Jammu and Kashmir : State of Importance

A warm welcome to all my readers..!!

If you are keen on watching TV news a lot you must've noticed that first 2 or 3 headlines are having a standard template like "xxx Army at Jammu and Kashmir", for a past few weeks. Why is it? It's a valley lying in between the Great Himalayan range and the Pir Panjal mountain range, with a variety of terrains ranging from lakes, snow-capped mountains, coniferous kissed hills to glacier fed rivers. It's merely a white sheet of paper spread over 2,22,236 km², with it's population occupying less than one-fifth of the total area. The reason for such a sparse population is majorly contributed by it's weather and terrain. It was for this area. India totally fought 4 war; 3 with Pakistan and 1 with China.Still, what draw the attention of Pakistan and China into it? How did it all start?

The Foundation

        Soon after the independence, a painful partition followed. In June of 1947, people were given a chance to select between India and Pakistan. Similarly, 600 Princely States were given a chance to for their territory either with India or Pakistan or to remain independent. Jammu and Kashmir's crowned king chose to remain independent as he wanted his people to decide over it. At the same time, an appeal was made to the Governments of India and Pakistan not to force, but to wait until his people take a decision.

"Who and How" of the issue

        Though an agreement was signed by Pakistan and India with J&K, Pakistan Government felt that majority of Kashmiris were Muslims and would like to be with Pakistan. Considering this unsupported thought, they did a barbaric act. Pathan Tribesman, Ex-Soldiers and Deserters from State Force were grouped together under the name of RAIDERS by Pakistani Army. They were well supplied and supported with force, ammunition and medicine. They were assigned to raid the villages for loot, women and land. In the October of 1947, the raiders began to enter Jammu and Kashmir. These raiders were uncontrollable. They looted every single place and raped every women. 

Since then, till now

Indo-Pakistan War of 1947-48

        When things went beyond hands, Maharaja Hari Singh appealed to Indian Government's Mr Jawaharlal Nehru (the then Prime Minister) to intervene and help them. But Nehru refused as he couldn't deploy Indian Army troops outside it's territory. He made a diplomatic, more politic, move by offering help subject to signing the instrument of accession to the Union of India, over Jammu and Kashmir. An agreement was signed. Immediately troops were sent into the state, a war torn out. However most of the forward post were re-captured by Indian Army. Raiders were chased out by the brave acts of our soldiers. However, Nehru asked United nations (UN) to intervene, which resulted in declaration of formal ceasefire in January of 1949. 

Indo-Chinese War of 1962

        Aksai Chinna area of Jammu and Kashmir originally believed to be a part of Kashmir belonging to India, but the Chinese assumed it the wrong way. But the Chinese took it to be with-in their own territory. It was at this time, they were facing up-risings in Tibet. When India provided asylum to Dalai Lama, tension arised. India started sending patrols at the disputed border regions to set up forward post. The war broke. However due to lack of Intelligence Inputs, expired WW-II rifles, backwardness of the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru and deficiency of good command at senior level, we lost the war. It's the only war, were India lost. However, the war ended when China declared a ceasefire on November 1962.

Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

     The Ind-Pakistan War of 1971 was a militiary confrontation between India's Mitro bahini forces and Pakistan that occured during the liberation war in East Pakistan from 3rd December 1971 to the fall of Dacca on 16th December 1971. The war began with Operation Chengiz Khan's preemptive aerial strikes on 11 Indian Air Stations, which led to the commencement of hostilities with Pakistan and into war, for Independence in Eastern Pakistan on the side of Bengali Nationalist Forces. Being one of the smallest war, it ended when Pakistani troops of 9000 headed by Pakistan General A A K Niazi surrendered to Eastern Command Lt. Gen. Aurora, which is the largest surrender in the history of wars.

Siachen 1987

        Initially during the partition, neither India nor Pakistan was interested in Siachen. Siachen is home to some of the world's tallest mountains, their snow capped tops giving way to rivers of white that gleam in the sun as they fall over-colored rocks. However, it is considered to be a conflict and not a war. Also known as Battlefield on the Roof of the World, it was as usual, Pakistan started the problem. At a point were India, Pakistan and China's border meet, Pakistan was allowing International Mountaineers without prior permission from India. As expected by the Intelligence Bureaus of India, Pakistan was trying to occupy a part of it, disobeying the Karachi Agreement of 1949.

The Kargil War of 1999

        One of the world famous war, fought in the winter of 1989-99. The flames started when Pakistan soldiers infiltered in the Name Operation BADR whose main aim was to chase the Indian troops out of Siachen Glaciers. The then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, declared war when a troop of Indian soldiers patrolling the border were beheaded (whose bodies weren't returned) by the infiltrated Pakistanis.

    The major reason for both Pakistan and China trying to conquer the Jammu and Kashmir is to cause violence and un-rest in the Indian subcontinent. Jammu-Kashmir bounded by the high mountains acts as barrier for entry. Once they subjugate J&K, entering India wouldn't be a challenge. I personally feel that , J&K is a crown for the country, as I observed the India map.

         As a result of these conflicts, troops of Pakistan and China moved inwards into the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Two lines, namely LoC (Line of Control) and LoAC (Line of Actual Control), define the boundaries for India,  though International Boundary includes the full state of J&K. Beyond LoC is Pakistani occupied Kashmir and LoAC separates areas occupied by Chinese Army troops from Indian troops

When will it end?

        Still now the end hasn't occurred and there isn't an end obviously, until Pakistan really bans all the terror outfits and stops funding them. In the case of China, there are no conceivable solutions. Till now there has been lots of firings in the border, while Central Reserve Armed Forces and Army are giving befitting replies now and then. If you ask me, "Will any of them capture J&K?". I have a clear NO. We are one of the Nuclear Powers, with 5th Largest Army. We may lack anything in infantry or artillery, but not our raw courage. Few of the supporting examples for our dauntlessness are The Surgical Strike of URI and Balkot Air Strikes.

        However with the scrapping of Article 370, Government aims in having a direct control over the state to monitor it's activity and stop terror funding with the state. Now the Central Government can have a direct access over state's activities and literally pose any rule/law to stop terrorism. With the Amendment in Citizenship Amendment Bill, there is an ever more tighter chain crushing the terror outfits. Amendments of CAB simply implies that Government of India would no longer support Muslims from Pakistan or any country with Islamism as it's National Religion, thereby cutting down the entry of terrorists as civilians seeking refugee. 

Hope you would now have a brief idea on the conflicts of Jammu and Kashmir.

See you all soon at my next blog.

Until then, Ba-Byeeeeee..

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