JAMMU GENOCIDE OF 1947-REMEMBERING 6TH NOVEMBER

By: Abdul Majeed Zargar

It is one of the least known genocides in the modern history. It was carried out with such a precision that it is difficult to find its traces, except in the memories of the survivors, and the tales of horror they passed on to their next generation. Around five lakh Muslims were killed with a military precision. It was such an operation that language lacks words to express this offence of demolition of human being.

Though the targeted killing had already started in Jammu around Mid July 1947, the operation got a fillip immediately after fleeing Maharaja Hari Singh & his wife reached Jammu on October 26^th 1947. An organised carnage was orchestrated to kill Muslims, wherever found or spotted in Jammu.

British daily "the London Times" quoting its special correspondent in India states that the Maharaja, under his own supervision, got assassinated 2,37,000 Muslims, using military forces in Jammu area. The editor of "Statesman" Ian Stephen, in his book "Horned Moon" writes that till the end of autumn 1947 , more than 200,000 Muslims were murdered in one go.

The Hindu Dogra ruler’s main aim was to change the demographic composition of the region by eliminating the Muslim population. Such was the intensity of carnage that in Jammu province about 123 villages were ‘completely depopulated’. Kathua district ‘lost’ almost fifty per cent of its Muslim population. Thousands of Gujars were massacred inmohalla Ram Nagar. Village Raipur, within Jammu cantonment area was completely burnt down. The Dogra state troops were at the forefront of attacks on Muslims. The state authorities were also issuing arms not only to local volunteer organizations such as RSS, but to those in surrounding East Punjab districts such as Gurdaspur. The state administration had not only demobilised a large number of Muslim soldiers serving in the state army, but Muslim police officers, whose loyalty was suspect, had also been sent home. In Jammu city, the Muslim military were disarmed and the Jammu cantonment Brigadier Khuda Baksh replaced by a Hindu Dogra officer. Meanwhile Maharaja of Patiala was not only supplying weapons, but also a Brigade of Patiala State troops were also operating in Jammu and Kashmir, without whose help & assistance ,the objective could not have been achieved with such a precision . The daily Times of London reported the events in Jammu with such a front page headings: ‘Elimination of Muslims from Jammu’ and pointed out that the Maharaja Hari Singh was ‘in person commanding all the forces’ which were ethnically cleansing the Muslims.

That there was a design to change the demographics is evidenced by another well-reported incident. Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mehr Chand Mahajan upon arrival in Jammu told a delegation of Hindus, which met him in the Palace, that now when the power was being transferred to the people they should better demand parity. When one of the delegation members wanted to know how that is possible, Mahajan, Pointing to the Ramnagarnatural reserve below, where some Muslim corpses were still lying said, ‘the population ratio too can change’ like that.( Elimination of Muslims from Jammu’ II, The Times, London, 10 August 1948, p. 5.-See also Ved Bhasin’s interview to a local Magzine)

Both documentary and oral sources suggest that the crime committed on the Muslims was nothing less than an organized holocaust. Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah, who was appointed “ Chief Emergency Administrator” on 30^th October 1947 could not prevent the carnage. He writes in his Autobiography Atish Chinar (page 312)“ that the carnage got impetus after the arrival of Union Home Minster Sardar Patel, Union Defence Minster Baldev Singh along with Maharaja of Patiala, a person known for his anti-Muslim bias, in Jammu. The trio met various Hindu organizations & delegations, after which the massacre attained a great momentum. Hindu fanatics, aided & abetted by Govt. forces, started burning down village after village inhabited by Muslims. Women were raped at will.Weapons were distributred freely to marauders from the Kachi Chawni house of Pandith Prem Nath Dogra and motivated by Balraj Madohk.

On 6^th November surviving muslims were told to assemble in an open ground, herded in trucks like cattle & killed mercilessly with Machine Gun fire between Digiana & Samba belt. Women were abducted & raped. Even the daughter of Legendary Chaudhary Ghulam Abbas was not spared. Many women preferred death than falling prey to the cruel beasts, who do not tire calling themselves as secular people.

