Jammu and Ladakh had made up their mind for full annexation with Bharat. They no longer wished to be the pawn in Shaikh Abdullah’s game plan of separate status for Kashmir.

The pressure for granting territorial autonomy to Jammu and Ladakh was getting momentum. Initially, Shaikh also agreed to limited territorial autonomy and instructed the basic principle committee to chart out the plan. Accordingly, five autonomous regions – Kashmir valley, Jammu, Gilgit, Ladakh, and a new region annexing Mirpur, Poonch, Rajouri, and Muzaffarabad were to be given autonomous status.

But, very soon Shaikh decided to alter the strategy as he disagreed with giving similar rights, to Jammu and Ladakh, that he had been seeking from Bharat, for the princely state.Instead, the National Conference created a design of dividing the Jammu region. As per this proposal, the Udhampur district in the Jammu region was to be divided and then given autonomous status. Doda was to be annexed to the Kashmir valley, which lay on the other side of the Pir Panjal range, purely for communal reasons. This division would split Jammu and the communal base of Kashmir valley would be strengthened.

It was widely opposed in both, Jammu and Ladakh, as this was an attempt to dismantle the geographical integrity of Jammu.On 23rd March 1953, the editorial in “Organizer” narrated, ” The Constitutional committee framed by Shaikh Abdullah has proposed a similar kind of autonomous status for Jammu. But, Jammu would not accept it, as it contains a condition of cleaving Jammu. Shaikh has charted out two Muslim majority regions-Doda and Rajouri from Jammu. He plans to fragment it from the Jammu region and annex them with the other side of the mountain, with Kashmir valley, which remains incommunicado for nine months of the year. They are not just designing to split Jammu on the communal basis but also create disruption in the Hindu majority, Jammu and Ladakh, eventually cutting off the connectivity of Ladakh with rest of Bharat”

The Harijan member of the Constituent Assembly, Mahashay Nahar Sinh presented a bill, which had been charted out on the lines of the Bharatiya constitution and had a provision of granting similar facilities to Harijans. Harijans were either Sikh or Hindu. Shaikh Abdullah opposed this bill vehemently and compelled Nahar Sinh to withdraw the bill. If the bill would have been approved, a section of the Hindu community would have got the reservation and their strength in the Constituent Assembly would have increased.

Shaikh Abdullah and his other colleagues in the National Conference were propagating among the people that there would be a separate flag of Kashmir state, apart from the Bharatiya flag. Shaikh had announced in the Constituent Assembly that the design for Kashmir’s ‘national’ flag would be a Red colored Rectangular, with three edges lengthened in White, at equal distances. The symbol of the White plough in the center, with a shaft towards the edges.

Shaikh did not stop with the design of the flag, he went further and presented a song, in reverence of the flag: ” यह झंडा कयामत के दिन तक फहराता रहेगा। ( This flag would be unfurled till the doom’s day).” According to Islamic ideology, the entire cosmos would extinct on the day of the apocalypse and Allah would take account of all the dead ones. Mentioning the conviction regarding Doom’s day, was Shaikh establishing Kashmir as an Islamic state, disposing of the Secular veil???

Two days after this announcement, Ladakh’s Lama, Kushak Bakula ji traveled to Delhi and cleared their stance. They declared in crystal clear terms that – ” Bharat and only Bharat, is our slogan. We would remain with Bharat at any cost. Of course, if Bharat takes the adverse call then it is different.”

It is well understood that Lama Bakula Ji was pointing towards Pandit Nehru. The tactics of Shaikh Abdullah angered not only the opposition parties like Praja Parishad and Bharatiya Jansangh but even the veteran Congressmen who were turning against it. K. Hanumantaiya, the then Hon.Chief Minister of Mysore, publicly opined, ” By permitting Jammu & Kashmir, to have a separate flag, it could hamper nation’s integrity which the Constitution had secured. People of our nation would not be able to accept and swallow that Kashmir would have its own constitution. Not in any corner of our nation, a supplementary song could exist.”

Shaikh Abdullah’s whims and fancies grew with leaps and bounds, along with his compelling aspiration to be the sole ruler of Kashmir. Within no time, he turned into a dictator. This resulted in fierce dissent and the people who ideologically were not the followers of Praja Parishad but were adverse to the waywardness of Shaikh formed a separate political outfit, named People’s Party in Jammu. It was based on the ideology of Socialism, Progressivism, and Secularism. They too opposed National Conference and declared their out-and-out support for the implementation of the Bharatiya Constitution in the state.

