kashmir myths – what was the duress?
For a while, since i joined the world of blogging,
I have been reading various articles on the Kashmir Conflict.
The reports and articles are (conveniently) never entirely true and
seems a deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions about this dispute.
My replies and comments on certain sites are deleted at “moderation”.
I wish to bring balance by showing the links to many documentary evidence that exists.
I found this on a blog this morning.
“After Maharaja signed Instrument of Accession under duress, he was charged for treason by the Indian Government and immensely humiliated during his court hearings and sent to jail for several years.”
On October 26th 1947
the day the said Instrument of Accession was signed “under duress”
the Maharaja also wrote a letter to Lord Mountbatten.
Many documents from that time, like this letter never gets mentioned.
From Hari Singh,
The Maharaja Of Jammu & Kashmir
to Lord Mountbatten, Governor General of India.
Dated: 26 October 1947
My dear Lord Mountbatten,
I have to inform your Excellency that a grave emergency has arisen in my State and request immediate assistance of your Government.
As your Excellency is aware the State of Jammu and Kashmir has not acceded to the Dominion of India or to Pakistan. Geographically my State is contiguous to both the Dominions. It has jvital economical and cultural llinks with both of them. Besides my State has a common boundary with the Soviet Republic and China. In their external relations the Dominions of India and Pakistan cannot ignore this fact.
I wanted to take time to decide to which Dominion I should accede, or whether it is not in the best interests of both the Dominions and my State to stand independent, of course with friendly and cordial relations with both.
I accordingly approached the Dominions of India and Pakistan to enter into Standstill Agreement with my State. The Pakistan Government accepted this Agreement. The Dominion of India desired further discussions with representatives of my Government. I could not arrange this in view of the developments indicated below. In fact the Pakistan Government are operating Post and Telegraph system inside the State.
Though we have got a Standstill Agreement with the Pakistan Government that Government permitted steady and increasing strangulation of supplies like food, salt and petrol to my State.
Afridis, solidiers in plain clothes, and desperadoes with modern weapons have been allowed to infilter into the State at first in Poonch and then in Sialkot and finally in mass area adjoining Hazara District on the Ramkot side. The result has been that the limited number of troops at the disposal of the State had to be dispersed and thus had to face the enemy at the several points simultaneously, that it has become difficult to stop the wanton destruction of life and property and looting. The Mahora powerhouse which supplies the electric current to the whole of Srinagar has been burnt. The numer of women who have been kidnapped and raped makes my heart bleed. The wild forces thus let loose on the State are marching on with the aim of capturing Srinagar, the summer Capital of my Government, as first step to over-running the whole State.
The mass infiltration of tribesmen drawn from distant areas of the North-West Frontier coming regularly in motor trucks using Mansehra-Muzaffarabad Road and fully armed with up-to-date weapons cannot possibly be done without the knowledge of the Provisional Government of the North-West Frontier Province and the Government of Pakistan. In spite of repeated requests made by my Government no attempt has been made to check these raiders or stop them from coming into my State. The Pakistan Radio even put out a story that a Provinsional Government had been set up in Kashmir. The people of my State both the Muslims and non-Muslims generally have taken no part at all.
With the conditions obtaining at present in my State and the grreat emergency of the situation as it exists, I have no option but to ask for help from the Indian Dominion. Naturally they cannot send the help asked for by me without my State acceding to the Dominion of India. I have accordingly decided to do so and I attach the Instrument of Accession for acceptance by your Government. The other alternative is to leave my State and my people to free-booters. On this basis no civilized Government can exist or be maintained. This alternative I will never allow to happen as long as I am Ruler of the State and I have life to defend my country.
I am also to inform your Excellency’s Government that it is my intention at once to set up an interim Government and ask Sheikh Abdullah to carry the responsibilities in this emergency with my Prime Minister.
If my State has to be saved immediate assistance must be available at Srinagar. Mr. Menon is fully aware of the situation and he will explain to you, if further explanation is needed.