On ground the killing operations were organized, directed & supervised by Maharani Tara Devi in league with her Debauch Guru Sat Dev & Governor Jammu Chet Ram Chopra. At politico-adminstrative level Sheikh puts the blame solely on Dogra ruler Hari Singh and Prime Minster Mahajan . At one point of time Sheikh had even thought of initiating action against the duo for crimes against humanity (Atish Chinar-page 331).But why did’nt he translate his thoughts into action, remains shrouded in mystery. Did he surrender this right as quid pro quid for Prime Minstership, which came his way in March 1948? As is generally known, Govt. Of India & Dogra ruler were only interested in conceding him a limited role in a “Mysore type of Govt.”But later this plan was changed & sheikh offered full fledged prime Minstership.

The other aspect of the carnage was appropriation of properties of Muslims. The Muslim names were immediately erased to conform to new ownership. For instance Urdu Bazar became Rajinder Bazar and Islamia School became Hari Singh High School to conform to new ownership.Almost ninety five per cent of left over properties which should have, in the normal course been taken over by State Govt, was allowed to be appropriated by looters & rioters. The daily Telegraph of London reported on 12 January 1948: ‘Yet another element in the situation is provided by rioters who seized Muslim lands in Jammu… they originated the massacres there last October to clear for themselves new territory.

Another incident needs a mention here. When Hindu refugees from Muzaffarabad & surrounding areas reaching Kashmir desired to be sent to Jammu or Punjab, local muslims motivated Kashmiri “Tonga-wallas” (horse-cart drivers) to transport them to Jammu against heavy odds. Initially 22 “tongawallas” were hired. They were later joined by many others from Khannabal-Qazigund rural belt. On return all these poor “tongawalls” were massacred near Nagrota. Their only fault was that they made Hindu refugees to reach their destinations safely.

What makes this holocaust unique is the complicity of State on the one hand & the exemplary treatment of Kashmiri Muslims to its minorities on the other hand, given the grave provocation of Jammu genocide . Mahtama Gandhi was so disgusted with the carnage that on two occasions (November 27, & December 27 1947), he made mention of it in following words.

"The Hindus and Sikhs of Jammu and those who had gone there from outside killed Muslims there. Their women have been dishonored. This has not been fully reported in the newspapers. The Maharaja of Kashmir is responsible for what has happened there” (Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi; volume 90, page 115 & 298). It is no wonder then when that when Gandhi was killed by a RSS supported Hindu fanatic, sweets were distributed throughout Jammu in special Thalis supplied from Maharaja’s Palace.

A fitting tribute to those unsung Martyrs of Jammu will be to install a symbolic Epitaph with brief inscription of the incident at Mazar-i-Shuda, Idd-gah. Let the first line of that inscription be

“Qareeb Hai Rouz e Mahshar, Chhupegaa Kushtoon Kaa Khoon Kyoon Kar,
Jo Chup Rahegi Zubaan- e- Khanjar, Lahoo Pukaaregaa Aasteen Kaa.”

(The author is a practicing Chartered Accountant)

"Come on My Brothers" - By Lonesome Kashmiri

Come on my Brothers we have work to do.
What do you see in the skies when the sun rises? Do you see the beauty of the dawn or do you see the crimson blood of our Martyrs? What do you see when the dusk approaches? Do you see the ebony beauty of the dusk or do you see the black shadows of India? What do you see when you see the bright yellow Mustard flowers blossoming in the fields? Do you see the golden beauty or do you see the endless graves of our brothers resting peacefully? What do you see when the waterfall glimmers in the sunlight? Do you see crystals dancing in sunlight or do you see the tears of a violated sister? What do you see when you see the snowcapped mountains in the distance? Do you see the peace it exuberates or do you see the shrouds of children Killed by our enemy. What do you see when the spring announces the arrival with fresh leaves decorating the branches of the walnut tree? Do you see the innocent and charming display or do you see the forthcoming Islamic revolution?



What do you hear when frogs croak in the yards? Do you hear nature’s symphony or do you hear the cries of a mother who lost her son? What do you hear when the winds play music in the night? Do you hear the melody or do you hear the shouts for freedom? What do you hear when the birds play their mesmerizing tunes? Do you hear the songs of harmony or do you hear the painful cries when a sister was raped? What do you hear when water gushes through the canals of Kashmir? Do you hear the nature laughing or do you hear the sighs of a brother in prison? What do you hear when the cricket plays its amusing song? Do you wonder at the nature’s mystery or do you hear the boots of the soldiers. What do you hear when rain falls on the window panes? Do you hear the perfect sync or do you hear the sound of bullets whizzing past by you. What do you hear when the hooves of the horses create miraculous harmony? Do you marvel at the strength in the legs of the beasts or do you think of the great warriors of Islam?

