Accession Actors....Page 4 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2019 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine Synthesis of Accession...Page 3 HISTORICAL OCTOBER Journey from Accession to Integration Daily Excelsior takes esteemed readers and an assurance from Sheikh Abdullah, Nehru declared his government's 'pledge' to 'hold a referendum under UN. Game back to the days when Jammu and Kashmir was set with both Nehru and India in trap and not surprising- -a princely State then acceded to India ly on January 31st, 1948 Hari Singh threatened to "withdraw the accession made to the Indian Union." Sheikh sensed that through Instrument of Accession (IOA) and made to make amends but emphasizing on the provision- on Oct 26, 1947 by presenting different al nature of the accession he tried to bargain. Both he and Nehru were opposed to Kashmir's accession to Pakistan, but perspectives on this historic development Nehru was opposed to its autonomy also. Nehru fought on both in this issue of the Sunday Magazine. -Editor fronts and created a mess. This politics leashed by Sheikh Abdullah along with Nehru and bitterness of Maharaja Hari Singh with both of them cre- Rajan Gandhi ated an ideal mess which Pakistan utilized to create a tangle which we are still not able to neutralize. Sheikh's initial stand Since August 5, 2019 all anomalies, discrimination, inequal- of public's popular rule turned into autonomy demand under ity, anti India activities, efforts to bleed India, sufferings of local changed circumstances of 1947 and the worst part is that population all have been set to rest once for all with the Central nationalist voices of people of Jammu remained irrelevant in Government's decision to abrogate Article 370 and 35A, but the whole process. It all started with the signing of Instrument journey from accession to India to full integration with India of Accession and with it Jammu's independent status ended on has not been easy at all for Jammu and Kashmir. J&K's delayed October 26th-27th, 1947. This Jammu Dogra ruled state, once accession created by circumstances and forced by compulsions the largest princely state with an area of 84,471 sq km - one of crafted a web in which whole nation got entangled ever since the four states that were given the highest "21-gun salute" sta- independence. It all started when our state witnessed succes- tus in recognition of its prestige during the British Empire. sive famines along with epidemics like cholera/plague from Gulab Singh, Dhruv Dev's direct descendant, was 16 years old 1877 to 1910 AD, which decimated quite a population. Harsh when Jammu was annexed to the Sikh Empire. Gulab Singh climate with difficult road connectivity created resentment and his two brothers, Dhyan Singh and Suchet Singh, went on among people. British authorities took advantage of this and to enroll with the Sikh forces and Gulab Singh soon distin- appointed Sir Olivier St. John as the first Resident as they guished himself in battle as such was awarded a Jagir near divested powers of Maharaja Pratap Singh after allegations of Jammu and he was also allowed to keep an independent army. treasonable correspondence with Russian authorities. All these After the conquest of Kishtwar (1821) and the subjugation of actions along with illiteracy fuelled a permanent discontent Rajouri, he was made a hereditary Raja of Jammu in 1822, between Muslim population and Dogra rulers. Meanwhile Maharaja would decide which dominion J & K would erwise. After this, Nehru took peculiar and adamant with an annual allowance of three lakh rupees. Everything Sheikh Abdullah after getting influenced by Aligarh Muslim join which increased the worries of Sheikh stand that Kashmir should accede to India worked fine under Dogra rule till the arrival of Sheikh University's Khilafat Movement and Indian National Abdullah as this would have meant no role but only after Sheikh Abdullah was Abdullah on political scene as he conspired with Jawahar Lal Movement led by Gandhiji, a "Fateh Kadal reading room party" for him post partition. Agitated Sheikh released. Mountbatten, who was still Nehru to dethrone Maharaja Hari Singh and thus one of the was crafted and Sheikh emerged as leader supported by denounced the Treaty of Amritsar Viceroy of British Government, vis- three preconditions of the Union of India for signing the acces- Mirwaiz Mohammad Yusuf Shah and Mirwaiz Hamdani. Trial and asked Maharaja Hari Singh to ited Kashmir from 18th to 23rd sion treaty with the Dogra ruler was the installation of the vir- of Abdul Qadeer resulted in 1931 communal riots after which All 'Quit Kashmir' and transfer sover- June, 1947 but he failed in per- ulently anti-Dogra-rule leader from the Kashmir Valley, Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference was formed in 1932. eignty to the people. A crack- suading Maharaja. Maharaja Sheikh Abdullah, as the "Prime Minister" and with it totally Mirwaiz Mohammad Yusuf Shah raised the banner of revolt A look down resulted and Sheikh still remained indecisive and unjustified assembly seats allocation. Later on, the chaos, con- and founded a new organization Azad Muslim Conference. Abdullah was arrested along finally three days before the tinued mishandling and the unsettled borders with our overen- Disobedience Movement in March 1933 was overshadowed by with