Dr Ganesh Malhotra
When the state of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to the India it was not tolerated by the separatist elements as well as their masters in Pakistan. Pakistan in its attempt to annex Jammu and Kashmir, adopted three pronged policy towards Kashmir. First, Pakistan repeatedly tried to foment and encourage the separatist feelings among their people of Kashmir. Second, Pakistan tried to internationalise Kashmir isolating India diplomatically in the international community. Finally, with the purpose of procuring diplomatic and military support for the annexation of Kashmir from India. Pakistan’s support to separatism in Kashmir has its roots in pre-partition era when Pakistan adopted the policy of diffusion and encouragement to those who supported Kashmir’s merger with Pakistan on religious grounds. But even before actual attack, Pakistan laid economic blockade of J&K. Then Pakistani forces and muslim league workers under the guise of tribal invaders resorted to selective killings of minorities mainly Hindus and Sikhs in region of POJK mainly Mirpur, Kotli, Muzaffarabad, Rajouri and Poonch.
The city of Mirpur was laid by two saints around 700 years ago namely Mir Shah Gazi and Gosain Bodhpuri. The word ‘Mir’ was taken from the name of the former while ‘Pur’ from the later to give the name ‘Mirpur’ which became symbol of the Hindu – Muslim unity, brotherhood, integrity and hospitality of its inhabitants. Soon after the independence, Pakistan conceived a military plan to attack Jammu and Kashmir, with Code named “Gulmarg” it was placed under the close guidance of British military officers. Soon armed attacks and looting started in early Sept. in Poonch and Kotli area, about 400 looters entered town on 2nd and 3rd Sept, followed by Pak regular army and ex army men. The town of Bhimber fell at the time when Indian troops were air lifted to Srinagar on 27th of Oct. 1947. The population of the town swelled from 3000 to 5000 with Hindu migrants from the adjoining areas. All assembled in a small tehsil building – women and children were taken hostage while the males were put to sword. Soon, other areas fell one after another and the focus of attention and sending the Indian reinforcement was mainly valley centric.
The population of Mirpur swelled from 10000 to 25000 with Hindus and Sikhs migrating from nearby areas and Jhelum. A garrison of Maharaja Forces were stationed in the town. People made the fortified defences on the roof tops and on the ground by digging trenches and groups of youths were assigned the job of vigilance round the clock with primitive weapons. Many advances of the enemy were repulsed till the town fell on 25th Nov 1947. Pakistan army started using modern weapons and artillery to break the walls of town. There was no supply as the town was already cut off by the fall of Bhimber in October itself. The only hope was the air dropping of supplies of food and ammunition by air till the reinforcements of Indian army reach to push away the enemy. Frantic massages were sent to Jammu over the wireless by Maharaja Forces to Jammu but in vain. Many of the forceful attacks of the enemy were repulsed. A major attack was carried out by the enemy on 23rd of Nov 1947 from the main eastern gate and was repulsed by the death squads of Mirpuri youths in hand to hand fight. The ensuing fierce fighting throughout the next night put the enemy at bay till morning when they broke the western gate of the city next morning by using heavy artillery.
The Pakistani army and other invaders entered the city around 8 a.m. in the morning. Under chaos and confusion people ran around terrified and the city was set on fire by the invaders. Soon poison was distributed to the women to end their lives and not to fall into the hands of enemy. Many who didn’t get the poison were done to deaths with swords by their fathers and bothers. The dance of death continued till afternoon and at the end of day 18000 people were slaughtered in most barbaric way of the human history by Pak army and tribals. Five thousand people most of them women and children were taken hostages and taken to Alibeg. The Alibeg prison, which was located about two miles from Pakistan’s border, was originally a large Sikh Gurudwara that was converted into a prison by the Pakistani army to retain Hindu and Sikhs. It was outrageous that a Sikh holy shrine was converted into a human slaughter house. In the first twenty days, between fifty and one hundred young men were taken out of the prison and killed by guns, swords, or axes every night. By the end of December, the Pakistani soldiers had murdered about two thousand Hindu and Sikh young men. More than one thousand sick prisoners, particularly children and the elderly died of illness, food poisoning, or malnutrition. On average, the death rate was between fifteen to twenty prisoners per day that lasted about fifty days, until January 1948, when the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrived at the Alibeg prison and helped stop the killing. In March 1948, the ICRC liberated Alibeg’s surviving population of sixteen hundred individuals.
The other towns of Jammu province as Rajouri fell on 10th of Nov. where the population swell from 6000 to 11000 with the influx of refugees from the adjoining villages. Most of population was done to death and less than 100 could escape the jaw of death. These people haven’t got any justice because their homelands are still in the illegal occupation of Pakistan except just proclamations. Many opportunities were lost for reasons better known to decision makers.
The tragedies of J&K constitute a long, horrific tale of death and inhumanity. It has many villains and no heroes.
(The author a J&K Strategic and political analyst)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Follow our WhatsApp channel