Page 13 - Seniors Today - May21 Issue
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1947. This was attended by Akbar whose The distance between Srinagar and
appreciation had already been shown to Muzaffarabad was less than 100 miles. The
Liaquat by Iftikhar ud Din earlier. Ghulam only rail link of the state was the one
Mohammad the Finance Minister who connecting the town of Jammu with
was a contemporary of Liaquat at College Sialkot in Pakistan. The only way Indians
and at this time was foremost in playing could reinforce the State and save its
sycophant par excellence with Liaquat also capital Srinagar was by airlifting troops
attended the conference. Brigadier Akbar to Srinagar. If Srinagar was captured the
recalls that everyone was enthusiastic whole Kashmir vale and the entire northern
but no one including the Prime Minister areas including Ladakh could no longer
had any concrete idea about the tangible be held by the Indians. There were no
and concrete aspects of the actual plan of subtleties or complexities of operational
operations, specially as far as the logistic strategy in the whole situation except
and armament aspect was concerned. following one simple straightforward
Shaukat was appointed as overall incharge plan ie; a bold and swift advance to
with Major Khurshid Anwar (Retired) Srinagar assisted by a troop or squadron of
commanding the northern tribal force armoured cars.
which was as per Akbar’s appreciation to The main attack plan was called
attack on Muzaffarabad-Srinagar axis. “Operation Gulmarg” and was actually
The tribesmen were brought from the handled and signed by the head of the
NWFP tribal areas on trucks requisitioned Pakistan Army. Each of the detachment
by the Government of Pakistan and of these tribals was commanded by a
concentrated in Batrasi, north-east Pakistani army regular without uniform.
of Abbottabad. The invasion was to The attacks started on the night of October
commence from October 20, 1947; the main 21–22 with Muzzafarabad being the
northern tribal force invading Kashmir epicentre. The state forces unfortunately
under Khurshid Anwar on Abbottabad- aligned themselves with the Kabali raiders
Garhi Habibullah-Muzaffarabad- and so this important city was overrun.
Srinagar axis with a smaller auxiliary Soon Domeil, which was strategically
force advancing along Murree-Kohala- important, was taken. There really was no
Muzaffarabad axis. resistance in between Domel and Uri. It
was here that Brig Rajinder Singh, Chief
of the state forces, laid defenses to halt
the massive invasion. Unfortunately, his
motley forces could not hold the position
as they were totally outnumbered. After
retreating a number of times, the state
forces were totally destroyed and the
gallant Brig Rajinder Singh too fell on the
outskirts of Baramulla.
Maqbool Sherwani, a 19-year-old
Kashmiri lad, was enraged that his
peaceful, multicultural city was being
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #23 | MAY 2021 13