What do you think when you start eating the food you mother has cooked for you? Does it remind you of the ones who do not have anything? What do you think when you sit in the exam hall? Do you think of the marks you will get or do you think of the examination on the day of the Judgment? What do you think when you buy new shoes or new clothes? Does it remind you of how smart you will look or does it remind you of the brothers who lost their legs and arms in a protest? What do you think when you start writing on the Notebook or typing on your PC? Does it even remind you of the obligations that you have towards the Islamic Revolution? What do you think when you leave for College in the morning? Do you think of the ones who left everything back home to fight for the sake of Allah? What do you think when you leave for work in the mornings? Do you think of the ones back home who have no one left to earn a livelihood? What do you think when your daughter hugs you when you come back from work? Does it fill you with joy and love and then do you remember the daughter of a Mujahid who has not been to home for so long?

Be your own judge when you reply to the above questions. And believe me, my Brothers we have work to do.

More than 16,000 Kashmiris Jailed under PSA in last 17 years

The Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is holding hundreds of people each year without charge or trial in order to ‘keep them out of circulation’, a new Amnesty International report released today shows.

A ‘Lawless Law’: Detentions under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, documents how the Public Safety Act (PSA) is used to secure the long-term detention of individuals against whom there is insufficient evidence for a trial.

Estimates of the number detained under the PSA over the past two decades range from 8,000-20,000, with 322 reportedly held from January to September 2010 alone.
“The Jammu and Kashmir authorities are using PSA detentions as a revolving door to keep people they can’t or won’t convict through proper legal channels locked up and out of the way,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.

“Hundreds of people are being held each year on spurious grounds, with many exposed to higher risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment.”

Detainees include political leaders and activists, suspected members or supporters of armed opposition groups, lawyers, journalists and protesters, including children. Often, they are initially picked up for ‘unofficial’ interrogation, during which time they have no access to a lawyer or their families.

Over the past decade there has been a marked decrease in the overall numbers of members of armed groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir. But in the last five years, there has been a resurgence of street protests.

“Despite this apparent shift in the nature of the unrest, Jammu and Kashmir authorities continue to rely on the PSA rather than attempting to charge and try those suspected of committing criminal acts,” said Sam Zarifi. “The PSA undermines the rule of law and reinforces deeply held perceptions that police and security forces are above the law.”

Amnesty International research shows how the implementation of the PSA is often arbitrary and abusive, with many of those being held having committed no recognizably criminal acts. The Indian Supreme Court has described administrative detention, including the PSA, as ‘lawless law’.

Those held under the PSA can face up to two years in detention. But the Jammu and Kashmir authorities consistently thwart High Court orders for the release of improperly detained individuals by issuing successive detention orders. Many detainees are thus trapped in a cycle of detention and remain, in the words of one high-ranking Jammu and Kashmir official, ‘out of circulation’.
The PSA provides immunity from prosecution for officials operating under it.
“Those being held have no access to legal representation and cannot challenge their detention in any meaningful way,” said Sam Zarifi. “Once released, they cannot seek any redress or compensation for the wrongful detention they have endured and virtually never receive justice for the torture and ill-treatment.”

Amnesty International acknowledges the right, indeed the duty, of Indian authorities to defend and protect their population from violence. However, this must be done while respecting the human rights of all concerned and abiding by international law.
“The use of administrative detention does not conform to international human rights legal obligations and agreements that the Indian government is a party to,” said Sam Zarifi. “The Indian government must ensure that Jammu and Kashmir authorities repeal the PSA and end the odious system of administration detention once and for all.”

Amnesty International is calling on the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to:• Repeal the PSA and end the system of administrative detention, releasing all detainees or charging those suspected of committing criminal acts with recognized offences and trying them fairly in a court of law
• End illegal detentions and introduce safeguards ensuring those detained are charged promptly, have access to relatives, legal council and medical examinations and are held in recognized detention facilities pending trial

Amnesty International is calling on the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Government to:• Carry out an independent, impartial and comprehensive investigation into allegations of abuses against detainees and their families, including allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, denial of visits and medical care, making its findings public and holding those responsible to account.

