PARTITION – additional recordings / Andrew Whitehead / ________________________________/ CD-24 Baramulla - interview by AW, 1 May 2003 Sheikh Ghulam Mohammad a retired teacher, now 66 [so c10 in 1947] and involved in running a small college - lives in own house in Baramulla, outgoing, confident; in Uri at time of raid Track 1 My name is Sheikh Ghulam Mohammad, I hail from Baramulla ... retired in April 1995 ... in 1997, I was reading in 4th primary I was in teenages in 1947 [re raiders] ... I couldn’t tell you the details, but what I have onserved ... I was not here at the time of the tribal raid but in Uri, at my maternal uncle’s house, and I heard that something is ggoing on ... they were not in uniform, they were common people having guns with them, and they came to that place telling us we will free you from Maharjah’s regime, this much I remember ... even I saw the people [raiders], they were from local, Uri also ... I could also recognise the people ... they were from Uri side also ... local people who joined these people, and they were telling we are going to liberate you from the clutches of Mah Hari Singh, this was the slogan (2’00) DID PEOPLE WANT TO BE LIBERATED FROM THE MAH? Of course, they were muche eager to see that, because during the Mah regime they were facing tyranny, there were hardships (talks about forced labour) ... people were not happy with the Mah at that time, esp people living in the rural areas ... (2’40) when I reached here they had left Baramulla and were towards Pattan ... DID PEOPOE WELCOME RAIDERS you see one thing is always there, newness is welcomed always, the new man is welcome without knowing the background and what purpose he is going to do ... when I came to this place I was told that people are being liberated and they are Pattan ... when I was posted as teacher in Uri [from 1956-58], I could recollect some people, they were elderly people, ... I could just recognise some people and enquired of them that what connection you had joined the tribal forces, they told simply that they were asked to liberate the Kashmiri people from the clutches of the Mah AND THEY WANTED TO LIBERATE KASHMIR of course, they wanted to take Kashmir from the clutches of the Mah ... (4’40) the tribal forces came in the month of October ... (RAIDERS) yes, I saw, they were wearing these guns etc and they were in civil uniform ... (with raiders) LOOTING AND RAPING it might have taken place somewhere in the town or somewhere else, (but not much in evidence in Uri) 1 when a new man comes he’s always welcome, what intention he has behind hisn visit, I didn’t know NEW MEN WITH GUNS ARE NOT ALWAYS WELCOME they may not be welcome but the gun is there so they are warmly welcomed, because of the threat of the gun I came to Baramulla on 1st November when that tyranny was slightly over ... my fatherr told me that we had a very bad time during these 10/20 days ... he told me they were in groups ... here in the town and in the tehsil office, they were residing there ... they left for Srinagar ... the Indian army had come, and it was almost over LOCALS WELCOME INDIAN ARMY they came in my absence, I was in Uri, raidders also ccame in my absence, I was in Uri ... LOOTINGS, ABDUCTIONS ... when some mishaps take place, some destruction is of course there ... since they stayed over here for a very short time, and so I think there was no so much destruction at that scale ... VIRTUALLY EVERYBODY LEFT THE TOWN WHEN THE RAIDERS CAME yes, of course, my home people also had left the town and the town was totally empty, people had left for the surrounding villages just to protect themselves, people had no time to watch the activities that they were doing, but simply said that they were being liberated and that people used to give alms ? that they were being liberated from the clutches of the Mah ... (8’50) so far as convent hospital is concerned, it was there only place that was safe at that time because we have great regard for that hospital ... and it has always come tto the rescue of the people ... I have gone thro the history ... I have not heard anything that they were harmed, this much I tell you SPOKEN TO ONE OF NUNS ... when I got back I was very small, too young ... might have taken place but I ddon’t know anything about it (10’20) ... we were very much prosperous [in 47] because of this road, it was a trade centre ... then after we got liberated, the road got closed and we turned absolutely poor BARAMULLA HAS SUFFERED SINCE 47 it has suffered a lot, from both sides, we have suffered a lot, commercially we suffered a lot, can’t say politically ... WAS MAIN RAWALPINDI- SRINAGAR ROAD exactly ... and our trade has suffered ... Baramulla was a trade centre. Now it is a poor town ... this is the main trouble that we faced SO YOU ARE A TRADING TOWN WITH NOWHERE TO TRADE WITH absolutely ... (12’00) (briefly discussed political situation, and ref to negotiations) ... we dont want it solved thro the gun or anything else ... we say we want a liberated life ... we want to have our own govt, we want our own schools, we want everything own, my suggestion is people sd come to the negotiating table ... B’lla has been very calm compared to other parts of the valley (14’40) [in 47] people wanted to ... get liberated from the Mah ... people did not like one man’s rule ... one man can take any decision, whoch can bring people to harm of bring prosperity to the people, so when India got free from British people here also wanted to be free from the Mah ... we want that we sd rule ourselves, and ultimately we are leading to that (and discussion of current politics) ... we want that we sd be given a chance to stand upon our legs (17’20) I was brough back from my father from Buniyar ... I sd what happened here, my fatherr sd it was nothing, some people had come and that they lefft for Pattan, they sd we want 2 to liberate you from the clutches of Mah ... he didn’t tell me anything o/wise what had happened here (lived for about a month outside the town) NON-M NEIGHBOURS I met those people, some people told me that they had been hard hit by tribal forces ... I was v small boy ... what I heard from my class fellows ... they wd say that we were troubled, we were troubled, we were troubled ... generally the people had a sigh off relief when this whole show was closed (19’00) (talks about Maqbool Sherwani) ... who misled the tribal forces and because of his efforts that tribals were made to retreat ... his memorial is also here somewhere in the Regina cinema ... about him I heard that he was a very bold man and he was true to his faith ... he was v bold ... he was the disciple of Sheikh Abdullah ... (suggests not much remembered in Baramulla [Jeelani confirms that]) 21’30 - WILDTRACK in room, 30 seconds Track 2 - WILDTRACK outside, birdsong in distance Track 3- WILDTRACK with floodwater running down 3 .