Page 21 - Seniors Today - Oct 2019
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Trango Towers, a family of rock towers in Gilgit-Baltistan, is only one of the stunning natural features of the region
opted for service in the Pakistan Army. The Leh.
officers delayed their own repatriation – maybe The Indian Army’s historic resistance at
intentionally. The British officers were able to Skardu, a well-planned operation to liberate
subvert the loyalties of the Moslem Company of Gurez and Tilel Valley, the epoch-making tank
the J&K Rifles. breakthrough of Zoji-La [see Seniors Today,
On the night of October 31, 1947 the Ops Datta September issue], daring landing of aircraft at
Khel was executed with remarkably well- Leh makeshift airstrip and rollback of Pakistani
planned action. Brig. Ghansara Singh and his forces from large and strategic areas of Ladakh
personal staff were besieged in his residence frustrated Pakistani plans to occupy vast areas
and then arrested under orders of Major Brown. of Jammu & Kashmir. When the Ceasefire was
On November 3, 1947 in the Gilgit Scouts Lines, enforced on January 1, 1948, it left whole of
Major Brown hoisted the Pakistani flag. Soon Gilgit Agency and vast tracts of Baltistan under
after, he sent a message to the chief minister Pakistani occupation.
of Pakistan’s NWF Province and also to Roger
Bacon the British political Agent at Khyber, Vague replies
requesting for appointment of a Pakistan Officer In the deliberations of UNCIP, whenever the
to take charge at Gilgit. Getting no response for Indian side raised the question of these areas,
some days, he got desperate and sent an SOS the UN Commission gave vague replies and
to Peshawar on November 13 to send a senior postponed their consideration on some account
Pakistani officer to take over “or Gilgit will slip or the other.
out of our hands”. The all-important UNCIP Resolution of
The Pakistan Government appointed Khan August 13, 1948 which proposed withdrawal of
Sahib Mohammed Alam of Provincial Civil
Service of NWFP, as Political Agent at Gilgit.
He landed at Gilgit airstrip on November 16th
1947 and immediately took over charge from
Major Brown. Regular daily air service between
Peshawar and Gilgit brought steady stream
of Pakistani civil and military officers who
sidelined the local leaders who had helped take
over by Gilgit Scouts. This consolidation helped
form firm basis for Pakistani thrust a few weeks
later towards Skardu, Gurais, Tilel Valley,
Kargil, Zoji La and up the Indus Valley towards Goatherds with their flock in the mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan
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