It all started when Nehru, the Interim Prime Minister, and Vallabhbhai Patel embarked on a mission to unite all princely states to form the Indian Union. In order to be a part of Independent India, every princely state had to sign an Instrument of Accession and a Merger agreement.
The task to bring all princely state together under one Umbrella was like a mountain to climb. But with Nehru’s Diplomatic approach and Vallabhbhai’s Charisma, it was made possible and is now a part of history. However the Hyderabad Nizams and Kashmiri Maharaja had different thoughts. They rather opted to be independent.
Not delving deeper into the history of negotiations between Indian union and Hyderabadi Nizams. We will discuss about Kashmir and the conspiracy that had impacted the valley which is still raging since 70 years.
Quit Kashmir Movement in 1946
In 1946, the National Conference, headed by Sheikh Abdulla, launched the Quit Kashmir movement against Maharaja Hari Singh. However the movement didn’t gather the momentum and support that Sheikh had hoped for. Soon Sheikh was sentenced to 9 years of imprisonment for leading the rebel against the state authority.
After Sheikh’s exit, Nehru arrived in Kashmir to consolidate and support the declining position of Quit Kashmir movement. Nehru fostered the Muslim league and extended his support. But this incident didn’t please Maharaja Hari Singh who criticized Nehru for defending Sheikh in court and fuelling the movement. Nehru was arrested and sent back. This had badly hurt Nehru’s EGO.
AZAD Kashmir Movement
In 1947, when India gained Independence, Kashmir still had ongoing Standstill agreement. This agreement meant that Kashmir is still to decide whether they want to be a sovereign state or accede to Pakistan or India. On the other hand, Pakistan had mixed feeling on Kashmir. Some argued that Kashmir would accede to Pakistan since it has Muslim majority population. However some had concerns regarding Kashmir Maharaja’s inclination towards India, being a Hindu himself.
This mixed feeling left Pakistan in an agitated state. Notwithstanding any further, Pakistan decided to conquer the valley through militancy. Tribals along with Pakistani troops invaded Kashmir in thousands. The militants were ruthless in an attempt to conquer Kashmir, killing thousands of peoples and having no mercy towards even females and children.
The militants were gushing towards Srinagar with a Campaign “AZAD KASHMIR” which means free Kashmir. Even the major percentage of Kashmir army betrayed Maharaja Hari Singh and joined AZAD KASHMIR campaign. This whole incidence shook Maharaja upside down. Fearing defeat at the hand of Pakistani militants, Maharaja approached India for army support.
Nehru Denied Support
After several approaches from Maharaja Hari Singh, Nehru kept denying any support to Kashmir as they were not the part of India. Nehru was straight forward not to have any negotiations with Maharaja. Rather Nehru demanded Sheikh’s release from the exile and be placed as the prime minister of Kashmir before coming to any negotiation.
Maharaja, having left with no alternates, had to concede to destiny and release Sheikh. Sheikh and Lord Mountbatten went to visit Nehru to negotiate on his behalf for rescuing Kashmir from the very brutal Pakistani militants.
Instrument of Accession
Nehru fulfilled his EGO by demanding Sheikh’s release and placing him as Prime Minister of Kashmir. This was completely a one sided affair thus fulfilling the long running Quit Kashmir movement. Instrument of Accession (IOA) was signed on 26 October 1947 which assigns India the power to control only matter related to Communication, External Affairs and Defense.
1947 War: India and Pakistan
Indian Army was sent in thousands to combat the invaders and push them out of Kashmir’s territory. The war stretched over a year and Indian Army tasted success on many fronts. However, Nehru took a different approach to bring an end to the war. He approached United Nations to mediate between India and Pakistan. United Nation Council set up the commission (UNCIP) and passed Resolution 47. This resolution imposed immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of military forces from both parties. As a part of ceasefire, Pakistan was able to capture major part of Kashmir.
The so called ceasefire is also referred as “LOC” Line of Control. The LOC formed the military control line between India and Pakistan.
Did Nehru betray the trust of millions of Indians?
Well, I will be honest enough to express my thoughts as i prefer calling a “Spade a spade”. Several instances point fingers to the Nehru clan of playing with the emotions of Indians and turning the tides in their favour. Let’s take a look at the following that throw light on the claims sheepishly made by several people!
- Why did Nehru approach United Nation when the Indian Army was on the brink of pushing back the Pakistani out of Kashmir’s territory? Honestly, there is still no reasonable answer to this as of today and the whole incident does smell like a big conspiracy.
- Kashmir Accession to Indian Union was an unconditional access. Then how come India landed into agreement that granted India access only to External Affairs, Communication and Defense? If Sheikh had his judgement over the agreement, then Nehru was the mastermind? Why there wasn’t any Merger Agreement?
- Why Did Nehru denied support to Maharaja Hari Singh request whereas India was doing every bit to unite all princely state under one Indian union. In such case, Nehru Denial does point to some kind of conspiracy he was lobbying with Sheikh.
There are several such Betrayal Stories by Nehru and his Family post Independence too. Nehru and Family kept Kashmir under violence for self interest and Vote bank. Kashmiris were never able to get out of the misery that had become a flashpoint for the terrorists.