PAKISTAN’S INVASION ON J&K (1947-48) - UNTOLD STORIES OF VICTIMS: Dr Ramesh Tamiri - Deepak Budki – Deepak BudkiUNTOLD STORIES OF VICTIMS, Author: Dr Ramesh Tamiri; Book Review: Deepak Budki

 

PAKISTAN’S INVASION ON J&K (1947-48) -

UNTOLD STORIES OF VICTIMS: 

Dr Ramesh Tamiri

                                                    – Deepak Budki

The book titled ’Pakistan’s Invasion on J&K (1947-48)-Untold Stories of Victims’ is a well-researched and authentic book on the trials and tribulations undergone by Hindu and Sikh communities at the time of partition, more so in the areas now under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. The book is divided into five parts, in addition to the introduction: Pakistan Invasion, Muzzaffarabad District, Jammu Region, Baltistan, and Gilgit Region. As is evident, the developments in each sector have been dealt with separately. 

The author, Dr Ramesh Tamiri, is an ophthalmologist by profession who developed an interest in literature and later in history, with a focus on his own state. While studying literature, he was enamoured of the famous Urdu short story writer Sa’adat Hasan Manto, who wrote many captivating stories about the Partition and whose works have been translated into Hindi and English. While learning history, Tamiri had to study a large number of books on history and research methodology. He belongs to Kashmir and was forced to migrate from the valley to Jammu in 1990 by the Jehadi wave that swept the valley and resulted in persecution and exodus of his community from the valley. His first book was titled ‘Painting and Theatre in Kashmir; Suraj Tiku’s Journey’, which encompassed the life and works of the great watercolour painter from Kashmir. The book also contains many photos of paintings by Suraj Tiku. The present book is the fruit of 23 years of his research on the subject, comprising the study of innumerable primary and secondary resources, the collection of oral evidence and as many as 450 interviews. Though no eyewitnesses were available yet, information was collected from people who were related to people killed or imprisoned during that period and had heard stories from them. Moreover, the book contains many rare photographs of people who faced persecution at the hands of the Pakistan army and the tribals (Qabailis). Many of these photographs depict the pain and suffering that the people in the area endured.

As per the author, Pakistan’s objective was complete ethnic cleansing of the minorities living in the areas conquered by them, resulting in the killing of 38,000 Hindus and Sikhs besides plunder and rapine. On the contrary, the Indian and J&K Governments had prior knowledge about the attack planned by Pakistan on the Jammu & Kashmir state, but they looked the other way. Pakistan had meticulously prepared several alternative plans and plotted to kill the Maharaja of J&K before October 27. M A Jinnah and Liaqat Ali Khan were very much aware of the situation, and so were General Gracy, Sir Francois Mudie, Governor of Punjab, Sir George Cunningham and General Messervy. The British Officers in charge of different areas collaborated with the Pakistan Army. They planned to induce desertions of Muslim soldiers in the J&K army, secure voluntary recruits amongst the retired personnel of INA and J&K Army and arouse Kashmiri Muslims in different areas through religious indoctrination for internal disruption, violence, killings and looting, besides abduction and rape of innocent women. The conversion of surviving non-Muslims in the areas under their control was also carried out. Even the doctors were not spared, though the Pakistan Army often called for their services. In Shigar, the Pakistan Army had sought the services of a doctor from the Kashmiri Pandit community, which was put in verse by Mrs Tiku in a satirical way because Muslims, who were eliminating Hindus, wanted a Hindu Doctor to save their lives. The verse was recalled by her daughter Indira:

Pakistan aav order,                   (Order received from Pakistan)

Gatchi aasun Doctor;                (We need a doctor)

Drav mazhab futraevith,            (He went ignoring his own faith)

Haal baevith kus haekha.         (Who do I narrate my woes to?)

The bodies of victims, dead or alive, were thrown into the Kishen Ganga and other rivers flowing in such areas. Even after the ceasefire was announced, the Pakistan army disregarded all international covenants on the treatment of POWs and refugees. Unfortunately, their plan was facilitated by the low-density dispersion of J&K forces across the state, which J&K Army Officers had knowingly engineered before deserting the army.

