KASHMIRIS STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE

As has been mentioned in detail in the chapter on its history, Kashmir had, for most of the time, been an independent country until 1585-AD when Akbar, the powerful Mughal king of India, occupied it using effectively the recipe of ‘divide and rule’. Before that Kashmir had seen two golden eras as an independent country, the eras of Raja Lalita Datya (715 to 751 AD) and Budshah (1420 to1470 AD) when Kashmir was the most prosperous, most powerful, most advanced and most respected country in the region. The post 1585 period saw despotic and tyrant foreign rulers tread Kashmir one after the other.

For over three centuries during foreign occupation, Kashmiris did not dare to raise their voice in favour of independence. But during the first half of twentieth century there were movements one after the other, that paved the way for an organized movement for national liberation. During Nineteen- twenties two revolts, one by the laborers of Silk Factory and another by Srinagar notables who presented a memorandum to visiting British Viceroy heralded the dawn of popular awakening .The incident of 13July 1931 in which 21 Kashmiris were shot dead by the State Army became the foundation stone of a popular movement .In 1932 the first political-party of the-State was formed. Two year later first elections were held to establish the first legislative assembly of the State. In 1939 Muslim Conference was converted into a secular nationalist organisation, the National Conference, which within a few years adopted a manifesto named ‘New Kashmir’ proposing that Kashmir change into a sort of welfare state.

In 1946 National Conference started the famous ‘Quit Kashmir Movement’ asking the ruler-to quit Kashmir. Almost the entire leadership-of National Conference was put behind the bars accused of revolting and the party leader Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah sentenced to 9 years rigorous imprisonment

On June 3, 1947 the British rulers declared that they would quit the Subcontinent on August 14-15 1947, dividing British India into two independent States of India and Pakistan. The rulers of over 500 semi – independent States including Kashmir were given the authority to determine the future of their respective states.

Kashmir was in a typical position. An overwhelming majority of its people were Muslims, majority of whom would like the State to join Muslim Pakistan or declare complete independence whereas the ruler who had to make the decision was Hindu who would in his personal interests like the State of join India or remains independent. Finally he started thinking seriously of making his state an independent one having friendly relations with both India and Pakistan and his Prime Minister Mr. R. C. Kak, a Kashmiri Pundit (Hindu) agreed with him. On July 6,the Coordination Committee of Muslim Conference sent a telegram of congratulations to the ruler on expressing his desire to announce independence for his State. On June 16, July 11,and July 30,1947 Mr Jinnah, president of All India Muslim League declared through his policy statements that the princely states including Kashmir had the right to declare independence in addition to their right to join India or Pakistan.

On July, 18 the working Committee of Muslim Conference adopted a resolution in support of independence of the state but in the General Council meeting held the next day the majority adopted a resolution in support of States accession to Pakistan. In the mean time behind the scene parleys between second line leadership of National Conference and Mr Ghandi who was on ‘private visit’ to Kashmir, continued and they pressurized the ruler to remove pro- independence Mr Kak which the former did only four days before August 15, when people expected of the ruler and Mr .Kak to declare independence of Kashmir. Mr. Kak was replaced first by Janak Singh and then by Mr, M.C Mahajan, who had paved the way for States accession to India.

Mr. Ghandi had also advised the Maharaja indirectly though, to release popular Kashmiri leader Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah and win his support which the Maharaja did on September 29,1947 .The Sheikh sent a delegation to Pakistan to negotiate with Pakistani leaders about the future of Kashmir. But Pak authorities cold-shouldered and mistreated the delegation and it went back disappointed. Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah then approached Indian leadership, which offered him more than what he wanted

In the mean time on Oct.4, 1947 a group of Kashmiri leaders headed by one Mr. Anwar, (Actually Mr. Gulam Nabi Gulkar, a Muslim Conference member of Kashmir Assembly) declared formation of a Provisional Revolutionary Government for the State. On Oct.22, militant tribesmen from tribal areas of Pakistan entered Kashmir through Jhelam Valley Road and within a couple of days reached Baramulla, an important town of Kashmir Valley. Their treatment of Kashmiris especially non-Muslims was very cruel and uncivilized.

