On 15 August 1947, India breathed in the free air at the cost of giving up its sizeable land to establish Islam in the form of Pakistan, after enduring violence, massacres and unspeakable amount of bloodbath due to partition. Indian Independence Act of 1947–which had been passed in the British Parliament on 16 July 1947 with the Royal assent granted on it on 17 July 1947–gave princely states an option to integrate to India or Pakistan or continue as an independent sovereign state.
While the indomitable Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first deputy Prime Minister and the Home Minister was executing the formidable task of integrating the princely states, Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir had remained reluctant to join either India or Pakistan. When he was weighing option between merging with India and staying as independent sovereign state, Pakistan attacked Jammu and Kashmir on 22 October 1947 with tribal militias and its Army with an aim to capture It.
Who were the traitors, who joined hands with Pakistan to attack Kashmir to capture it?
Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, known as “Father of Azad Kashmir” was the founder and first president of Azad Kashmir, actually Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Born in 1915, Muhammad Ibrahim Khan obtained his LLB degree from the University of London in 1941. Khan was appointed as a public prosecutor in Mirpur—which is in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, today—in 1943 under Maharaja rule. Khan won the Jammu and Kashmir State Assembly election as a member of the Muslim Conference party and became a member of the Praja Sabha under Maharajah Hari Singh in 1946.
In June 1947, Khan instigated Muslims and led rebellion in Poonch against Maharaja Hari Singh. On 19 July 1947, a viciously ambitious Muhammad Ibrahim Khan unanimously passed a resolution for the State of Kashmir to join Pakistan at a general assembly meeting held at his own residence, disregarding Maharaja Hari Singh’s decision. When Maharaja Hari Singh disapproved his resolution, Khan escaped to Lahore by the end of August 1947. Muhammad Ibrahim Khan conspired with Pakistani authority to back the rebellion and attack Jammu and Kashmir to capture his own home state.
First Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan agreed with Muhammad Ibrahim Khan to invade Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistani Army along with tribal militias crossed the state of Jammu and Kashmir on 22 October 1947 to lay siege to kingdom of Maharaja Hari Singh. On 24 October 1947, Khan defeated the forces of the Maharaja in the Poonch rebellion and founded the state of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
Panicked Maharaja Hari Singh appealed India for help. To protect Jammu and Kashmir, it was imperative for Maharaja Hari Singh to sign on “Instrument of Accession to India.” Following the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with India, Indian troops were sent to Srinagar on 26 October 1947. This was the first India Pakistan war of 1947-48, which continued till one year and two months due to treason committed by Muhammad Ibrahim Khan. India lost 1/3 control over the region, which was called as Azad Kashmir or PoK.
Another traitor was Mirza Hassan Khan. Born in January 1919, he studied at the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun in 1937-38, then, joined Jammu and Kashmir State Forces. He was was Captain of the 6th infantry of Jammu and Kashmir. He toppled Governor Brigadier, Ghansar singh in Gilgit—which was then part of undivided Kashmir ruled by Maharaja Hari Singh—with help of Gilgit scouts and declared a revolutionary govt on 1 November 1947 and became commander in chief of Gilgit Balistan. Later, he fought against his own state to overthrow Maharaja Hari Singh regime in 1947.
There was Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who caused bloodbath to form Pakistan to fulfil his political aspirations. There was Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, who betrayed his own land by joining hands with Pakistan to form Azad Kashmir. There was Mirza Hassan Khan, who toppled governor of Governor Brigadier Ghansar Singh to overthrow Maharaja Hari Singh regime.
India has been bled by many traitors in the past. Today’s generation must know Jammu and Kashmir’s traitors, who conspired with Pakistan to attack Maharaja Hari Singh to capture his regime in 1947.