Nevertheless, the rest of the J&K forces who continued to hold allegiance to the Maharaja, though in small numbers and the Sikhs put on a great resistance against the bestial tribal raiders as revealed by

Sachwant Singh of Kotli. Brig Gansara Singh fought valiantly in Gilgit till his capture by Pakistani forces. Many Sikhs preferred drowning to conversion. Pakistan Army sent Pakhtoon tribal raiders called ‘Qabailis’ in common parlance to make advances into J&K territory and conquer as many areas as they could. Temples, especially the famous Sharda temple, Gurudwaras and Havelis were targeted by them since non-Muslims took refuge in such places. Logistics, especially the supply of arms and training, were ensured by the Pakistan Army. The Pakistan Government, on the other hand, enforced an economic blockade on J&K 

which resulted in a complete salt shortage in the valley despite the standstill agreement.

It is also evident from the book that the Maharaja’s delay in signing the instrument of accession and opting for a standstill agreement with both India and Pakistan ultimately proved a disaster. The situation was further worsened by Nehru’s reluctance, later on, to accept the request of the Maharaja for accession to India because of his insistence upon making Sheikh Abdullah a party to the accession and transfer of power to the latter without any conditions, which caused an unprecedented delay in the matter. Had the request been accepted as and when received and the Indian army dispatched in time, J&K would not have seen the colossal bloodshed that was eventually witnessed. Worse still, going to UNO and accepting a premature ceasefire when more than half of J&K, besides Gilgit-Baltistan, was under the illegal occupation of Pakistan was a Himalayan blunder. The part of J&K that remains with Pakistan is known as  POK.

The violence in Poonch started as early as August 1947, in which veterans were involved, and a regular attack was launched on 21-22 October 1947, which instantly spread all over the western border right up to Baramulla. Col Akbar Khan, alias General Tariq, was in command of the tribal raiders, which included Sudans of Poonch and Rajputs of Mirpur. The areas affected were Muzzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Basnade, Dera Amborje, Naluchi, Kohala, Ramkot, Domel, Radoo, Geru, Rajouri, Thanamandi, Budhal, Dandakote, Chattibatti, Chasna, Sanote, Daraji, Gangauti, Skardu, Khaplu, Shigar, Drass, Leh, Gilgit, Astore, Bhunji, Chillas, etc. There were thousands of Hindu and Sikh merchants in these areas. Kashmiri Pandits were mostly employed in the State. 

Government offices such as revenue, excise, education, power, police and the army. The majority of locals helped the raiders and indulged in arson, loot and plunder of the hapless Hindus and Sikhs. In Ladakh, people, especially the Young Men’s Buddhist Association, put up a brave resistance against the invaders. 

It was only on 27 October 1947 that the Indian Army landed in Srinagar and advanced towards Baramulla, making the tribals, who had by this time reached Shalteng at a distance of 20 kilometres from Srinagar city, retreat. The raiders had aimed to take control of the Airfield. Besides thwarting their aim, the Indian Army fought many battles during its advance. 

The USA and the UK took a keen interest in the Kashmir issue and backed the Pakistan side as they had a vested interest in retaining hold of the Gilgit agency to contain the influence of the USSR. Mr G K Reddy, the then correspondent of ‘Kashmir Times’, exposed the developments at that time. He was fortunate to escape to Mumbai later. Many Kashmiri Pandits had unflinching faith in the local people, as is seen by their reply to B N Sapru’s suggestion that they leave their homes before Pakistanis come, “Last time when Kabayalis came, the villagers kept us in their homes.” Eventually, betrayals by locals were reported, e.g. in the case of B N Sapru, betrayed by G N Wani, the guide. In Rajouri, Lala Anant Ram Kaila & his son, Dr Virender Kumar Gupta, had a narrow escape. Many Hindus and Sikhs poisoned their families before facing raiders or drowning themselves in the rivers nearby. 