other leaders of NC in transfer of power, he thusiastic hawk eyed neighbour Pakistan, ensured that the the sectarian clashes between the supporters of the two May. His lieutenants, Bakshi back at announced his intention of wounds suppurate to morph it into a full-fledged armed insur- Mirwaiz's of Kashmir. In 1934, first 75-seat assembly of state and Sadiq escaped to Delhi and signing a standstill agree- gency in the Kashmir Valley, driving the national attention and was formed and MC won majority of Muslim seats sidelining Nehru in June 1946 forcibly ment with both Pakistan and imagination, essentially towards the Kashmir Valley only Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah's party. On April 26, 1939 the General tried to enter J and K without India that would assure that always. That the Jammu division though at present having Council approved the resolution and recommended amend- permit, was subsequently Accession arrangements for trade, travel, more population as well as land area of 26 % as compared to ment in the name and constitution of MC which was renamed arrested and sent back creating communications and other 16% of land of Kashmir was further pushed to wall ensuring as National Conference (NC) to give it a secular outlook. further rift. On 10th September services would continue as with that the practical representation amongst the state lawmakers As the World War II broke, NC moved further closer to 1946 after sedition trial, Sheikh Days British India, Pakistan accepted it in a participative form of democracy further veered the focus Indian National Congress by formally endorsing INC's stand on Abdullah was convicted of treason, but India rejected it. disproportionately towards the Kashmir valley, as opposed to a war. Ghulam Abbas and Alla Rakh Sagar resigned on this from given three and a half years imprison- Rest of India became independent more equitably proportionate attention towards the perpetual- NC and revived MC in 1941 with Mirwaiz Yusuf Shah as their ment despite Nehru's best efforts to save his and things rolled out very fast as between ly neglected Jammu region. representative in Srinagar. This MC received its ideological sup- friend. August and October, a major local religion based Practically Kashmir Valley has been consistently accorded port from the Muslim League which by then had passed the On the other hand on 16th August 1946- MC celebrat- revolt against the Maharaja's authority developed among the lion's share of all investments, focus and priorities, with ed 'Azad Kashmir Day' with a Muslims in the North-Western state wide hartal call which result- Poonch area of Jammu. Pakistan ed in crack down on MC also and tried to put pressure on Choudhary Abbas joined his one Maharaja's administration to time friend turned foe Sheikh accede to Pakistan with supplies of Abdulaah in jail. Thus, far from commodities running short in ending the Dogra rule in the state, Kashmir as Pakistan blockaded both NC and MC were left leader- Rawalpandi road against standstill less and in disarray during the agreement with Pakistan. By 11th most important period of to 13th August 1947 partition vio- Kashmir's modern history. By lence erupted in Sialkot driving March 1947 communal fires were the surviving Hindus and Sikhs to set ablaze in Multan, Rawalpindi, Jammu and on 18th August 1947 Amritsar, Lahore, Campbellpur, in one of the worst train massacres Murree, Taxila and Attock forcing of the partition, Lohars and sealing of Kashmir-Punjab bor- Muslims of Nizamabad killed all der to ensure communal harmo- the Hindu and Sikh passengers of ny. Final drama of J&K unveiled Wazirabad-Jammu train. With as the leaders of the two domin- efforts of Sardar Patel, Sheikh ions started the process of inte- Abdullah was released on grating the States to their side. At September 29th after he assured this point Maharaja had three Maharaja "the fullest and loyal options; accept proposal of MC support." But Sheikh Abdullah and go with Pakistan but joining lost no time in reasserting his Old Jammu City Pakistan would mean that the Old Srinagar City political creed and in his first substantial number of Hindus in speech at Hazooribagh on 3 October 1947, he promptly began J&K might have to flee and despite personal assurances to Jammu penalized for its mute nationalistic silence. Even the Pakistan Resolution. In 1940 Nehru visited Kashmir along with a campaign for popular government, a must before deciding Maharaja Hari Singh, a Hindu prince's future would be uncer- legitimate socio-economic grievances of the Jammu region have Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan declaring NC as sole national organi- which dominion to join. With Sheikh Abdullah still busy in his tain in an avowedly Islamic country. Other option, an acces- been turned down time and again so much so that narrative has zation of the state and also nominated Sheikh Abdullah as Vice politics to create a space for himself, several thousand bellicose President of the All-India States People's Conference, a sion to Indian which meant his own future at stake as Nehru, boiled down to a predominantly religious perception, which Congress-allied group of movements in Princely States but this detracts, diminishes and short-sells from the irrefutable presented incontestable proof to Kashmiri Muslims that Sheikh Jammu's case