Fazle Umar
The state of Jammu and Kashmir The most baffling and yet vital issue that confronted Pakistan at the very moment of its emergence as an independent state was the question of the accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan. Over 80 per cent of the population of the State was Muslim, but the ruler was a non-Muslim who was anxious to bring about the accession of the State to India, rather than to Pakistan. In an attempt to coerce the highspirited Muslims of Poonch, many of whom had obtained military training during the Second World War, into opting for accession of the State to India, the Maharaja and his administration embarked on a programme of repressive measures in Poonch. These measures evoked a violent reaction on the part of the Muslim population of Poonch, who repudiated their allegiance to the Maharaja, declared their independence of him, and took up arms to defend themselves against the Maharaja’s military forces. They achieved a measure of success in the early stages of their struggle in which they were helped by their kith and kin across the border in the Punjab. When the news of their heroic struggle was carried to the tribal areas of the Frontier, a large scale incursion of tribal forces into the State of Kashmir was organised, which the Maharaja’s forces were not able to withstand. At this juncture the Maharaja fled in panic from Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, to Jammu, the capital of the territory of that name, and dispatched an urgent message to the Government of India offering the accession of the State to India and pleading for immediate military assistance. His offer of accession was provisionally accepted and adequate military assistance was immediately provided by the Government of India. It was announced by the Government of India that once law and order were restored in the territories, the question of the accession of the State to India or Pakistan would be determined in accord with the freely expressed wishes of the residents of the State.
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