KASHMIR: THE LINES DRAWN WITH BLOOD

Rivers are red; blood is flowing in the rivers from Kashmir. Raja Mujtaba

By Brig Samson S Sharaf

The story of Kashmir is a Greek Tragedy with successive lines drawn in blood. The struggle of the aspirations of the people aside, it is also an endless tale of betrayals, geo strategic intrigues and cantankerousness.  The intrigues within, Nehruvian biases, Patel’s Machiavellism, the Kashmiri uprising followed by the tribal invasion, Radcliffe Award, the divided riparian, accession of Bikaner, Tibet, the Ceasefire Line and now the Line of Control.

If Narendra Singh Sarila the ex ADC to Lord Mountbatten is to be believed, all this was the fallout of the British geostrategic designs to contain a communist Russia and China. He goes on to write, “In agreeing to Jinnah’s project, the British also managed to whittle down Jinnah’s territorial demands to the minimum required for Britain to safeguard its defence requirements”. Plan for smaller Pakistan was not worked out by Mountbatten in 1947 as generally believed but by Lord Wavell in 1945”

Tragically, Pakistan’s unstinted support has been shadowed at crucial moments by the same overbearing allies. When I hear slogans like, ‘Kashmir runs in our Blood’, I often take it a prelude to forgetting the Kashmiri People and putting Pakistan’s interests first. But beyond the true aspirations of the people it also demonises those who played a role to stir the freedom struggle, amongst them, the Progressives of Lahore.

The late Professor Samuel Martin Burke, a founding member of Pakistan’s Foreign and Nuclear Policy understood the Congress and AIML mindsets. His books on framing of Indian Policy elucidate just that. He wrote that accession of Kashmir was crucial to Nehru’s dream of a rediscovered India of antiquity. A Muslim majority state suited his concept of secularism. Fabian socialism held a romantic appeal for the progressives, amongst them Faiz, Mian Iftikharuddin and Khan Abdul Qayum Khan who were also the Congress points men for Sheikh Abdullah, the symbol of resistance to the rulers of Kashmir. The division of Punjab ensured that India retained a land route to Kashmir, control of rivers and important head works in East Punjab. Bikaner, the State with biggest ammunition depots of united India ceded for these waters. In the days of Hind Chini Bhai Bhai and enamouring a socialist agenda, Nehru-Patel even traded off Tibet for Kashmir. These facts blow holes through Sarila’s belated revelations that undermine the struggle for Pakistan.

But the progressives of Lahore once the pride of Congress knew and challenged these motives. The trio of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Dr. MD Taseer and Mian Iftikharuddin enjoyed close relations with both GM Sadiq and Sheikh Abdullah. Later Hafiz Jullundri and Maulana Daud Gaznavi also made efforts to win him over to the AIML. This is precisely why Indian historians label these gentlemen as shameless intriguers of Pakistani left and a blot on the history of left movement in the Indian sub-continent. But these stalwart leftist Muslim Leaguers were also a pain in the neck for the feudal Unionists who were to later become the power base of Muslim League in Punjab. Close to the partition and later, they effectively insulated Qaid e Azam from these leftists and later drew their blood through military regimes.

Radcliffe had hit Pakistan’s interests in multiple ways. The Indian plan for annexing Kashmir was obvious. It is debatable if Jinnah knew of the invasion plans. What is definite is that Dr. Taseer and Mian Iftikhar travelled repeatedly to Kashmir to galvanise support in favour of Pakistan.  They found an ally in Prime Minister Liaqat Ali who after the aborted visit by Mr. Abdullah in October 1947 gave the go ahead for the invasion. The invasion plans were a secret shared only with Khan Abdul Qayum Khan, Mr. Aslam Khattak, Khurshid Anwar and General Akbar. Some researchers write that an understanding to levels of over confidence existed between Jinnah and the Maharaja of Kashmir and that Jinnah was sure that Kashmir would join Pakistan. Ultimately, India managed to scare him to submission. Some opine that the tribal invasion was the catalyst.

