Zan, Hindu Ka Zar Aur Sikh Ka Sar

Brig RK Bhatia (Retd)

On 22 Oct 1947, a tribal power, numbered about 7,000 travelling in about 300 lorries, handed by Abbottabad and entered Kashmir territory. Troops of the 4th J&Ok State Infantry, of combined composition of two firms every of Dogras and Muslims, had taken up defensive positions overlooking the street resulting in Muzaffarabad. Unfortunately, the Muslim firms abandoned simply on the nick of the time and joined the raiders. 

Lord Birdwood says in his ebook ‘Two Nations and Kashmir’ says that the journey of those ill-disciplined tribesmen travelling merrily of their lorries would have been damaged upon the Kashmir border itself had the desertion not occurred.

Loot, Plunder and Rape at Baramulla

By 25th October, the tribesmen after plundering Muzaffarabad and Domel, had superior up the Jhelum Valley. With solely the timid opposition of the weakened Kashmir State troops to bar their manner, the tribesmen rapidly reached the affluent city of Baramulla. Drugged with success, all of the wild, adventurous savagery of the tribesmen was let unfastened. They quickly forgot the mission they have been anticipated to realize, and succumbed to looting, pillaging and raping. Among their victims have been some European nuns, stated to be engaged in meditation and serving to the poor. 

With the prospect of the wealthy Jhelum Valley forward because the prize, the tribesmen have been shouting slogans like “Hindu ki Zar, Sardar ka Sar” (wealth of a Hindu and head of a Sikh). 

The tribal instincts of the raiders having taken over, they indulged in ransacking the city of Baramulla over two days for booty, for much longer than deliberate. The tribesmen thus misplaced their likelihood of capturing Srinagar. They have been so busy in accumulating the loot that when the main events of their power have been involved with Indian troops, the primary power of those tribal warriors have been nonetheless trying to find loot in and round Baramulla.

Many lorries loaded with the loot have been nonetheless being dispatched again house even throughout this significant time. There is little doubt that Srinagar was saved from falling to the invaders by a stroke of luck in addition to by a easy lack of tactical acumen and operational focus of the tribesmen. Akbar Khan writes in his ebook ‘Raiders in Kashmir’; 

“The tribesmen had reached here (Baramulla) which was only 35 miles from Srinagar on 26th. Until then Kashmir had not acceded to India and Indian troops had not been flown in. The state troops thoroughly demoralised, had retreated in disorder. The tribesmen had only two hours journey left- and before them lay Srinagar, trembling, seemingly at their mercy’. But the tribesmen continued to indulge in looting, plundering and rape though Akbar Khan does not mention this.”

The savagery of the raiders has been described by Lt Gen LP Sen who was the Brigade Commander chargeable for operations in opposition to the invader stated:

“Indian troops entered the city after it was taken back on 08 Nov 1947. They found that tribesmen had stripped Baramulla of its wealth and its women. Out of the normal population of 14000 only one thousand were left. The devastation by the raiders was indeed ghastly, reminiscent of Nadir Shah’s sacking of Delhi. A number of foreign correspondents bore testimony to the arson and pillage, loot and rape which had been indulged by the tribesmen in Baramulla.”

Follies of Pakistan

Pakistan in all probability faltered, at first, itself when it determined to pick unmanageable, unruly and fiercely unbiased tribesmen of the badlands of NWFP for the mission.  Lord Birdwood in his ebook ‘Two Nations and Kashmir’ writes 

‘Pakistan’s alternative of choosing majority of the power for waging conflict in Kashmir from the Mahsuds tribe, who by custom are probably the most ungovernable and wildest of a wild group, was in all probability their largest folly which costed them the conflict. Balance of the power was made from few Afridis, Wana Wazirs, Mohmands, Swatis and Bunerwals. 
The members of untamed Pukhtoon tribes owed no allegiance to anybody and refused to stick to any army plan. A tragedy struck Kurshid Anwar, a Punjabi, who was de facto their superior army commander, when he was attacked by members of Mehsud tribe. He had tried to forestall the wild, savage and violent tribesmen from indulging in looting and raping and as a substitute urged them to proceed with the mission. He was killed ruthlessly by the tribesmen and died a really painful loss of life.

