once I am free; and those people who ask you to liberate the Indian side of the Jammu and Kashmir first are not sincere, as they are promoting the agenda of Islamabad to hide their crimes and keep attention away from these areas which in many ways are still living in dark ages.’

 

 

Mr Chairman, thank you for your patience and for allowing me to pass on message of Baba Jan who is another victim of Pakistani secret agencies, and who is suffering because of his political views.

 

--

Dr Shabir Choudhry

 Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) said: "Say what is true, although it may be bitter and displeasing to people."

Some facts about Jammu riots, Dr Shabir Choudhry

 

Some facts about Jammu riots, Dr Shabir Choudhry

 

Dr Shabir Choudhry    7 November 2014 

 

Much has been said and written about the Jammu riots, which some like to call Jammu massacres of Muslims. There is more than one narrative on the Jammu riots, which, at times, contradict each other. Indeed, riots took place in 1947, and unaccounted innocent people lost their lives, property and honour. 

 

These riots were a direct result of the partition of British India in the name of religion, which unleashed communal hatred, and people killed each other, either because of revenge or hatred. This madness continued for many weeks, and according to reliable estimates, 500,000 to 600,000 people were killed in various parts of India, Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir. 1

 

Over the past decades, some Azad Kashmiri and Pakistani writers claim that in Jammu alone, more than half a million Muslims were killed. Many years ago, I read that 200,000 and 250,000 Muslims were killed in Jammu, and we, from the platform of JKLF in the 1970s and 1980s, used to claim that in the Jammu riots, more than 200,000 Muslims were killed. Jammu Kashmir Plebiscite Front leaders also quoted similar figures. 2

 

After mid 1990s, some people started distorting facts, and different and contradictory claims began to emerge. I don’t know for what reason, some people each year add to the number of people killed in the Jammu riots in 1947; and now the figures quoted are totally unrealistic and are above 600,000 Muslims killed. 

 

If this number is correct, then does it mean no one else was killed anywhere in India, Pakistan and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir; because serious researchers, scholars and writers of that era put the total killings of Muslims and non Muslims after the partition of India between 500,000 and 600,000. I may add that no research can exactly tell how many people were killed after 14 August 1947 in riots. 

 

However, the following quotes and references may help some to understand what happened and how many Muslims were killed in Jammu. Special correspondent in India for a famous British daily, The London Times claimed that 237,000 Muslims were killed in Jammu (Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Sir Zafarullah Khan also quoted The Times report when referring to Jammu Massacres); the editor of Statesman, Ian Stephen, in his book Horned Moon puts the figure at 200,000. 3 Horace Alexander asserted that the killings had “the tacit consent of State authority” and he also gave the figure of 200,000 Muslims killed in Jammu. 4

 

A Pakistani author Illyas Chata wrote:

 

‘The inter-religious violence that occurred in Jammu and Kashmir against the backdrop of the 1947 Partition of India and its aftermaths included a possible ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Jammu’s Muslims. One million Kashmiri Muslim refugees were uprooted and an estimated 250, 000 - 300,000 were massacred in the Jammu region alone.’ 5

 

Why riots started in Jammu

 

One can call Maharaja Hari Singh an autocrat and oppressive, but when we compare his rule and administration with other Princely States of that time, he was much better than others, and one can even call him a progressive ruler. I agree some communities were treated better than others, for example, Dogras and Kashmiri Pundits had more privileges and Muslims were treated less favourably. 

 

That apart, all writers and historians agree that there was peace and harmony among believers of different faiths and there were no religious riots. Tolerance and policy of live and let live was hallmark of Jammu and Kashmir society. Then question arises why all of sudden people of Jammu and Kashmir started killing each other.

 

The genie of hatred and violence unleashed as a direct of Partition of the British India, and subsequent very serious riots in various regions of India and Pakistan also affected peace and tranquillity of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan and India became independent on 14th and 15th August 1947, but announcement of the Radcliff Award was deliberately delayed. So people in some areas of Punjab Province and Bengal Province celebrated independence without knowing if the area they lived in will become part of India or Pakistan. From areas of Western Punjab, which became part of Pakistan, millions of Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India with horror stories. Of course, same happened to Muslims who migrated to Pakistan from Eastern Punjab.

