On October 22, known as Black Day, Pakistan launched a brutal 15-month war on J&K, employing non-state actors for initial attacks, leading to significant casualties and setting the stage for the invasive ‘Operation Gulmarg’.

Their brutality and greed also became the reason for their failure as the Indian Armed Forces drove them back in a long drawn war.

22 Oct is the anniversary of the Black Day, when Pakistan unleashed brutal war on the unsuspecting population of J&K.  This war was fought over a period of 15 months. During this long campaign, Indian Army suffered 1103 fatal casualties (76 officers, 31 JCOs and 996 other ranks). Wounded totaled 3152 including 81 officers and 107 JCOs. J&K State forces lost around 1990 officers and men. Indian Air Force lost 32 personnel including Nine officers. There is no definitive account of the casualties suffered by the population of J&K. To avoid their own complicity, Pakistan used non-state actors in the form of Tribals from Pakistani North West Frontier Province (NWFP) to carry out the initial fighting.

Genesis of Pakistani Invasion

An offer of identical ‘Standstill Agreement’ was made by Maharaja of J&K to both India and Pakistan on 12 Aug 47. While Pakistan signed the agreement, India did not sign the same. However, Pakistan had no intention of honouring the agreement. Over the next two months, large number of raids by Pakistani Tribals/ ex-Servicemen were sponsored by Pakistani Army to put pressure on the Ruler of J&K to accede to Pakistan. These raids were spread from Jammu, Rajouri & Poonch in the South till Muzaffarabad in the North. With time, Pakistanis organised the raiding parties into bigger groups of 500-1000 men, armed with rifles, machineguns and radio communication equipment. The stage was being set for open invasion of J&K by Pakistan. In effect, Pakistanis were launching Hybrid Warfare as we know it today to wrest the State of J&K. Their military actions were coupled with Economic blockade of J&K which had a crippling effect on Kashmir.

Pakistani Plan – ‘Operation Gulmarg’

             Prelim operations in terms of raids all across the borders of the J&K, ostensibly by civilians. These raiding parties were to create communal violence and force the limited J&K State forces to spread out in penny pockets.

             Concurrently, launch a vicious communal propaganda, dovetailed in the Pakistani cross border raids. These were designed to break the social harmony of J&K and create conducive conditions for the final phase.

             Finally, when the conditions were ripe, launch all-out attack to wrest Gilgit, Kashmir and maximum territories of Jammu province.

To maintain deniability of Pakistani Army involvement, the attack was launched by employing tribals from Pakistani NWFP, ex-Servicemen and a large number of Pakistani Army officers and soldiers operating as civilians. Each nominated tribe of NWFP was tasked to bring a 1000 men strong Lashkar. One Major, one Captain and 10 JCOs of the Pakistani Army were the command element for each lashkar. As incentive, these tribals were given unbridled freedom for loot, rape and plunder in J&K.

Pakistani Plan: 22 Oct 47

             Six Lashkars were to advance along Muzaffarbad-Domel-Uri-Baramula-Srinagar. Subsequently, they were to block Banihal Pass, the Gateway to Kashmir from India.

             Two Lashkars were to advance along Hajipir Pass-Gulmarg, to secure Southern flank of main offensive.

             Two Lashkars to advance along Tithwal- Nastachhun Pass-Sopore-Handwara and Bandipura.

             10 Lashkars to capture Poonch and Rajouri and then advance towards Jammu.

             Pakistani 7 Infantry Division was to concentrate in area Murree-Abbottabad, ready to exploit the Tribal gains.

Muzaffarabad–Srinagar Axis

Plunder of Domel and Muzaffarabad – 22 Oct 47. Muzaffarabad is the first major town of J&K, towards the Pakistani border. Domel and Muzaffarabad are astride Jhelum River. 4 J&K Rifles of the State Forces was guarding this vital axis to Srinagar. Pakistani efforts at insidious communal propaganda to subvert the loyalty of state forces troops was hugely successful. The Battalion had two Dogra and two Muslim companies. The two Muslim companies of J&K Rifles switched sides and they killed their own Commanding Officer, Lt Col Narain Singh and unsuspecting comrades from the other two companies. Thereafter, they opened the gates of the city. On entering the city, tribals, who had been enrolled on the promise of loot and plunder let loose their wrath on Muzaffarabad. The captured survivors of 4 J&K Rifles were lined up and shot dead in cold blood. Worse fate awaited the womenfolk. The raiders spent about three days looting and raping in Muzaffarabad, before their leaders could push them towards Srinagar.

