How rattled Pakistan began invading Jammu and Kashmir in 1947 (The Invasion)

Division of India on communal lines and creation of Pakistan in August 1947 left an everlasting impact on the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Seeing Jammu and Kashmir more inclined towards India for accession made Pakistan unable to digest the reality, so Pakistan army joined hands with the local tribesman to invade J&K. The tribal invasion sponsored by Pakistan came as a surprise to Indian people and the government and it was repulsed by the Indian Armed forces at a heavy cost.

 

 

To unravel nefarious designs of Pakistan who to usurp Jammu and Kashmir, butchered thousands of Hindus and Sikhs by it’s army and occupied one third of it’s territory illegally, we are bringing here a series of articles to put forth the real facts and figures which have been derived from the book ( The History of Operations in Jammu and Kashmir 1947-48).

 

 

 

About the beginning of September 1947, Pakistani army along with tribesmen began raiding from Pakistan into the border areas of the State of J&K. On 3 September, a band of Pakistani army in guise of raiders, several hundred strong, attacked the village of Kotha, 27 km south-east of Jammu, and, when chased by troops of the State army, fled back into Pakistan. At the same time, another band of 500 raiders armed with service rifles of .303 calibre attacked some Hindu refugees and the State petrol reservoir at Chak Haria, 10 km south of Samba.

 

 

On 4 September, General Scott wired to the State government at Srinagar, "Reliable reports state that on the 2nd and 3rd September, 1947, a band of up to 400 armed Sattis-Muslim residents mainly in Kahuta Tehsil of Rawalpindi district- -were infiltrating into the State over the river Jhelum from Pakistan in the area of Owen, eleven miles (18 km) east of Kahuta. Their purpose is looting and attacking minority communities in the State.”

 

 

 

Raids continued, with Pak Army patrols intruding into the State on 6 September and 13 September. On 17 September, a band of 400 armed raiders was met about 19 km south-east of Ranbirsinghpura and retreated into Pakistan after exchanging fire with the State's armed police. On 22 September, further raids were reported from a place 10 km south-east of Samba. In the area of Poonch also, trouble continued, and the State forces were compelled to deal with it with a heavy hand. Raids continued till October.

 

 

On 10 October, more raids took place in the Jammu area, and during the night of 11/12 October, 500 armed raiders crossed the river Jhelum from Hazara and entered the Poonch area. The raiders were not only better armed now, but were frequently assisted by batches of men in Pakistan Army's uniform. Light machine guns and communication by wireless had begun to appear in the raider bands, while their probes over a wide arc of the frontier succeeded in splitting up the State Force into penny-packets strung out all along the border. The State's army was being gradually immobilised, and its capacity for coherent strategic action destroyed.

 

 

 

 

The stage was being set for the open invasion of Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan. The State troops were now in action against hordes of well-armed Pakistani army all along the Pakistan border south and west of Poonch, Fort Owen had to be evacuated by the State troops on 15 October, the Kotli-Poonch road was breached, and heavy concentrations of the Pakistani raiders and bitter exchanges of fire were going on around Bhimbar, Mirpur and Mangla. Agitated Hindus of Poonch reported grave danger from the Pakistani raiders and praying for quick reinforcements to save the situation.

 

 

 

Unaware of Pakistan’s nefarious plans-of attacking Kashmir, before anything could be done in response to the prayers of Poonch residents by the state administration, all hell was let loose in the Kashmir Valley by the Pakistanis.

 

 

The invasion of the Kashmir Valley from Pakistan was planned with meticulous care and showed considerable strategic and tactical insight. The plan was first to split up the State's army into tiny groups by means of hit-and-run attacks all along the long frontier with Pakistan. In trying to control these apparently uncoordinated attacks, the defending force was compelled to distribute itself into garrisons of platoon strength spread very thin indeed along the entire southern frontier. The terrain was hilly and communications primitive, so this distribution of the State army into innumerable tiny garrisons meant that it ceased to exist as a strong cohesive force able to offer battle to any strong invader anywhere along the frontier. The defending army was thus hamstrung most effectually. Vicious communal propaganda, at the same time, was turned in full blast at the State, and the Muslims in the frontier areas and in the State army were incited to rebel against the Hindu Maharaja and to murder their neighbours of the minority community.