The clouds, however, had a silver lining too. Sheikh Abdullah’s supporters did not cooperate with the raiders and saved many non-muslims. Similarly, some conscientious Muslims rescued many Hindus and Sikhs and helped them cross over to safer areas even at the risk of their lives. Thekedar Abdul Aziz of Dutiyal Camp and Sonaullah Dar proved messiahs for them. RSS played a great role in arming poor Hindus and Sikhs for self-defence and rescuing many of them, especially in areas like Rajouri. Finally, after the Nehru-Liaquat Agreement, the exchange of POWs and civilian hostages took place from May 25, 1950, onwards. The Red Cross Society, too, rescued many people and repatriated them to India through Wagah and Ferozepur. Kashmiri Pandits who reached Kashmir had to face unthinkable situations. Many of them had been suspended, and salaries were not paid. A few of them were not given their jobs back on the pretext that they had absconded from their duties. In one case, Sheikh Abdullah had to intervene personally because he knew the man. 

In a nutshell, the book is an authentic reference document about the events that happened in the J&K state at the time of Partition in 1947, especially the persecution of the Hindu and Sikh community, which could have been avoided had the Maharaja and the Indian Government decided in time. In collecting the data, the author has put in a lot of hard work, which is appreciated. My good wishes to the author.  

*****

  

Ten Inches Of Land; (English Short Story); Author: Deepak Budki; Translator: Jawahar Lal Bhat.

Ten Inches Of Land; (English Short Story)

  Author: Deepak Budki

 Translator: Jawahar Lal Bhat

Money, Land, and Women are the roots of all troubles, thus goes an old adage. In the present context, the issue is land and that too just about ten inches in width. You will surely be astonished how a piece of land as little as ten inches can be the cause of a major dispute? To know the truth, please bear with me and follow me to the end.

The story is about two cousins, Gidhari Lal and Jawahar Lal, who lived in two adjacent houses inherited from common ancestors. Both the houses were more than a century old, built with mud and old tile-like bricks called Maharaja bricks in local parlance. The walls of the houses had weathered and dilapidated with time and a lot of dust had settled in the crevices while the thatched roofs bound by mud had mosses and wild herbs growing on them. They had decayed and cracked at many places and leaked during rains and snowfall. In the olden days there used to be an entry gate on the backside of Jawahar Lal's house on the ground floor which directly opened onto the back lane but with the passage of time the house slowly sunk into the ground and on the other hand level of the lane kept gradually rising during successive repairs leaving no traces of the gate whatsoever. The ground floor turned into an underground basement for storage of winter fuel. Though there was a large courtyard in front of the house yet it was never used because the exit point belonged to the cousin. On the contrary, access to the house of Girdhari Lal was from the front side which opened in his courtyard and was connected directly to the front lane leading to the road. However there were no walls built, no barriers installed. After the main inbuilt gate of the house of Jawahar Lal became nonexistent, the inmates of his house had no other way to come in or go out of their house except through the corner of Girdhari Lal's courtyard which over a period of time became a thoroughfare. The very thought that his private land was being used as a thoroughfare made Girdhari Lal feel ill at ease.

To overcome his inner strife he would often announce with pride that the entire land that extended up to the front lane belonged to him and he would be within his right to stop its usage by anyone except his own family. Interestingly in the heart of hearts, he was aware that given an opportunity he would not be able to do so since long usage of the land for trespass had legally jeopardized his right to its ownership. People had in fact forgotten that the land belonged to anyone yet Girdhari Lal would not let his ownership be questioned.