On Oct.24, the Provisional Revolutionary Government was reorganized with Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan a member of Kashmir Assembly as President of Azad Kashmir.

On Oct.26, the Maharaja reportedly signed an Instrument of States conditional accession to India

On Oct.27, Indian Armed forces landed in Kashmir and after some initial casualties occupied Srinagar airport. Thus began a 15 months long war between India and Pakistan over proprietorship of Kashmir. A meeting each between Governors General and Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan failed to reach any solution. In the mean time, the Azad Kashmir government had established itself in the western parts of Kashmir and the people of Gilgit, with the help of Muslim officers of Kashmir Army and Gilgit Scouts, also established an independent government after dethroning and arresting Kashmir State Governor Brig Ghamsara Singh. That independent government was done away with by Pakistan two weeks later and the area taken over by Pakistani Political Agent.

India took the matter to the United Nations in December 1947 and on 15^th January 1948 her representative declared in the Security Council that India recognized Kashmiri peoples right to join India or Pakistan or to remain independent and seek UN membership

UN efforts did not succeed beyond arranging ceasefire in Kashmir and failed to solve the issue due to one or the other party backing out of it’s pledges. In the mean time the National Conference in Indian held Kashmir convened a constituent assembly, which adopted a constitution providing full internal autonomy to Kashmir, India controlling only the defence, foreign affairs and communications. Under that constitution Kashmir had it’s own President, Prime Minister, national flag and national language (Urdu) and India could not take any step about Kashmir without approval of its assembly.

By 1952 differences erupted between Indian and Kashmir governments which were temporarily resolved through an agreement but the bitterness remained.

In June 1953 National Conference presented four alternate solutions for Kashmir Issue, one of them being complete independence for the whole State. But with the dismissal of National Conference government and arrest of its leaders by India on August9, 1953, the whole issue got relegated to background.

By the end of fifties a pro independence wave had engulfed the youth of Azad Kashmir and Kashmiris living in Pakistan and the wave came into limelight during the first general elections of Azad Kashmir held in 1961. The pro Pakistan presidential candidate Sardar Qayyum was defeated by Mr. K.H Khursheed who wanted the Azad Kashmir Government to be recognized by international community as the real successor of the semi-independent government of the Maharaja. That in a way meant independence. Four pro–independence members also got elected to 16 members Azad Kashmir Council. Two gentlemen khawaja Ghulam Nabi Gilkar and Mr. Daud contested presidential elections on the manifesto of outright independence for the State although they did not do well. Mr. Gilkar had also formed a pro independence party Jammu Kashmir Republican Party. Mr.KH Khursheed was forced to resign from the president-ship of Azad Kashmir in August 1964 accused of colluding with Sheikh Abdullah during his visit to Pakistan earlier, for working for independence of Kashmir.

India-Pakistan talks on Kashmir started after Indo-China war of 1962. Bhutto-Swarn Singh talks as they were called, decided in the very first meeting that during the talks Pakistan would not demand right of self determination for Kashmiris and India would not claim that Kashmir was her integral part and that the doctrine of ‘give and take’ would govern the talks. Pakistan started with offer of three Hindu majority districts of Jammu to India whereas India offered some minor adjustments in the ceasefire line.