 

When these dislocated and suffering Hindus and Sikhs entered Jammu from areas of Sialkot, Gujrat, Jhelum etc and told them what Muslims in Western Punjab did to them, it ignited the communal fire and shattered peace and harmony of Jammu, in which unaccounted people from both communities were killed.

 

Sialkot and Jammu were like twin cities; and north-eastern part of Sialkot was largely inhabited by the Dogras, who had close cultural and linguistic ties with Dogras of Jammu. After the partition of Punjab around 100.000 Hindu and Sikh refugees from Sialkot migrated to Jammu. 6

 

These refugees carried with them ‘harrowing stories of Muslim atrocity’, which were amplified by media and communalists, and that brought the communal tension to ‘the breaking point’. 7 The result was obvious; the irritated Dogra refugees from Sialkot, backed by their friends and relatives from Jammu started a campaign against the Muslim population. Killings, rapes and kidnapping were worst in the Jammu city where Muslims were in the minority, especially in the areas of Ustad da Mohalla, Pathanan da Mohalla and Khalka Mohalla. 

 

Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, who was appointed “Chief Emergency Administrator” on 30 October 1947, was very critical of the State officials and the negative role played by Union Home Minster Sardar Patel, Union Defence Minister Baldev Singh along with the Maharaja of Patiala. It is claimed that these three met various extremist groups and encouraged them to take revenge by killing Muslims.8

 

The riots in Jammu started in 3rd week of August 1947. These riots continued and spirit of Jihad of ‘tribesmen’ and Pakistanis remained in a cold storage because, at that time, rulers of Pakistan believed that the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir will join Pakistan. When their dream of getting Jammu and Kashmir peacefully was shattered they, on 22 October 1947, launched a tribal attack, which was fully supported by Pakistani army officers, to punish the Maharaja and to capture Kashmir.

 

This unprovoked attack killed tens of thousands of Muslims and non Muslim Kashmiris men, women and children. Women were raped and kidnapped and sold in bazaars of Pakistan. This left the Maharaja with no choice but to seek help from India, which was only provided after Provisional accession.

 

Frightened Maharaja left Srinagar with his relatives, senior officials, close friends, some troops and personal belongings. His entourage reached Jammu with horror stories of killings of non Muslims in Baramula and Muzaffarabad, and this fuelled the anger and resentment of non Muslims and they charged on the Muslims to take revenge.

 

Exactly what the tribesmen did in Muzaffarabad and Baramula, non Muslims did that to the Muslims of Jammu; and tens of thousands of Jammu Muslims were killed and women dishonoured. However, an unaccounted number of Jammu Muslims fled to safer areas in nearby Pakistan, or to western areas of Jammu where Muslims were in majority, for example, Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimber and areas of Poonch. Christopher Snedden, who is perceived as a pro Pakistan writer, claims, ‘there were about half million such refugees’. 9 It should be noted that a Pakistani writer Illyas Chatta, quoted above, thinks around a million Kashmiris were uprooted.

 

In this highly charged and frantic environment, human beings became savages, they killed each other. Some killed others to take revenge, others killed because of religious reasons or just to loot and plunder. Even Christopher Snedden accepts that Muslims also killed non Muslims, he says: ‘conversely Muslims killed many Hindus and Sikhs in other parts of Jammu Province and in the Muzaffarabad district of Kashmir Province’.10 

 

I have many horror stories from Mirpur and Bhimber where Muslims butchered non Muslims, and many were burnt alive; and this tragic incident happened about two miles away from my village in District Bhimber. Frightened non Muslims from various villages took shelter in a big Kothi (house) of an influential Hindu in a village called Naka Gura, about four miles towards north from Jatlan. Exact number is not known, but I was told that there must have been more than 100 people, which included men, women and children. All of them were deliberately burnt alive, not because they posed any threat to the majority population – Muslims or committed any crime against Islam, but because they were non Muslims.

