Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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Before and after the withdrawal of the [[British Empire|British]] from India in 1947, the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu came under pressure from both India and Pakistan to agree to become part of one of the newly independent countries. According to the [[instrument of Accession|instruments of accession]] relating to the [[Partition of India]], the rulers of [[princely state]]s were to be given the choice of either acceding to India or Pakistan{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}}. However, the [[Maharaja]] of Kashmir, [[Hari Singh]] tried to avoid accession to either country. Following a Muslim revolution in the Poonch and Mirpur area<ref name = lamb /> and an allegedly Pakistani backed<ref name="Offl_Hist_1947"/>{{rp|18}} [[Pashtun people|Pashtun]] tribal intervention from the [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa|Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] that aimed at supporting the revolution,<ref name = snl>[http://snl.no/Kashmir-konflikten Kashmir-konflikten. (2011-10-18) I Store norske leksikon. Taken from http://snl.no/Kashmir-konflikten]</ref><ref name = nrk>[http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/verden/1.461250 Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation: Kashmir-konflikten]</ref> the Maharaja asked for Indian military assistance. India set a condition that Kashmir must accede to India for it to receive assistance. The Maharaja complied, and the [[Government of India]] recognized the accession of the erstwhile princely state to India. Indian troops were sent to the state to defend it. The [[Jammu & Kashmir National Conference]] volunteers aided the [[Indian Army]] in its campaign to drive out the Pathan invaders.<ref name="Sayyid Mīr Qāsim">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=KNFJKap8YxwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=My+life+and+times+By+Sayyid+M%C4%ABr+Q%C4%81sim&source=bl&ots=QelHViveYB&sig=59zRr-XTYB8srl0zs3A_CyfCabI&hl=en&ei=OAnCTM3rKsT48Aa7rajhCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false| title = My Life and Times|publisher =Allied Publishers Limited|accessdate = 2010-07-01}}</ref> The legitimacy of this accession is still disputed.

Pakistan was of the view that the Maharaja of Kashmir had no right to call in the Indian Army{{Cn|date=October 2011}}, because it held that the Maharaja of Kashmir was not a heredity ruler{{Cn|date=October 2011}}, that he was merely a British appointee after the British defeated Maharaja [[Ranjit Singh]] who ruled the province before the British.<ref>[http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/g/019pho000000394u00076000.html Srinagar] www.collectbritain.co.uk.</ref> There had been no such position as the "Maharaja of Kashmir" prior to British rule{{Cn|date=October 2011}}. Hence Pakistan decided to take action, but the Army Chief of Pakistan General [[Douglas Gracey]] did not send troops to the Kashmir front and refused to obey the order to do so given by [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]], [[Governor-General of Pakistan]]{{Cn|date=October 2011}}. Gracey justified his insubordination by arguing that Indian forces occupying Kashmir represented the British Crown and hence he could not engage in a military encounter with Indian forces{{Cn|date=October 2011}}. Pakistan finally did manage to send troops to Kashmir but by then the Indian forces had taken control of approximately two thirds of the former principality. The [[Gilgit]] and [[Baltistan]] territories were secured for Pakistan by the [[Gilgit Scouts]] and the [[Chitral Scouts|forces]] of the state of [[Chitral]], another princely state that had acceded to Pakistan{{Cn|date=October 2011}}.

==Stages of the war==