Although Indian and Pakistani media was mum on these behind-the-scene happenings, the foreign media did carry the story. Kashmiri patriots were stunned to know about Pakistan stabing them in the back .So a big number of Kashmiri nationalist lawyers, journalists, student leaders and political workers assembled in Rawalpindi on May 12, 1963 and after exchanging views, formed Kashmir Independence Committee headed by Mr. G.M. Lone pro-independence member of Azad Kashmir Council who had done a lot of running about to convene the meeting. I, the editor monthly "Voice of Kashmir"f was asked to do most of writing work. The Committee declared that if it was thought unnecessary to determine the future of Kashmir through UN supervised plebiscite, the alternative should be reunification and complete independence of the divided Jammu Kashmir State and not its permanent division as being discussed by India and Pakistan during these talks. Fortunately the Indo-Pak talks failed as each wanted maximum possible chunk of Kashmir territory and the other did not agree. With failure of these talks after 6 rounds, Kashmir Independence Committee also became inactive after hectic activities for about a year and in 1965, most of its members joined the newly established pro-independence Jammu Kashmir Plebiscite Front (for Azad Kashmir and Pakistan).

J K Plebiscite Front (JKPF) was formed in April 1965 and stood for unfettered right of self-determination. Its Vice President G M. Lone , Secretary General Mr. Amanullah Khan ,Publicity Secretary Maqbool Ahmed Butt, and Finance Secretary Mir Abdul Qayyum along with, after failing to convince its Central Committee to adopt armed freedom struggle as one of its means to advance towards its ultimate goal of national liberation, established in August 1965, Major (Retd) Amanullah Khan an underground organisation, the Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Front (JKNLF).Its objectives was to struggle through all possible means including armed struggle, to obtain for the people of Jammu Kashmir State a position in which they would determine their future as sole masters of their homeland .In June 1966 Maqbool Butt and Major Amanullah Khan crossed over to Indian held Kashmir to indoctrinate youth there on independence ideology and impart training for armed freedom struggle. Before they could return to Azad Kashmir as decided, Maqbool Butt and some of his companions were arrested and one companion Aurangzeb killed by Indian army whereas Major Amanullah succeeded in crossing over to Azad Kashmir where he was arrested and kept behind the bars for a long time. Maqbool Butt and his companions were tried by India and sentenced to death. But before he could be executed, he along with two of his companions escaped from Srinagar Jail in December 1968 and crossed over to Azad Kashmir. In January, 1971,JKNLF got an Indian aeroplane hijacked to Lahore which initially gave lot of publicity on international level to Kashmir issue, the independence ideology and the NLF but later on Pakistan put the entire leadership of NLF and PF behind the bars alleging that the hijacking was Indian sponsored and subjected them to most inhuman mental and physical tortures. Their trial continued for two years. The court anyhow declared that NLF, PF and their leaders were Kashmiri patriots and that the hijacking was done under patriotic sentiments. Nevertheless one of the hijackers Hashim Qureshi was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for his doubtful part in the hijacking. Maqbool But went to Indian held Kashmir again in 1976 and was arrested again and sent to gallows on Feb11, 1984 in Tihar Jail New Delhi.

In May 1977 JKLF was established in England and within a couple of years its branches were established in Continental Europe, USA, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, Gilgit Baltistan, Indian held Kashmir and Middle East. At present, it is the main mouthpiece of the independence ideology in spite of being disintegrated a number times. All parties National Alliance (APNA) an alliance of about a dozen pro independence small groups is active in Azad Kashmir. A number of pro independence organizations are also active in Indian controlled Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan too.

The reason why independence ideology has not made much headway despite having covert support of the majority of Kashmiri people is that both India and Pakistan have a colonialistic and selfish approach to Kashmir and are deadly opposed to its independence. Both have pets and puppet governments in their occupied parts of the State who stand in the way of independence. Both have imposed laws under which pro- independence Kashmiris cannot contest elections or exercise their vote, as there is no pro independence candidate in the field. My own case presents an interesting example of collusion between India and Pakistan against independentists. India has got a Red Notice (international warrants of arrest) issued against me by INTERPOL whereas Pakistan has confiscated my passport. The common purpose of both is to keep me from projecting the ideology of independence of Kashmir on international level.

Despite the unreasonable colonialistic and selfish attitude of India and Pakistan, despite most unpatriotic thought and action of most of Kashmiri leaders and despite unjust apathy of international community towards it, Kashmir is destined to reach its fully deserved and cherished goal of national independence sooner or later. That is the clear writing on the wall.