A careful reading of the Instrument of Accession signed by Maharajah Hari Singh is convincing to the minute legal details. It is a deliberate, well drafted and a sound document seeking to secure the immediate and long term interests of the Kashmir-India Nexus. In no way does it appear to be a document prepared in a hurry when Lashkars from Pakistan were knocking at the doors of Srinagar and Sheikh Abdullah threatening a local uprising. If we carry out an analysis on the amendments in the Constitution of India as regards Kashmir, it is revealed that the progression of amendments is chronologically congruent to the points enunciated in the Instrument of accession in that progressively all control ultimately shifts to India.

Field Marshal Manekshaw’s own memoirs challenge the Indian version and describe the confused state of mind of the Maharaja when he flew to Srinagar with V P Menon to get the Instrument of Accession signed. He writes,

“We went to the palace. I have never seen such disorganisation in my life. The Maharaja was running about from one room to the other. I have never seen so much jewellery in my life – pearl necklaces, ruby things, lying in one room; packing here, there, everywhere. There was a convoy of vehicles. The Maharaja was coming out of one room….Eventually the Maharaja signed the accession papers and we flew back in the Dakota late at night”.

If this be the state of the Maharaja’s Palace, how could he be logically expected to write such a fool proof document?  It is most probable that Sardar Patel and VP Menon with the help of some jurists first made amendments to the 1935 Act (a contravention of the Partition Plan) and finalised the Instrument of Accession.

Manekshaw’s memoirs also contradict the Indian assertion that the Maharaja wrote a letter on 26 October 1947 to the Government of India, the same day that Menon and Manekshaw landed at Srinagar. He also narrates that the entire entourage of Kashmiri Leaders led by Mr. Abdullah and those who later supported India were present at the Srinagar Airport lighting the runway with pine torches to see off Menon. This proves that these elements acted on the beck and call of Sardar Patel and Nehru to scare the Mahraja into submission and that Jinnah was right in ignoring them as double gamers.

The amended Government of India Act of 1935 provided in Section 6 that “a princely Indian state shall be deemed to have acceded to either of the dominion on the acceptance of the Instrument of Accession executed by the Ruler thereof” as a logical heir to the British Crown was legally misconceived. In the case of Madhav Rao, the Supreme Court of India found it strange that India should have claimed that the Government of India inherited any aspects of the paramountcy exercised by the British Crown. Again the Indian Supreme Court in Premnath Kaul and the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, in Magher Singh, observed that with the lapse of the British paramountcy, the princely Indian state became an independent and sovereign state in the fullest sense in international law a stand also taken by Pakistan. As the Governor General, it was Mountbatten’s duty to ensure that clauses of the Independence Act of 1947 should not have been changed by India in the 1935 Act and therefore declare the Instrument of Accession illegal. He did not do it and troops were airlifted to Kashmir within minutes for a pre determined occupation

Published by Opinion Maker

"To My Kashmir, Straight from the Heart"

Today I decided to speak to almost all peace loving Kashmiris through the platform of Frontline Kashmir . I am glad to be one of the soldier and activist of the Freedom movement of Kashmir just as you are. We are the pioneers of revolutions that sprouted across middle-east and tyrant regimes crumbled like the pack of cards. The regimes that had chained Arabs for decades are gone with the wind. However, the decibels of our Kashmiri voice are too low to get credit for anything. Our Kashmir is one of the under-reported conflicts in the world. Ever thought why? Why do people in the west know about Palestine but they think we are talking about a sweater or some kind of wool when we talk about Kashmir? Ask yourself why? Our brethren living in western world and Muslim world have completely failed to highlight the sincere cause of Kashmir and their stance to do so is only human(Except few). The problem is not with outsiders but the problem is with us. We have a educated lot living in or outside Kashmir who have decided to distance themselves from the cause which has become a catalyst for the oppression of people in Jammu and Kashmir. Had we been able to make our voices louder, our minors wouldn't be languishing in jails and the rest of the world wouldn't be calling India as a "biggest democracy". The blame is on us, brothers and sisters. To some extent, we are victims of our own negligence.

I can continue for hours but I want to end my rant here and fervently appeal to my brethren to lend us support for our projects to highlight the cause of Kashmir. We are not asking you to do anything illegal. Your identity will be protected as we have always done in the past. We need people with writing skills who can narrate our tales with their mighty pen. We need people who can make videos that highlight the miseries of our people. We want to communicate with outside world.Let us know if you can be of any help to people of Kashmir.We are usually very responsive to any questions and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask our team and we will get back to you.

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