Gilgit
conspiracy
Sir,
The news item
"Two British officers played anti-India
role" from B L Kak in your esteemed paper of
3.11.01 is far from facts. Maj Brown of the
Gilgit Scouts and his associates were not the
Chief conspirators but were mere pawns in the
hands of British army and civil officers who had
opted to serve Pakistan after it came into
beeing. The gradual expansion of Soviet Russia,
China and British India in the latter part of
19th century brought their borders closer
resulting in mistrust of each other. British
feared invasion on their Indian Empire through
Jammu & Kashmir and NWFP and to watch the
Russians and control the country south of
Hindukash they established the office of
political agent at Gilgit in 1889 while the
officers of the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir
continued to administer Gilgit.
At the instigation
of Russians the Mir of Hanza Safdar Ali attacked
Gilgit in 1890's. A very severe fighting broke
out between Hanza's and their allies on one side
and British and Kashmir imperial service troops
on the other side resulting in defeat of Safdar
Ali who eventually escaped to Yarkand. After the
war's of 1890's the northern frontier of Kashmir
faced no problems and Gilgit continued to be
administered by the Maharajas of Kashmir till
1935 when Soviet Russia virtually overran Eastern
Turkistan. British were alarmed and executed an
agreement with Maharaja Hari Singh and took
Gilgit on 60 years lease by which the
administration and defence of Gilgit because sole
responsibility of the British who raised an
irregular corps of Gilgit Scouts.
In 1947 Gilgit was
transferred back to Maharaja with much fanfare
and with it the Gilgit scouts became part of
J&K State forces. Maharaja had sent Brig
(Retd) Ghansara Singh as Governor and Maj. Gen. H
L Scot Chief of Staff of State Forces to take
over Gilgit who on their arrival were told that
all the British officers of the Scouts had opted
for service with Pakistan. Governor stayed on at
Gilgit while Scot returned to Srinagar and made a
report to the Maharaja. Since the officers of the
Gilgit Scouts had opted prior to 30.7.47 for
service with Pakistan, after the independence
there was no point in handing over the scouts of
J&K State unless there was an ulterior motive
behind it.
Neither the
officers were replaced nor Gilgit scouts were
disbanded and replaced with a battalion of State
Forces located at Bunji under Lt. Col. Majid
Khan.
On 31st Oct. 47
Brig. Ghansara Singh was placed under house
arrest and all the officials & staff who had
accompanied him from Srinagar were made prisoners
by Gilgit Scouts. A provisional Govt. was
announced and Maj. Brown ceremoniously hoisted
the Pakistan flag on 4.11.47 at Gilgit, and on
21.11.47 an official from Pakistan arrived and
established his office in Gilgit.
Could it have been
possible for an officer with the rank of Major of
an irregular corps to play this role on his own.
It is very simple to conclude that return of
Gilgit to Maharaja was a mere gesture and Gilgit
together with Baltistan and probably Ladakh were
designed to be annexed by Pakistan in 1947.
Infact Major Brown was planted on Maharaja's
along governor of Gilgit with a sinister plan to
facilitate annexation of Gilgit Pakistan.
The contention of
Col. Effendi that Capt. Mathison was sent to
Chilas by Maj. Brown to keep the Muslim fanatics
in check and gather the non-Muslims in the fort
in protective custody is far from the truth as
Chilas was not part of Gilgit Agency or Wazarat
nor on lease with British like Gilgit. The
authority of Maharajas of Kashmir over Chilas was
restricted to the receipt of annual tribute, for
other practical purposes Chilasis were free; and
as such there were neither non-Muslims nor State
Govt. officials in Chilas who are alleged to have
been gathered and protected by Capt. Mathison.
How for Effendi is
correct in stating that Maharaja Hari Singh was
bent upon acceding to India or he was forced to
accede to India on 26.10.47 by Pakistani
sponsored invasion of Kashmir is an open
question.
The statement of
Effendi "a stark reality that Gilgit had
never been a natural part of Kashmir" does
not mean that Gilgit has been a natural part of
Punjabi dominated Pakistan.
The Rajas of
Gilgit, Mir of Hanza and Chiefs of Punial, Darel,
Yasin and Mehtar of Chitral in NWFP were at war
with each other, one plundering and trying to
dominate each other and often changing sides
among themselves and great power rivals i.e.
Soviet Russia, China and British India.
It was Karim Khan
brother of Raja of Gilgit Shah Sakandar who
brought Sikhs to Gilgit frontier in 1982 for aid
against Gaur Rahman of Yasin. In 1847 Gilgit
passed from Maharaja Dalip Singh of Punjab to
Maharaja Gulab Singh the founder of Jammu &
Kashmir State.
Yours etc...
M M Munshi
24-A/C Gandhinagar
Jammu-180004.
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