The Praja Parishad announced a protest on the 29th of June 1952 against Shaikh Abdullah’s obdurate ways of imposing a separate flag of Kashmir. The people of Jammu and Ladakh had not really recovered from the obstinate governance of Shaikh Abdullah and he immediately struck another attack.

On the 10th of June 1952, the Fundamental Principle Committee of the Constituent Assembly presented its final report. The report had a clear and firm recommendation to defunct the hereditary rule and instead, appoint an elected state president.Immediately, in two days, the recommendation was accepted!!! The Monarchy was anyways on its deathbed, under the new circumstances.

In the ‘B’ section of the Constitution, the throne was appointed on the post of the constitutional head,  similar to that of the governor. They too were appointed by the President and only he had the power to dismiss him. There was really no dispute over banishing the Monarchy but the approach and the demeanor adopted, in dispersing the king, were objectionable. Among all the Monarchs across Bharat, only Jammu & Kashmir’s King HariSinh was stained and thus, humiliated while dethroning him.

Not that Pandit Nehru, was unaware that the procedure adopted in dismissing Maharaja Hari Singh. He was well aware that the President approved King, could only be dismissed from his post, by the Parliament. The Constituent Assembly did not have the power to take this decision.

But, Pandit Nehru, instead of disallowing the unconstitutional mode, kept mum in support. Amidst the rickety and tumbled-down atmosphere, Praja Parishad gave a memorandum to the president of Bharat. The Praja Parishad had registered their protest and disagreement, in the memorandum, regarding the differentiation in conduct, towards the Jammu and Ladakh region as well as the creation of a communal and ambiguous atmosphere by Shaikh Abdulla.

The Parishad had underlined that – “if there was general consensus with people of Kashmir valley, about the accession of Kashmir with Bharat as was in the other states, there would not have been any requirement to put forward these demands. But, now the Constituent Assembly of the state, has been taking decisions on such significant issues, which were related to our times ahead as well as the identity, hence it had become essential to present them to the President. Unfortunately, these decisions had not been in accordance with the yearning and the inclination of us or Bharat.

We have reached out to You, with an aspiration to protect our well beings and fulfill our wish.” The memorandum also stated that -” the people of Ladakh also share our views.” In the memorandum, the Parishad had put forward their appeal to consider the entire princely state, inclusive of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, as the indivisible and integral part of Bharat and include them, in the ‘B’ section of the Constitution.

With sheer determination they put forward their sentiments regarding their willingness to fight till their last breath, like their forefathers, to achieve the state’s amalgamation into Bharat. Thus, in no uncertain terms, the Praja Parishad shared their utmost wish for the implementation of a thorough constitution in Kashmir, just like other states. They showed their heartfelt keenness to witness the unfurling of Tiranga, in Kashmir like other states, to be included in the ‘B’ section and not under the ‘Red flag’ presented by Shaikh Abdullah in Jammu. They were keen on being governed under the laws and policies passed by the Parliament of Bharat.

They stressed the fact that the State of Jammu and Kashmir were not sovereign, autonomous republics. The constituent assembly of Kashmir had been formed by fraudulence, as it had only one party representation. The same Constituent Assembly had sent their representatives to the federal parliament and hence, we have been denied representation in the parliament of Bharat, too.

The Praja Parishad shared their dislike towards the repeated implementation of the Kashmir Security Act and People’s Security Act in Jammu and curbing freedom of all kinds with its execution. Urdu had been made the official language of the state and the medium of education in the institutes were being given in Urdu. In the educational curriculum, the word “Bharatiya nationalism” had been replaced by “Kashmiri nationalism”!!! The memorandum also mentioned the deliberate attempts on demolishing the economic strength of Jammu.