Notwithstanding the present conflict had arisen as a result of something else. To be honest it takes no time for a new issue to crop up between neighbors, be it individuals or countries. Luckily Girdhari Lal enjoyed considerable prosperity in terms of money and other fortunes so the envy of neighbors was a natural outcome. Had he been a citizen of some western country he would have taken his wife and children on tours around the world showing them different interesting places besides enjoying his holidays on distant seashores but eastern traditions only coaxed him to fill his coffers so that his children and grandchildren do not face any difficulties in future. It is a tragedy that in the east we spend our lifetime only thinking about the security of our future generations. Our special concerns center around making good houses, acquiring vehicles for movement, arranging for lavish marriages of sons and daughters, and if age further permits, cherishing the desire to see our grandchildren grow up and get happily married. With such a cultural background, going on tours and travels is regarded as a mere wastage of time and money. Girdhari Lal also followed the same tradition meticulously. As a first step, he planned to reconstruct his house. The intention seemed more to show off his wealth before his neighbors especially his cousin than to make himself comfortable with a house provided with all modern amenities of life.

The municipal laws of this city are strange. If you want to rebuild your house after dismantling the old structure, you have to part with almost one-fourth of the plot of your land by surrendering additional margins alongside roads or lanes bordering your plot. Under the law, you have to provide at least ten feet wide space on every side facing adjoining lane or road which means a major chunk of your land is gone. But human ingenuity knows no bounds. To save one's precious land, people rebuild their dilapidated houses by parts starting from the ground floor without dismantling the whole structure. It is a great feat worth watching how the whole project is executed. First, only the ground floor is dismantled while the rest of the building is supported by numerous wooden props. The dismantled floor is reconstructed without disturbing the upper floors until it touches the old structure. The upper floors remain intact on props till the ground floor is reconstructed to support it again. Then after waiting for some months, preferably till onset of the favorable season, the first floor, in turn, is dismantled in a similar manner as the ground floor and is rebuilt after supporting the second floor on wooden props. The whole process is repeated until the entire house is rebuilt. As per law this process comes under the purview of renovation of the old structure and cannot be termed as new construction. And this is how intelligent people escape the dragnet of law. 

Girdhari Lal also followed the same procedure for rebuilding his ancestral house. When he started reconstruction of the ground floor, many an eyebrow was raised in the neighborhood. The adjoining walls of two houses of the cousins had initially been kissing each other with no gap in between but with the passage of time and tilting of walls due to movements of the earth during the past century a narrow cleft of about ten inches wide had appeared in between them. The issue, therefore, arose as to which of the two walls had tilted to one side and the gap created and who should be deemed as the real owner of this space. The mason used a plumb line to straighten the wall being reconstructed which narrowed the gap. After observing the mason was trying to take in the ten inches gap on his side, Jawahar Lal flared up and raised a big ruckus, “You cannot usurp this space which is legally mine. It has been created because the wall of my house has leaned the other way, so it belongs to me. I won’t allow it.”

“This space is created because our wall is inclined, so nobody can stop me from raising the wall,” Girdhari Lal rebuffed and signaled his mason to continue his work. In fact, it was very difficult to judge immediately whose wall had sloped sideways and created this gap. Even expert masons could not say it with certainty who among the two had a right on this space. Since the space created in between the walls was not a significant one, just ten inches wide to be exact, a bit of understanding and goodwill from both sides could have easily solved the problem through negotiations but both sides were hell-bent upon making it an issue and showing each other down. Thus a small affair snowballed into a big dispute.   

In no time the women of the two households joined the melee and raised great hue and cry by abusing each other at a very high pitch. This was followed by men who too joined their womenfolk and used most foul swearing words against their rivals. Such was the display of their moral degradation from both sides that the expletives exchanged included dirtiest vilifications targeting each other's daughters who the other day were treated as their own kith and kin. Jawahar Lal collected many influential people of the vicinity to protest against the high handedness of his cousin Girdhari Lal but could not get any favorable decision. On the other hand, Girdhari Lal was confident of the power of his muscle and money so he directed the masons to continue their work without fear. He employed the masons overnight paying them handsomely and ensured that the wall was raised in full before sunrise because he apprehended that Jawahar Lal might get a stay order from the court early next day.