 

While trying to explain the Jammu riots, Christopher Snedden confirms that ‘they (non Muslims of Jammu) were seeking revenge for Hindus and Sikhs ‘cleared’ from Muslim – majority areas in West Punjab. Thousands of Hindus and Sikh refugees were pouring over the State borders daily....Some of these non Muslim refugee arrivals were ‘victims of frenzied savagery’. Equally frenzied, they took revenge or inspired others to take revenge on Jammu Muslims, particularly those more vulnerable because they lived in Hindu majority areas in eastern Jammu Province’ 11

Demographic position in Jammu Province

 

Let us look at some more facts, which may help us to understand how many Muslims were killed in Jammu. According to 1941 census, Jammu Province which included areas of Azad Kashmir (minus Muzaffarabad) had total Muslim population of 1, 212, 405, 61.19% and 736,862 Hindus 37.19%. People of Jammu and Kashmir classified themselves in the Census as, Dogras, Rajputs, Brahmins, Jats, Thakkars, Gujjars, Bakarwals, Untouchables, Poonchis, Syeds, Afghans, Punjabis, Maliks, Mians, Sikhs, Kashmiris, Pundits, Budhs, Baltis, Shias, and Yashkins. So apart from the religious loyalty, people had tribal and ethnic loyalty too. 12

 

Within the Jammu Province there were Districts and Sub Districts which had a clear Muslim majority, for example:

 

Mirpur – 80.41% Muslims; 

Poonch - 90% Muslims; 

Riasi - 68.06% Muslims.

 

So, in other words there was very little chance that the Hindu minority would attack and ‘butcher’ the Muslim majority. However, the situation was different in districts where Muslims were in the minority:

 

Jammu had 170,789 Muslims - 39.60%; 

Khathua had 45,000 Muslims – 25.33% and 

Udhampur had 128,327 – 43.62% Muslims. 

 

The total figure of Muslims in these three Hindu-majority districts was 344,116. Generally, in riots, people from both communities get killed, and no ethnic community could be completely eliminated, even Hitler, with all his might, could not do that. It is understandable that where Muslims were in the minority, more of them got killed. Even if we accept that all Muslims in these areas were killed, still the figure would be 344,116, and not 600,000 as claimed by some people. 

 

I hope this information will help some people to understand facts about the Jammu riots. I understand no innocent person should be killed, as every life has its value; and according to Islamic beliefs, if one innocent person is killed that is as if the entire humanity is killed. In that sense killing of more than 200,000 innocent Muslims in Jammu was a great tragedy, and we must condemn all the killings.

 

References

1. Indian student of the massacres, Judge G.D.Khosla, set the figure at 500,000. Stern Reckoning, Gopa Das Khosla, quoted in ‘Freedom at Midnight’, Larry Collins and Domnique Lapierre, page 396

2. I was elected Secretary General of JKLF in 1985, and remember the slogans we used. Also I discussed this issue with Zubair Ansari who is a known political activist, and a former Secretary General of JKLF. Zubair Ansari also confirms that we used to quote figures between 200,000 and 250,000 Muslims killed in Jammu.

3. http://kashmirmonitor.in/news-nov-6-1947-when-jammu-witnessed-massacre-74156.aspx

4. Spectator, 16 January 1948

5. Terrible Fate: ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ of Jammu’ Muslims in 1947. By Illays Chatta, page 117 

6. Source: http://defence.pk/threads/partition-history-jammu-massacre-1947.317992/#ixzz3INhl9Vgd

7. Ibid

8. Atish-e-Chinar, his autobiography (Flames of Fire), page 312) 

9. Kashmir The Unwritten History, Christopher Snedden, Page 48

10. Ibid, page 48

11. Ibid,  Page 48

12. Census of India, Volume XX11, Jammu and Kashmir State, Part 111.

13. 1941 Census

14. Ibid

Writer is a political analyst, TV anchor and author of many books and booklets. Also he is Director Institute of Kashmir Affairs.Email:drshabirchoudhry@gmail.com

 

Stop exploiting the resources of GB & POJK. Our resources are for us. We are not part of Pakistan.

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How the ruling elite loot and plunder KPK and Balochistan is a matter between them, however, we oppose injustice and oppression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJKfRuc8Rrc

What is being planned for GB and POJK? Did Pak agree with Modi to divide Jammu Kashmir? What next?

 

What is being planned for GB and POJK? Did Pak agree with Modi to divide Jammu Kashmir? What next?

Pakistan should not play in the hands of opportunists. The unity and independence of JK is our mission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8cQcyXJtzA

A letter from Dr Mahrang Baloch from the prison cell

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https://x.com/BalochYakjehtiC/status/1908499997538328768
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