In haste and with kind regards,
The Palace, Jammu
26th October, 1947Your sincerely,
Hari SinghSource: Government Of India Publication, October 26, 1947
What was this duress? and where did it really come from? … you decide.
history
Kashmir
India
insurgency
human rights
propaganda
S said this on July 12th, 2007 at 10:51
A very interesting piece of communication and throws light on the root of the unending problem that we fail to resolve.
Am not too knowledgeable on the issue but my sense is that there are groups with vested interest on either side (the two Dominions here) alongwith their external geo-politically charged supporters who wish to keep this going forever and hence possible solutions are always thwarted.
little indian said this on July 12th, 2007 at 11:15
Thanks S,
I didn’t expect such a quick response. 🙂
You are right about bilateral vested interests,
Evidence is selectively quoted or published.
Comments I write on certain sites gets deleted at moderation!!
So here I am, attempting to bring a balance.
If you haven’t already,
read MJ Akbar’s India: the Siege Within.
His book made me explore a lot of such myths, and not just Kashmir.
Thanks to the internet there is a wealth of evidence available now that wasn’t in the past.
There is no more excuss for falling for any political propaganda.
And thanks again for stopping by.
tinton said this on July 12th, 2007 at 11:46
Pretty much the most detailed posting on Kashmir, i have ever seen.
little indian said this on July 12th, 2007 at 11:52
Thanks tinton,
for stpping buy, and your comment.
I never had any intentions to touch on the kashmir issue.
but have been really frustrated and annoyed whem my comments didn’t get published.
Thanks again, I hope you visit again.
It makes it worth it if I know someone has read my writing.
Pinki said this on July 12th, 2007 at 18:10
Good job!!
Before reading this…i had never thought on this issue so objectively.
kashmir myths - an indian now illuded « “me no big chief… said this on July 12th, 2007 at 20:17
[…] she find out what went wrong? when? and who is responsible? Let me quote Margaret Bourke-White’s eyewitness report in her […]
little indian said this on July 12th, 2007 at 20:48
Thanks Pinki,
I have been reading one sided allegations of human rights abuse.
While I am not denying that Indian forces may be violating laws and rights, I want to bring a balance in the proceedings, to show the fault is on either side.
The difference is I support my argument with evidence.
earthpal said this on July 12th, 2007 at 20:54
Little Indian, I daren’t say too much about the Kashmir conflict simply because I don’t know enough about it. I’ve had a bit of a read-up and does seem that Pakistan has been predominantly aggressive.
All I can say is that the human rights on all sides should and must be given uttermost priority. Alas, as is always the case, ordinary citizens have always paid the price for political agenda’s….and probably always will.
little indian said this on July 12th, 2007 at 21:04
Thanks earthPal,
that is perfectly understandable.
The history of Kashmir conflict extends back many many years.
It is difficult for us in India to sometimes find the truth.
Thankfully many documents have been now made public,
and comparing and corelating them helps.
I never had any intentions of writing about such a volatile subject.
But blatant propaganda, while piling unsubstantiated blame
on us Indians, I found unacceptable. Refusing to publish my comments was the final straw.
Even this bit of support means a lot to me.
That you did not ridicule it away.
Thanks earthPal.
earthpal said this on July 13th, 2007 at 11:14
You’re welcome Little Indian.
It is difficult to know what to believe when the media outlets report so selectively according the their own agenda.
It’s the same with bloggers who delete comments that contradict their own views. I’m totally against this.
K said this on July 14th, 2007 at 13:18
Little Indian!
Making up a story that I did not publish your comments just to try and get some sympathy from people is really not an amazing way to start blogging about an issue. If you started blogging about the Kashmir issue just because your comments were not ‘allegedly’ published gives a fair idea about how much you know about Kashmir or its history and the emotional reasons as well.
Have a look at the comments on my blog, a majority of them are from people who do NOT agree with me and yet they are ‘surprisingly’ being published and none of them has ever been edited. You did mention my blog’s comment policy in one of your posts (to be honest it is flattering to know that every post of mine is getting a response (however unrealistic) in the form of a post from you!) but again you blindly put up selective parts of the policy and lamented how such blog policies turn you away from commenting. However, the said policy did not turn away those people who continuously oppose my views yet see their comments published. Did you write to one of those people and ask them if their comment has ever been deleted. You did not. But you should have. When my blog is showing trackbacks from your blog (which I could have also deleted) why would I delete your comments only and seeing from the ‘facts’ you are providing on this blog, I am sure, they wouldn’t be revealing the inside stories that I would be scared to publish. Have you heard of spam and the akismet plugin on WordPress? If you did really comment, the only reason they were not published then is because they were marked spam by akismet and while going through the hundreds of spam on my blog, it is possible I would have missed it. Read about it on the wordpress forum.