The planners thought-about India incapable of responding with power. However, the Indian polity appropriately termed the Pakistani sponsored and abetted invasion as an act of conflict. Nehru’s response was:
“The invasion of Kashmir is not an accidental affair resulting from the fanaticism or exuberance of the tribesmen he noted, “but a well-organized business with the backing of the State. We have in effect to deal with a State carrying out an informal war, but nevertheless a war” 

Kashmir War of 1965

As time handed, Kashmir’s integration with India continued to develop stronger. It instilled a nagging concern within the minds of Pakistani management that Kashmir is about to be misplaced endlessly. In 1964 nonetheless, ISI Director Brigadier Riaz Hussain, made an evaluation that India is dropping management over Kashmir attributable to political unrest within the valley, low morale of Indian troopers following the humiliating defeat by the hands of China and loss of life of PM Nehru. According to him, this was a possibility to sever Kashmir from India. 

Such anxious perceptions primarily based on assumptions relatively than info led Pakistan to plan two operations particularly Operation Gibraltar, within the Valley and Operation Grand Slam in Jammu area. These have been deliberate to be launched sequentially.

Operation Gibraltar, a clandestine guerrilla operation, was conceived primarily based on the idea that there could be a spontaneous rebellion, second Pakistan troopers enter Kashmir. The plan additional envisaged that total power of Indian troopers stationed in J&Ok could be sucked into the valley to quell the unrest. Pakistan Army would thereafter launch a traditional offensive (Op Grand Slam) in Jammu and minimize off the reinforcement coming from elsewhere in India.

Kashmir would thus be received over for Pakistan. Unfortunately for Pakistan, its intelligence companies failed them as soon as once more. Pakistan as soon as once more forgot that success of Guerrilla conflict is dependent upon mass assist. Unfortunately for Pakistan the anticipated ‘mass uprising’ of the Kashmiris didn’t occur, but once more. 

Breaking the Social Fabric

Throughout the 1980s, the Afghan conflict occupied a lot of the ISI’s time and assets.  During its involvement in managing Taliban in Afghanistan, ISI learnt that except locals are in your facet, no conflict may be received. In case of Kashmir, there was no assist from the plenty in 1947-48 or 1965. Pakistani learnt from the intelligence manuals of the US throughout their marketing campaign in opposition to Red Army in Afghanistan that there’s a have to destroy the cultural homogeneity of Kashmiris to realize their goal. Pakistan began focusing on the youth of Kashmir and managed to waylay just a few. 

Fighting by Proxies

Armed with expertise of Afghanistan, Pakistan realised the explanation for his or her failure to realize its goal utilizing its tribesmen/ residents/ troopers within the garb of ‘Gazis’. It modified course and began trying to find proxies inside Kashmir. It received fortunate in 1986, when an indigenous political motion was launched by a celebration known as Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). 

The ideology of this entrance was secular and nationalist. They have been merely searching for redressal to their political grievances. However, the ISI managed to hijack the motion and since then has been attempting to show this political conflict into a spiritual conflict of Kashmiris. The idea of focusing on personal individuals primarily based on beliefs was alien to Kashmiris. Enough evidences exist to show that the JKLF leaders have been coerced into violence by the ISI. They have been threatened to both undertake such acts or their names could be uncovered to the Indian Intelligence companies. 

Very quickly, the ISI realised that JKLF is unlikely to go together with Pakistani agenda, it withdrew its assist and propped up Hizbul Muzhideen whose leaders agreed to work in the direction of merger of Kashmir into Pakistan. Subsequently the motion which started with organisations whose leaders and cadres belonged to Kashmir, was taken over by radical and intensely fundamentalist Sunni organisations like Al-Badr, Jaish-e-Mohamad, Lashkar-e-Taiba and so forth. 

History repeats itself in Kashmir as soon as once more, whereby future of straightforward Kashmiri was determined by extremely radicalised Pakistani Punjabi. The promised independence of Kashmiri just isn’t on Pakistani agenda.

Is it not ironical that each one selections taken by Pakistan, since its inception, about Kashmir has resulted in nothing however acute ache, destruction and miseries to Kashmiris? 

Conclusion

If the standing of minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, even Shias in present-day Pakistan is a parameter, would Sufi-inspired Muslims of J&Ok match into Pakistan’s feudal, tribal, Sunni-dominant and military-dominated polity? India however is secular and takes delight in assimilating individuals from all faiths, caste and creed.

 

About the Author:  (Brig RK Bhatia (Retd) has had an illustrious profession within the elite Intelligence Corps of the Indian Army for over three many years. During his total span of service, he undertook operations pertaining to intelligence acquisition, counter-intelligence, counter-insurgency, and intelligence investigations. He had the privilege of efficiently finishing 5 tenures every within the Northern and Eastern Sectors in several ranks.)