Jawahar Lal braved the shock anyhow but was soon overcome by serious restlessness so much so that his nights passed without sleep and days without rest. After a few days, he suddenly woke up with a novel idea that would settle the issue in his favor for all times to come. He immediately went out of his house and purchased some digging tools from the market. The same night he started digging a hole in his own wall on the first floor which was adjacent to Girdhari Lal’s wall. His kitchen was there and he directed the exhaust pipe of his kitchen through this hole to make it into a chimney. The neighbors especially Girdhari Lal had to bear the brunt of the deafening sound of the strikes of hammers and pickaxes throughout the night. Girdhari Lal kept wondering what was going on but was helpless. He could not make out the reason and purpose of the noise. Before the morning twilight, Jawahar Lal engaged a mason to permanently fix the exhaust pipe of the chimney so as to direct the smoke through the hole into the gap between the two houses. As Girdhari Lal woke up he was astonished to see the smoke coming out through the space between two houses. He soon understood the trick played by his cousin who had directed the chimney outlet through the gap between the two houses as a permanent measure. He raised loud protests but they had no effect on Jawahar Lal. Here again, the law was exploited for personal gain. According to the existing laws, now that chimney had become a permanent feature, a mandatory two feet gap had to be left for free exhaust of the chimney smoke while raising the first floor and second-floor walls on that side unless the court declared the chimney to be illegal.

Simultaneously Jawahar Lal got a stay order from the court of law restricting Girdhari Lal from making any further additions or alterations in his house till such time the case is decided. Girdhari Lal had to stop all work since he could not even lay an additional brick on his house which he had started with great zeal and enthusiasm. Ten years passed by and no decision came from the court on this issue. The partially rebuilt house of Girdhari Lal presented a pitiable sight like a paralyzed organism. There was no way out visible in the near future. The hostility between the two cousins related by blood continued with ill will and bitterness growing every passing day on both sides. Whenever the two cousins or their family members crossed one another by chance somewhere on the roadside or market or temple they preferred to turn their faces the other way though out of curiosity would look at one another with oblique glances. Nobody would attend any important event in another's house, good or bad, such as birthdays, marriages, or even occurrences of death. Cousins of yesterday related by blood had turned foes of today and the reason for this hostility was just ten inches of land.

 ******

Kenchuli, کینچلی : (Urdu); Afsana; Short Story; افسانہ

Kenchuli, کینچلی (Urdu)

 Afsana; Short Story; افسانہ 

                                    

Manto on Partition: (English); Translated from Urdu

  Manto on Partition: (English)

(Translated from Urdu)

14th August was celebrated when I was in Bombay. Both Pakistan and India had been declared independent. People were immensely happy yet killings and arson did not stop. Cries of Pakistan Zindabad(Long live Pakistan) along side of Hindustan zindabad (Long live India) rent the air. One could see the Congress Tricolour as also the Islamic flag hoisted side by side. People shouted slogans in favour of both Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Qaid Azam Mohd Ali Jinnah in bazars as well as on roads. A person was at a loss to understand whether he belonged to India or Pakistan and whose blood was it that was continuously flowing on the streets? Where would those carcasses be buried or cremated whose sacred religious flesh had been eaten away by the carnivorous beasts? Now that we were free who would be our slaves? When we were slaves we used to think about freedom, now that we are free it would be unimaginable to think what slavery looks like. Yet the question arises whether we are really free or not? Both  Hindus and Muslims are being killed mercilessly in large numbers. How and Why...? These questions have different answers - the Indian answer, the Pakistani answer, and the English answer. Every one has an answer but fact remains if one tried to find out the real truth no answer could satisfy. Some one says you can find an answer in the ruins of Indian Mutiny. Another person does not agree and says that you can find an answer in the rule of East India Company. A third person moves further backwards in History and seeks an answer in the Mughal rule. Every one is going back into the past while only Criminals and Vandals are moving  ahead rapidly to write a bloody history of iron and blood which will be matchless in the entire history of mankind.

India has attained freedom. Pakistan too has come into existence immediately after being declared free. Still, however, the man in both these countries remains a slave...slave of prejudice....slave of religious fundamentalism....slave of bestiality and barbarianism.