 

 

The main invasion was planned and launched by the Army Headquarters of Pakistan and was called"Operation Gulmarg'.

 

 

With passions aflame, lawlessness rampant and authority para-lysed, the Pakistani army in raiders guise struck. Thousands of tribals swarmed across the frontier, and, like a mighty flood, spread deep inside the State by everv bridle-road and mountain track. Orders were issued through DO letters marked Personal/Top Secret and signed personally by the British C-in-C of the Pakistan Army, within a few days of Pakistan coming into existence. The Brigade Commanders at these places were to issue them arms, ammunition and some essential items of clothings, on paper showing these issues against some Pakistan Army units. Each Tribal Lashkar was also to be provided with a Major, a Captain and ten JCOs of the regular Pakistan Army. The Major was to be the actual commander of the Lashkar and act as the 'adviser' of the tribal Malik nominally in command of the unit. The Captain was to act as staff officer, while each of the ten JCOs was to be in charge of a company or group of the Lashkar. These Pakistan regulars were to be Pathans, and to dress and live exactly like the other Pathans in the Lashkar. The entire force was to be commanded by Maj-Gen Akbar Khan, who was given the code name Tarig. He was to be assisted by Brigadier Sher Khan. Their HQ was located in the same building as the C-in-C of the Pakistan Army, and Gen Sir Frank Messervy was, of course, privy to the whole plan.8

 

 

 

 

 

They were to be moved in civil buses which had been commandeered for this task, all moves taking place only at night. A separate area 16 km outside Abbottabad was earmarked for the Lashkars and no civilians or unauthorised persons

 

 

The broad outline of the operational plan was for six Lashkars to advance along the main road from Muzaffarabad to Srinagar via Domel, Uri and Baramula, with the specific task of capturing the aerodrome and subsequently advancing to the Banihal Pass. Two Lashkars were to advance from the Haji Pir Pass direct on to Gulmarg, thereby securing the right flank of the main force advancing from Muzaffarabad. A similar force of two Lashkars was to advance from Tithwal through the Nastachhun Pass for capturing Sopore, Handwara and Bandipur. Another force of 10 Lashkars was to operate in the Punch, Bhimbar and Rawalkot area with the intention of capturing Punch and Rajauri and then advancing to Jammu. In the overall plan, arrangements were made for the detailing of guides/informers from the so-called Azad Army, to all these tribal Lashkars on a very liberal scale. A minimum of four guides per company were to be attached before leaving Muzaffarabad.

 

 

The D day for Operation Gulmarg was fixed as 22 October 1947 on which date the various Lashkars were to cross into Jammu and Kashmir territory. 7 Infantry Division of Pak Army was to concentrate in area Murree-Abbottabad by last light 21 October and was ordered to be ready to move immediately into Jammu and Kashmir territory to back up the tribal Lashkars and consolidate their hold on the Valley. One infantry brigade was also held in readiness at Sialkot to move on to Jammu."

 

 

 

Early in the morning of 22 October, the main column of the raiders crossed the frontier from Garhi Habibullah and attacked Muzaffarabad.

 

 

 

The traitors of the 4 K.I. holding the outposts at Lohar Gali and Ramkot, joined the raiders, gave them the fullest information about the strength and disposition of the defending troops and helped them to send sufficient force against each picquet of the defenders. Muzaffara-bad was given over to the fire and sword before its sleeping citizens could realize what had happened. The Dogra picquets, particularly the MMG section located on a high ground in the School area north of the city, fought with desperate gallantry and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. But they were engulfed in the tidal wave of the raiders who pressed on to the Domel bridge. At Domel, Lt-Col Narain Singh was startled by the sudden bursts of firing and shouting in Muzaffarabad and learnt of the attack from a wounded sepoy who had managed to flee from there. Within minutes of this news, however, his own headquarters was attacked by the raiders, and the Muslim troops at Domel also co-operated with the enemy. The Adjutant, Captain Ram Singh, was killed as he ran to unlock the "kot" (armoury). The Battalion Headquarters and the mortar platoon fought tenaciously the whole day, suffering and inflicting heavy casualties. At night fall, about 15 exhausted and wounded men who, with the commanding officer, had survived the day's battle, crept out of their positions and took to the hills. They were never heard of again.