Pakistani Journalist Md Ilyas Khan had carried out interview of Pakistani Tribal survivors in Oct 2017. Excerpts below tell of horrors unleashed on hapless Kashmiris, especially women.

             Husaain Gul, of Kurram Militia was part of Tribal Lashkars. He said, “My father, who went in with a band of friends to fight during the previous season (1947), came back defeated.  However, they brought back war booty; gold and some women.”

             Gohar Rahman, a World War II veteran from Battagram, 80 km North-West of Garhi Habibullah, said that after capturing Muzaffarabad, the tribesmen got down to wanton looting and arson. “They plundered the state armoury, set entire markets on fire and looted their goods. Many non-Muslim women were enslaved, while many others jumped in the river to escape capture”. Gohar Rahman returned to Garhi Habibullah during winters. With him were many other tribesmen. “They had returned with war booty,” he says. “Some had brought cattle, some horses. Most of them had brought arms, and many brought women.

Gallant Stand at Uri.  When the news of fall of Muzaffarabad reached Srinagar, Brig Rajinder Singh Jamwal, the Chief of Staff of J&K State Forces realized there was nothing stopping the Tribals till Srinagar. He immediately rounded 200 odd personnel of State forces in Srinagar and rushed to Uri, which is 100 Km from Srinagar. In a series of rear-guard actions including destroying one span of the bridge at Uri and where he died fighting, his forces were able to hold the raiders for four crucial days from 23 Oct to 26 Oct 1947. Delay at Uri was the single most important factor which allowed the Indian Armed Forces to establish Air bridge at Srinagar Airfield and land forces in Kashmir valley. Had this not happened, Kashmir probably would have been lost forever!

This delay of four days also exposes the hollow claims of religious zeal of the Pakistani Tribal invaders in “liberating” Kashmir. Since the bridge on Uri was destroyed, the Tribals refused to move forward without their transport till the bypass at Uri could be effected. They had no motivation to walk the 100 odd Km to Srinagar since their primary interest was only loot and plunder. The lorries were essential to transport their loot.

Sacking of Baramulla

Raiders entered the prosperous town of Baramulla in the evening of 26 Oct 1947. The brutality and looting by the Tribals was reminiscent of similar killings and looting suffered by our country when infamous invaders like Qassim, Gaznavi, Gori and Nadir Shah attacked and looted parts of our country. The place was promptly given to killing, loot and plunder. Minorities were hunted down and killed, their houses looted and then burnt. Young women were abducted and carried off to be sold like cattle in the streets of Rawalpindi and. In this frenzy of looting, killing and raping, Pakistani offensive came to a stand-still.

St Joseph’s Catholic Mission Hospital and Church in Baramulla came in for special savage attention of the Pakistani Tribal lashkars. Many of the women had to suffer unspeakable horrors before they were killed.

Maqbool Sherwani, the 19-year-old Kashmiri patriot from Baramulla displayed great bravery in delaying the Tribals. He told them that Indian Army had already landed in Srinagar and was on the outskirts of Baramulla. He also volunteered to guide the tribals towards Srinagar but actually mis-guided the Tribals with the aim of delaying them from reaching Srinagar. However, the Tribals after some time realized the game-plan of Maqbool Sherwani.

They shot Sherwani dead, putting 14 bullets in him and crucified his body as a warning to other residents of Baramulla. This happened on 07 Nov 1947. His body was brought down after Indian Army reached Baramulla, several days later . However, the sacrifices by the State Forces under Brig Rajinder Singh at Uri and Maqbool Sherwani at Baramulla gave Indian Armed Forces precious time to land in Srinagar before the Srinagar airfield could be cut off.

Instrument of Accession-Signed on 26 Oct 1947

In view of the critical situation, Maharaja Hari Singh sent an SOS at 2300 hr on 24 Oct 47 to Indian Government, requesting for urgent military assistance. The Instrument of Accession was signed by the evening of 26 Oct 47, thereby making Jammu and Kashmir State an integral part of the Indian Dominion, legally, morally and constitutionally.

Indian Forces Strike Back

As the sun rose on 27 Oct 47, the situation was extremely critical. Large raider hordes were being held-up by desperate rear-guard action by two platoons of J&K State Forces which had deployed on a high ground, about 5 Km East of Baramulla. On the same day, first wave of three Dakota planes landed at Srinagar airfield at 0830 Hr. The first plane was piloted by CO of No 12 Squadron, Wg Cdr KL Bhatia and was carrying Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai, CO of 1 SIKH in true ‘lead from the Front’ ethos of Indian Armed Forces. More planes followed as the air bridge transported more troops and war materials into Kashmir. Concurrently, additional Indian forces moved by road towards Poonch-Rajouri sector.

