400 words essay on jammu
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Answer:
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Explanation:
Jammu and Kashmir was the largest princely state in 1947. Despite having nearly 77 percent Muslim population, it was ruled by a Hindu king, Maharaja Hari Singh. The state was known for pluralism and a culturally diverse society.
There were five main regions:
i. Province of Jammu, a Hindu dominated, largely plain area or low hills, bordering Punjab.
ii. To the north of Jammu, the Sunni Muslims dominated the Kashmir valley with a significant population of Hindu Kashmiri Pandits. The valley was one of the most beautiful parts of India with large number of tourists in summer. There was substantial Sikh presence in both Jammu Province and Kashmir valley.
iii. To the east of the valley, the hilly area of Ladakh was predominantly Buddhist with a slight presence of Shia Muslims. It shared borders with Tibet.
iv. The last two are the regions of Gilgit and Baltistan. These two regions were very thinly populated with mostly Shia Muslims. Gilgit and Baltistan shared borders with Afghanistan and Sinkiang province of China. It was also very close to the former Soviet Union. The geo-political location of the state of Jammu and Kashmir made it very crucial strategically.
Instrument of Accession and Referendum:
On 15th August, 1947, fearing forced accession to India on one hand and communal backlash (due to dominance of Muslims) from Pakistan on the other, Maharaja Hari Singh did not accede to either India or Pakistan. He hoped for an independent, sovereign and completely neutral state. Sheikh Abdullah consistently refuted the two-nation theory and he was perceived as a custodian of secularism in Kashmir. Hari Singh offered to sign a ‘stand-still agreement’ with both countries which would allow free movement of people and goods across borders.
Pakistan signed the agreement, but India said it would wait and watch. But relationship with Pakistan deteriorated soon when Pakistan suspended rail services between Sialkot and Jammu in September 1947. In October 1947, while Sheikh Abdullah was leading a widespread agitation for, complete transfer of power to the people of Kashmir, several Pathan tribesmen with the help of Pakistan Army invaded Kashmir.
The Maharaja asked Nehru for military help. Initially Nehru did not support accession without ascertaining the will of the people. But Mountbatten insisted that under international law, troops could be sent to Kashmir only after the state’s formal accession to India. Sheikh Abdullah and Sardar Patel too insisted on accession. Finally, on 26th October 1947, the Maharaja acceded to India by signing the ‘Instrument of Accession’ and also agreed to appoint Abdullah as the head of the state’s administration.
As per this Instrument of Accession, except for Defence, Foreign Affairs, Finance and Communications, the Indian Parliament needs the State Government’s concurrence for applying all other laws.
Even though both the National Conference and the Maharaja wanted firm and permanent accession, Nehru took a highly idealistic and controversial step by announcing that it would hold a referendum on the accession decision once peace and law and order had been restored in the Valley. This decision was taken to show India’s commitment to democracy and to honour Mountbatten’s advice.
The invaders were gradually driven out of the Valley except the area which is known as ‘Pakistan Occupied Kashmir’ (PoK) in India and ‘Azad Kashmir’ in Pakistan. Mountbatten suggested the Government of India to refer the Kashmir problem to the UN.
In 1951, the UN passed a resolution providing for a referendum under UN supervision after Pakistan had withdrawn its troops from the part of Kashmir under its control. The resolution has remained infructuous till date since Pakistan has refused to withdraw its forces from PoK. Plebiscite in Kashmir never took place.
A UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) still continues to supervise the ceasefire line and report the violation of ceasefire. It is only for the state of Jammu and Kashmir that the accession of the state to India is still a matter of dispute between India and Pakistan and is still on the agenda of the UN Security Council.
Since then, Kashmir has been the main obstacle in the path of friendly relations between India and Pakistan. India has regarded Kashmir’s accession as final and irrevocable and Kashmir as its integral part. Pakistan continues to deny this claim and tries to raise the issue on international platforms while India says that it is a bilateral issue.
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