of discrimination. The game of musical chair of Abdullah was a puppet of the Congress. To counter this NC CM continued between Congress and NC unabated to the extent that NC merged with Congress for power- creation of Plebiscite organized a statewide protest day and in June 1941 NC Front, then again parting ways with Congress after release of instructed its members to resign from the Praja Sabha. With Sheikh Abdullah, murder and mockery of democracy in 80's Congress leaders in jail after launching Quit India movement, after the death of Sheikh Abdullah, first by removing Dr. Farooq Muslim League with its local ally MC had a free run as a result Abdullah and then by installing Farooq again via rigged elec- Sheikh Abdullah patched up with Dogra Darbar, got his mem- tions resulting into onset of terrorism. After some semblance in bers nominated back to assembly and to the boards responsi- late 90's for a decade once again era of hartals, violent protests ble for issuing rice ration tickets and permits for fuel as well started unabated be it 2008 Shri Amarnath agitation, 2009 as to the Parliamentary Committee set up in 1943 to make Shopian fake rape and murder agitation, 2010 fake encounter proposals for constitutional reforms. The NC members were allegation, 2014 floods, 2016 gunning down of terrorist Burhan subsequently alleged for corruption and discrimination. Wani, 2018 agitation, in fact Kashmir valley never saw continu- Sheikh Abdullah advised Mirza Afzal Beg and G.M Sadiq, two ous peace and even minor law and order issues were snowballed members of the Royal Commission, appointed by the into major controversies so much so that valley saw lockdown Maharaja for the evolution of an organic scheme for the for months together with stone pelting becoming full time pro- administration of the state, to resign. NC submitted its own fession and mob lynching order of the day, Pulwama attack on plan 'Naya Kashmir', drafted by communist P.B.L Bedi. CRPF convoy was the last nail in the coffins of separatism. Pro Meanwhile Jinnah also visited Kashmir in 1944 and instruct- Pakistan slogans in the Legislative Assembly were also raised by ed NC to merge with MC. Abdullah refused and with this rift NC MLA and practically NC,PDP, Hurriyat are all on one plat- with Jinnah widened. All this propelled the Dogra regime into form, follow Pro Pakistan agenda only. Jammu and Kashmir the Maharaja's arch-critic, was to be Prime Minister who announcing plans for diarchy on October 2, 1945. Accordingly has received 10 per cent of all Central grants given to states over would have favored Sheikh over him. The third option for Pathan tribesmen from the North West Frontier Province NC got appointed Mirza Afzal Beg as Minister of Public Works the 2000-2016 period, despite having only one per cent of the Maharaja was pulling off independence with the support of (NWFP), supported by the Chief Minister of that province and but growing scarcities in both urban and rural areas caused by country's population but majority of this money has been Abdullah, but this was not possible in view of the long-stand- Pakistani army, invaded the Kashmir valley. The lightening the World War II, people's discontent reached to the boiling siphoned off instead of development works. Corruption, nepo- ing enmity between them and resultant mistrust. Kashmir's speed got State Administration as well as NC panicked as its point as Beg's Rs 1600/= per month salary and official car accession to the Jinnah's Pakistan was also equally important slogan "freedom before accession" was rendered irrelevant in tism, hawala transactions, Jand K Bank scams all point to one were so glaring. NC soon realized it and rift with Maharaja as four of the five rivers in West Pakistan (Indus, Jehlem, view of tribal invasion from Pakistan. Thus, Sheikh Abdullah thing only, political anarchy. Ultimately with Modi emerging further widened as on 18th March 1946 NC representative Chenab, and Ravi) originated from J & K. and his party were forced to throw in their lot with India. strongly for second term and Amit Shah as HM, Jammu and resigned from the Kashmir ministry. The state hit back by Meanwhile, the most important thing happened, the Maharaja signed 'The Instruments of Accession of Jammu and Kashmir's full integration India was announced as on 31st appointing the leader of the NC legislators Mian Ahmad Yar Boundary Commission appointed to draw a line on the map Kashmir' on 26th October 1947 which was accepted by the October J&K will be turned into UT, very much part of India as minister thus giving a big blow to the NC's scheme of things through Punjab divided Gurdaspur district adjoining Jammu Government of India on 27th October. Sheikh Abdullah pro- with all laws of India now applicable to J &K, a sense of security and its mass following. and awarded the three eastern Tehsils to India, thus providing vided "fullest support" to the accession. Despite opposition and oneness has finally been done, dream of Shyama Prasad Meanwhile British Cabinet Mission pronounced the return road access to Jammu which would not have been possible oth- from Patel and Mehar Chand but ill advised by Mountbatten Mukherjee of 'Ek Vidhaan Ek Nishaan Ek Pradhan' fulfilled. A of full powers to the rulers of the Princely States which meant journey which started on 26 October 1947 is finally coming to a