As 161 Inf Bde consolidated its hold in Srinagar and started pushing the raiders back, a series of battles commenced. Great war heroes notably Lt Col Rai, MVC (Posthumous) CO 1 SIKH, Major Somnath Sharma, PVC (Posthumous) of 1 KUMAON laid down their lives along with large number of other officers and soldiers.

Battle of Shalateng

A large number of operations were fought in the course of 15 months of war. Due to space constraints, only one important battle, ‘Battle of Shalateng’ is covered. Fought on 07 Nov 47, this historic battle comprehensively busted the myth of Pakistani tribal martial prowess.

The tribals had occupied Baramulla on 26 Oct 47. Thereafter, they had been creating mayhem in the general area while avoiding a decisive battle with the Indian forces. Brig (Later Lt Gen) L P Sen, Commander of 161 Inf Bde planned to entice the tribals for a decisive battle. Accordingly, he planned to offer them a bait they would not refuse – Srinagar!

The plan involved withdrawal by Indian troops from positions at Pattan (East of Baramulla), thereby giving the impression of Indian withdrawl. Shalateng, located barely 7 Km North-West of Srinagar was chosen as the killing ground. Indian troops deployed at Pattan (mid-way between Baramulla and Srinagar) were ordered to fall back to give the impression of the Indian Army falling back. Taking the bait hook, line and sinker, tribals converged like flies towards Srinagar on the morning of 07 Nov 47. As they entered the killing ground of Shalateng, on orders of Brig LP Sen, infantry battalions of 161 Inf Bde, Armoured Cars of 7 CAVALRY under Lt Noel David and fighters of IAF were let loose on the tribal hordes moving towards Srinagar. The main battle was over in just 30 minutes.

These cowardly raiders, who were advancing with the single aim of sacking Srinagar did not know what hit them. The bravado displayed while attacking heavily outnumbered and isolated small bodies of J&K State Forces or unarmed civilians was gone, replaced by abject terror and cowardice. Leaving 500 of their dead at Shalateng, they turned back and ran back as fast as their legs would carry them. Some tried to turn around their transport lorries in which their loot was loaded. But punishing air raids meant heavy losses on the vehicles moving back. They left behind 138 buses and trucks. At Baramulla, Pakistani officers accompanying the tribals tried to stop them so as to take up defences in Baramulla. But such was the terror of beating taken at Shalateng that the brave Mehsuds, Wazirs, Afridis and Mohmands refused to heed their Pakistani officers. These terrified tribals kept running back 230 Km and stopped only after they reached Abottabad, in Pakistan. Now, Pakistani Army came out in the open to hold on to their gains. Thereafter, after almost 15 days of coaxing and cajoling, the tribals agreed to return back to Srinagar front, but as auxiliary troops to Pakistani Army. It is not clear from where the myth of bravery of tribals has been created and sustained.

Brig LP Sen, Commander of Indian 161 Infantry Bde who was responsible for the planning and conduct of the Battle of Shalateng as also for the fighting in Kashmir against Tribals had the following observation on the Pakistani Tribals, “In selection of tribesmen to consummate it’s plan, Pakistan made a blunder. The general impression about the fighting ability of the tribesmen is a fallacy. He is tall and powerful in appearance. His haughty air of independence, coupled with rifle and dagger makes him appear formidable. In actual fact, he is chicken-hearted. He will only attack troops who are careless and present him with an easy ambush from which he can escape unscathed…. His worst trait however, is reliability…. British fought shy of enlisting tribesmen into regular Indian Army of the pre-partition era. They had been enlisted at one period, but their lack of soldierly qualities and their untrustworthiness, especially during the World War I when they engaged in mutiny and murder, accelerated their disbandment. In arming and equipping the Mehsuds, Wazirs, Afridis and Mohmands, Pakistan scrapped in a matter of weeks what the British had striven over a number of decades to prevent .”