 

 

Similar was the story of the other outposts and detachments. All fought desperately against overwhelming odds and then slipped out of their untenable positions during the hours of darkness. The MMG section at Muzaffarabad, under Havildar Bishan Singh, managed to retreat into the hills, and reached Srinagar after terrible privations many days later. The detachment at Battika was captured while retreating.

 

 

The men were disarmed, stripped naked, except for their under-garments, led to the river bank, lined up and shot dead. Another detachment at Kotli also managed to retreat safely to Uri along with some 500 refugees, beating off several enemy attacks on the way. The detachment under Lt Labh Singh at Kohala retreated from there on 25 October and reached safety at Bagh (near Punch) on 31 October escorting some 9,000 refugees. On the way they had several stiff encounters with the enemy, but the single coy of Dogras overcame every opposition by spirited attacks. It was a glorious saga of heroism, loyalty and fighting skill. It is interesting though not surprising to note, incidentally, that at Kohala two British officers had come from Pakistan and tried to persuade the State troops to surrender before the raiders attacked.

 

 

 

 

 

The defenders under Brigadier Rajendra Singh dug in at Uri. Soon the raiders arrived and launched wave after wave of attack, supported by LMGs, MMGs and mortars. After fighting for several hours, the defenders fell back to Mahura during the night of 24/25 October. There the fight continued on 25 October, and the handful of defenders held the overwhelming enemy force at bay the whole day. The raiders redoubled their attacks on 26 October and managed to reach within 45 metres of the defenders' positions; but there they were halted and could make no progress the whole day. By then Brigadier Rajendra Singh's small force was running short of ammunition and it feared encirclement. During the night of 26-27 October, therefore, the defenders retreated towards Baramulla. In the course of this retreat, a number of roadblocks were encountered and cleared after stiff engagements. The tiny band, however, was being steadily decimated by casualties, and finally it came to a roadblock covered with intense enemy fire. There the gallant band fought and perished almost to the last man. Brigadier Rajendra Singh was himself killed fighting bravely. He was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra for his supreme gallantry and devotion to duty. He and his handful of men had held up thousands of the enemy for four most valuable days and thus undoubtedly saved the entire valley of Kashmir from sack and pillage by the raiders.

 

 

The raiders pressed on. They entered the prosperous town of Baramula in the evening of 26 October 1947.12 The place was promptly given over to plunder and rapine. Hindus and Sikhs were hunted down and killed; their houses looted and then burnt. Young women were forcibly abducted and carried off without distinction of colour, caste or creed, to be sold like cattle in the streets of Rawalpindi and Peshawar, or to live and die as slaves in the mountain fastnesses of the distant tribal territory. A Kashmiri Muslim patriot, Magbool Sherwani, was shot dead in the public square for professing to treat Hindus and Sikhs as his brothers. An Englishman, Col Dykes, and several of his assistants running the Missionary Hospital in Baramula, were also shot dead-for what crime is still not known. 13 Terror stalked the streets of the quaint little town. The inhabitants, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims alike, left all their earthly possessions and fled to the hills. The deserted streets lay silent, echoing only to the rattle of the raiders' nailed boots as they threaded their way between the corpses strewn around. A thick pall of smoke hung over the ravaged city, and flames from burning houses cast a lurid glare over burnt out shells of what had been prosperous shops and smiling homes. With many young girls and much treasure now in their possession, the raiders gloated over their good fortune.

 

 

Yet in their success lay the seeds of their doom. For in the savage excitement of looting and raping, the ultimate goal of the 'Holy War' was forgotten. Each man tried to grab as much wealth or as many girls as he could, and for the moment refused to be bothered with the 'infidel' Maharaja at Srinagar or the 'liberation of the oppressed Muslims' of Kashmir. Many of the Pakistani army raiders, loaded with loot, turned back for home, and responded to their officers' expostulations by saying that they would be back soon after depositing their treasure in security. The advance on Srinagar was thus held up for a few days, and they proved crucial. For in Delhi, hundreds of kms from stricken Baramula, it had at last been decided to save Kashmir in its hour of peril, and the Indian Army was ordered to step into the breach. Even as the barbaric raiders were satisfying their greed and lust in Baramula, transport planes full of Indian troops were winging their way through the azure autumn skies, destination Srinagar.