The Praja Parishad also mentioned in the memorandum that ” The people of Jammu are in extreme distress as they have been anxious for making their state, a permanent and undisputed part of Bharat. The people of Jammu, landed their thorough support to the National Conference, when the Maharaja handed over the power of the day-to-day administration to National Conference, on the insistence of the Government of Bharat. This support was given, with the hope that the National Conference would end their age-old antipathy towards Dogras of Jammu, take the entire population of the state alongside, and access Bharat, with the collaborative objective. Instead of understanding, the sentiments of support,  Unfortunately, the Shaikh Abdullah Government has been considering it, as our weakness. He has deliberately and in a planned manner, begun the differential as well as oppressive tenet with the people of Jammu. Their conduct with Praja Parishad, the representative of Jammu, has been on a similar plane. The repressing conduct towards Jammu has been extended in all the policies, including Cultural, political and financial sectors and to the extent, that it began interjecting in their religious practices.”

The “Tribune” mentioned that if the Government did not undertake the rightful procedure against the memorandum by Praja Parishad, it could begin the strike, in protest, in the state. Shaikh Abdullah’s stance towards Ladakh and Jammu was hurtful and derogatory but more than that, the statements and support by Pandit Nehru, for his despotism, ignited the already burning issue.

Pandit Nehru replied after a week of Praja Parishad presenting their memorandum to the president. 

As per Pandit Nehru, ‘not all the decisions could be inflicted upon the people of ‘Kashmir’ and certain decisions should be left to their wishes. The right to take decisions on related issues, would lie with Kashmiris and not with the parliament.  He refrained from giving any apothegmatic opinion and submitted that this decision is beyond the boundaries of the Bharatiya Parliament.’

It is ironic, that according to Pandit Nehru’s opinion, the “Kashmiri” (people of the state) had the right to decide their fate. But, on the same note, didn’t the people of Jammu and Ladakh, also have the right to decide their fate – and that was complete annexation in Bharat?  Then, why didn’t Pandit Nehru consider their right, worthy?

Praja Parishad was so adamant about assimilating Jammu and Kashmir with Bharat, that they were prepared to consider the extinction of “Praja Parishad” if National Conference would agree to complete amalgamation in Bharat!!! The Parishad’s battle was not for gaining supremacy and power but for their deep-rooted Cultural, Social, Religious, and Economic identity and principles related to it.

The question of Jammu – Kashmir and their constitutional disposition, had become an eminent issue. Till now, Shaikh Abdullah dealt with it, as per his fancy, with unquestioned support from Pandit Nehru. Pandit Nehru did not allow anyone else to “interfere” in the Kashmir issue. He disallowed Sardar Patel too, to handle this issue, even though Sardar had been given the charge for the Ministry of Princely States!!!

But, lately, Shaikh Abdullah had begun disagreeing with Pandit Nehru and keeping him out of the Kashmir-related decisions. He listened to only himself. His conduct was turning out to be that of the new “landlord” of Kashmir. Unfortunately, neither Jammu – Ladakh nor Mirpur – Baltistan considered him as their “Landlord”.

The Praja Parishad, in Jammu, after attempting all the possible solutions, had begun creating strong opinions amongst people against Shaikh’s unreasonable ways. Under the Democratic setup of Bharat, Pandit Nehru could not ignore this “cyclone” and was compelled to call Shaikh Abdullah to Delhi.

Shaikh Abdullah did not comply and on the pretext of some of the other excuses, did not bother to reach Delhi. Shaikh Abdullah was under the impression, that if any colossal power, would extend support and assure solace for the security of Kashmir then Kashmir could become an independent nation like Switzerland. It could be a tourist’s paradise. The flowing fund through tourism would be solely used by him as he considered himself the irrefrangible leader of Kashmir.

By the middle of 1952, Shaikh Abdullah began dreaming of Independent Kashmir. Earlier, he remained in dilemma, as he feared that the Plebiscite by United Nations, could destabilize his power. But, as soon as he realized that Bharat’s internal state’s political systems did not support the interference by the Security Council of the UN, he changed his attitude towards Bharat and thus, committed betrayal to both, the Kashmiri people as well as Bharat.

Sources of Information :

हमारी भूलोका स्मारक : धर्मांतरित कश्मीर

नरेन्द्र सहगल

कश्मीर : दहकते अंगारे

जगमोहन जी

जम्मू कश्मीर की अनकही कहानियां

कुलदीप चंद अग्निहोत्री

Kashmir : Behind The Vale

M J Akbar

My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir 

Jagmohan ji