Maj Gen Akbar Khan of Pakistan Army, who was in-charge of Pakistani attack on J&K, in an interview to Brig (Retd) A R Siddiqi for Defence Journal, Karachi in Jun-Jul 1985 while trying to defend the Tribals had the following to say,

“…. On 26th Oct they (Tribals) occupied Baramulla. Two days later on my own initiative, I went to Srinagar front to see how the tribesmen were doing. They were held up at the 4th milestone from Srinagar……… A week later, finding the ground unsuitable for their tactics they broke off engagement and withdrew to Uri, from where they threatened to withdraw to Abbottabad. (Maj Gen Akbar did not explain what really forced the brave Tribals to fall back all the way to Pakistan and agreed to resume operations only after 15 odd days. Bloody nose given by Indians in the Battle of Shalateng was the trigger for this cowardice).

…. It was part of their agreement that they would loot non-Muslims. They had no other remunerations.

(For Pakistani Army, to employ such thugs against hapless Kashmiris puts a big black mark on their military code of conduct).

Baramulla was liberated by 1600 hrs on 08 Nov 47 while Uri was liberated on 13 Nov 47.

Pakistan Captures Gilgit Region Surreptitiously on 03 Nov 1947

Continuing with their modus operandi of undermining loyalty of the state forces, Pakistanis were successful in getting Maj Browne of Gilgit Scouts to switch his loyalty to Pakistan. He overthrew the state administration and declared Gilgit to be under the control of so-called Azad Kashmir Government.

Killing Fields of Mirpur-Rajouri-Poonch

Pakistani Army armed ex-servicemen and tribal lashkars carried out untold death and destruction in the Mirpur-Poonch-Rajouri belt. They carried out raids of varying size, causing immense death and destruction in this belt. This human tragedy appears to have been forgotten by the present generation.

Mirpur Massacre     

  Mirpur massacre will go down as the worst genocide of residents of J&K by Pakistani Army and tribals. Along with refuges from West Pakistan, the town’s population of minorities had reached 25,000 by Oct 1947. A small detachment of the State forces was deployed at Mirpur. On 04 Nov 1947, large Pakistani Tribal-Army force surrounded Mirpur. Then began 20 days saga of bravery as the youth of the city along with the small state forces detachment held off repeated attacks. Outnumbered and without supplies and ammunition, the Mirpur town went down fighting.

             As the end neared, hundreds of women committed suicide. The final attack by Pakistani regular army against civilian population of Mirpur was launched on 24-25 Nov 1947.  Of the 25,000 Mirpuris, the fortunate 10,000 were already dead when the Tribals entered the city. Many were killed inside the town after it was taken by the Pakistan Army led Tribals. Around 15,000 hapless men women and children were marched off to Ali Baig, about 15 Km from Mirpur proper, where a Gurdwara was converted into a prison camp. But along the route itself the tribals killed around 5000 men. Women were abducted, raped and then either sold off like cattle or carried away as slaves. Only about 5,000 captives made it to Ali Baig. These 5000 captives were killed over the next few days. The cold-blooded brutality of the Pakistani captors can be gauged from the fact that these 5000 captives were not killed by bullets or even swords; most of them were slaughtered by using butcher’s knife while reciting religious verses. In all, around 22,000 Mirpuris were brutally killed and only about 2,500 managed to escape to Jammu.

             What sets Mirpur Massacre apart from other large-scale wanton killings during partition is the display of depraved mind-set by the Pakistani tribals while killing their captives. In Mirpur and especially, after the fall of the town, the systematic killing of all Mirpuris was done under Pakistani establishment and Army watch, an accomplice in these mass-killings!

Similar massacres under Pakistani Army were carried out in this complete region. In Rajouri, Pakistani Army and Tribals surrounded the town and attacked the unarmed civilian population. Around 10,000 people were selectively killed, based on religion while around 20,000 were wounded or abducted by the Pakistani raiders. Hundreds of women committed mass suicides to save their honour. Poonch garrison, under Lt Col (later Brig) Pritam Singh of 1 KUMAON held on against all odds and avoided the massacres which befell Rajouri and Mirpur. This saga of bravery and human courage needs to be told separately. Brig Md Usman, Commander of 50 (I) Para Bde, who had earned the sobriquet ‘Lion of Nowshera’ played pivotal role in battles of Nowshera and Jhangar. He died in combat on 03 Jul 1948 and was awarded Mahavir Chakra (Posthumous).

Conclusion

After the serious beating in the Battle of Shalateng, the terrified Pakistani tribals ran back all the way to Abbottabad. At Mirpur, however, they were in far greater strength and displayed unparalleled savagery to inhumanely kill the last of their captives in gruesome manner. This is in sharp contrast to the Indian warrior code of conduct, where it is unthinkable to run away from the battlefield, kill an opponent who lays down his weapons, kill women, children and other non-combatants or to carry away women as sex slaves.