And this great factual document, that you have put up, reads:
The physical document has never been produced even in the United Nations. I could scan up a piece of paper and claim it to be a letter from the Maharaja ‘falsifying’ the Indian claim. Ministry of Home Affairs claims that Kashmir is an integral part of India, even though the entire world considers it to be a disputed territory. Next time quote a neutral source, not a biased one.
Indian map still shows the areas under Pakistani and Chinese control as its part, are they? They aren’t! And why would not India publish a document that proves its theory of the alleged accession. And as I said on my blog, India was supporting Sheikh Abdullah to throw over the Maharaja, since he was an autocratic ruler and not the peoples representative, why did India get the documents signed by him then? He was not the peoples leader! Oh, but that is India’s hypocrisy.
As far as your propaganda claim goes, of course you will call it so, you are an Indian that believes in blindia (blind Indian media), the Kashmiris talking about themselves has never been allowed and now that they are, it is causing people to worry or then to simply label it propaganda. The Kashmiri Propaganda claim is answered in this post Is hope still alive
And some of the details of the accession are dealt with in this post: How Gandhi stalled Kashmir’s independence
Let me quote something as far as the alleged accession is concerned
little indian said this on July 14th, 2007 at 13:52
This is my STATED reason why I decided to write about the Kashmir issue.
I do not blog to get sympathy from anyone. Perhaps you do.
Just to make it clear,
I read about biased claims and propaganda,
and if and when I try to respond, my comments are “moderated”
and so I decided to write my responses on my own site, so that they get to be read.
It is you who are now being presumptive when you say I am making up a story.
I commented on you site, and it clearly said, my comment was being held for moderation.
When I returned it still said that, on my third visit it had disappeared.
If Akismet had removed it goes into the spam box, not into the queue for moderation.
That is when I did my first blog on moderation.
There will always be pingbacks, that is part of blogging.
You are free to delete the pingbacks, but it would confirm your selective deletion policy.
Unlike a comment, the origin of the pingback cannot be erased.
I do not intend to go into personal arguements on the Kashmir issues through comments.
I prefer to express my opinion and present them to my readers with the documentary evidence I base my judgement on.
I let my readers make an INDEPENDANT JUDGEMENT for themselves.
You have had a head start on this issue,
Now I am just drawing level with trackbacks,
just to clear any misconception my readers may have carried.
I do not need to refer to your blogs in future, my own will speak for themselves.
Neutral source? Ofcourse.
Like the Human Rights Watch? Sure will do.
Wasn’t Margaret Bourke-White neutral or unbiased enough for you?
Or is anyone that do not agree with Pakistan or ‘Kashmir’ biased?
Why don’t we LET THE READERS DECIDE
what is true and what is not,
who is biased and who is not,
or what is factually correct or is propaganda.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
If you wish to contradict anything I have said, please do so from your own blogspage.
My comments policy says if anyone refuses to publish my comments, I reserve the right to withold theirs.
Pinki said this on July 14th, 2007 at 16:20
Hi little indian,
I donno much about Kashmir issue…what I see is one side picture that media shows us…nd of course i would trust indian media more than Pak media.
Thanks to internet…lot of hidden things are uncovered with evidences.
little indian said this on July 14th, 2007 at 17:45
Thanks Pinki,
That is exactly what I intend to do.
Thanks to the internet, lot of evidence is now open to the public.
The propagandists now aims ridicule directly on individuals
who wants to bring out those evidences to the public,
to suit their own agenda.
I will let my readers judge for themselves
the validity, authenticity and neutrality of the evidence.
little indian said this on July 25th, 2007 at 12:09
Further to my statement on the other related posts (as quoted here).
This topic is closed to further comments.