Historical Background of Kashmir
Tradition has it that Kashmir was originally a lake that was drained
by Kashyap and then inhabited by the Brahmins. Buddhism was introduced
by the missionaries of Ashoka and flourished under the rule of Kushan in
2nd Century AD. However, Hinduism continued to be the dominant
religion. In the 7th Century AD, the Karkota dynasty was founded by
Durlabhavarrdhana. In 855 AD the Utpalas replaced the Karkotas. Later,
the Tantrins, Yaskaras and Parva Gupta ruled in succession. Didda, a
Gupta widowed queen, ruled Kashmir until 1003 AD when the Lohara dynasty
took over. In 1346 AD the last Hindu king, Udiana Deva, was replaced by
Shams-ud-Din. His family ruled until 1586 when the Moghul emperor Akbar
conquered and annexed Kashmir to his vast empire.
In 1757 it was conquered by Ahmed Shah Durrani and became part of
Afghanistan. In 1819 Ranjit Singh conquered Kashmir and made it part of
his Sikh empire. In 1846, when the British defeated the Sikhs and
annexed Punjab, they sold Kashmir to Ghulab Singh of Jammu for Rs. 7.5
million under the Treaty of Amritsar. Ghulab Singh, who entitled himself
the Mahrajah, signed a separate treaty with the British which, in
effect, gave him the status of an independent princely ruler of Kashmir.
He added to his dominion by conquering Ladakh. Ghulab Singh died in
1857 and was replaced by Rambir Singh (1857-1885). Two other Marajahs,
Partab Singh (1885-1925) and Hari Singh (1925-1949) ruled in succession.
Ghulab Singh and his successors ruled Kashmir in a tyrannical and
repressive way. The people of Kashmir, nearly 80% of whom were Muslims,
rose against Mahraja Hari Singh's rule. He ruthlessly crushed a mass
uprising in 1931. In 1932 Sheik Abdullah formed Kashmir's first
political party - All Jammu & Kashmir Muslim Conference (renamed to
National Conference in 1939). In 1934 the Maharajah gave way and allowed
limited democracy in the form of a Legislative Assembly. However,
unease with the Maharaja's rule continued.
According to the instruments of partition of India in 1947, the
rulers of princely states were given the choice to freely accede to
either India or Pakistan, or to remain independent. They were, however,
advised to accede to the contiguous dominion, taking into consideration
the geographical and ethnic issues.
In Kashmir, however, the Maharajah hesitated. The principally Muslim
population having seen the early and covert arrival of Indian troops,
rebelled and things got out of the Maharajah's hands. The people of
Kashmir were undoubtedly demanding to join Pakistan. The Maharajah,
fearing tribal warfare, eventually gave way to the Indian pressure and
agreed to join India by 'signing' the Instrument of Accession on 26th
October 1947. Kashmir was provisionally accepted into the Indian Union
pending a free and impartial plebiscite. This was spelled out in a
letter from the Governor General of India, Lord Mountbatten, to the
Maharajah on 27th October 1947. In the letter, accepting the Accession,
Mountbatten made it clear that the state would only be incorporated into
the Indian Union after a reference had been made to the people of
Kashmir. Having accepted the principle of a plebiscite, India has since
obstructed all attempts at arranging one.
Heavy fighting took place in 1947-48 between the Indian and Pakistani
forces over Kashmir. On 1st January 1949 a cease-fire was declared
which created the first Line-of-Control.
In 1957 the state was, in effect, incorporated into the Indian Union
under a new Constitution. This was done in direct contravention of the
standing UN resolutions and the conditions of the Instrument of
Accession. The article was rushed through by the then puppet state
government of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed; people of Kashmir were not
consulted.
Heavy fighting broke out again in 1965 between India and Pakistan
over Kashmir. A cease-fire was established in September 1965. Indian
Prime Minister, Lal Bhadur Shastri, and Pakistani President, M Ayub
Khan, signed the Tashkent agreement on 1st January 1966. They resolved
to try to end the dispute by peaceful means.
In 1971 civil war broke out in East Pakistan and Indian forces again
fought the Pakistani forces in Kashmir. This resulted in a new
cease-fire and the signing of the Shimla Agreement by Indira Ghandi and Z
A Bhutto. The Shimla Agreement basically reiterated the promises made
in Tashkent.
Since the 1971 war, the situation may have been described as
stalemate with India in control of much the larger part of Kashmir, and
doing everything to emphasis her claim de jur. However, the dream of
freedom from India never died; it was only suppressed from time to time
by the Indians by using puppet state governments.
Guardian on 14th July 1970 reports that it is "ironic that India's
position in Kashmir should be increasingly challenged from within at a
time when Kashmir's status as a major unsettled international dispute is
declining".
Hindustan Times of August 1970 reports, "In the Kashmir People's
Convention held in Srinagar in the summer of 1970, but for a few feeble
voices in our [India's] favour, most of the delegates favoured either
accession to Pakistan or creation of an independent Kashmir".
The close of 1989 saw the beginning of the renewed struggle for
freedom of Kashmir. The Kashmiris started to arm themselves to resist
the Indian occupation. The then state government, headed by Dr Farooq
Abdullah, was dissolved and the state placed in direct control of the
governor. Since then the struggle for freedom and democracy has
intensified.
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Source:http://www.gharib.org.uk/
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Category: About Kashmir
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