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Created: 23 October 2017

NEW DELHI: A massive protest was held at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, the capital of India by the volunteers of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party demanding withdrawal of all occupied territories of J&K by Pakistan in 1947-48 as well as by China in 1963 in the Ladakh front. The Panthers Party has been insisting that the United Nations failed in 1948 to play its desirable role and it failed later to ensure the withdrawal of foreign forces from Jammu and Kashmir. Panthers Party has maintained at all fronts that the Maharaja (the Ruler) of Jammu and Kashmir had signed the Instrument of Accession on 26thOctober, 1947 (the power which was vested in him by the British Parliament under its India Independence Act, 1946). Pakistan had unconstitutionally and illegally occupied Gilgit-Baltistan region in 1948 after the Accession was signed by the ruler of J&K and that amounted to an international trespass (invasion).

Prof.Bhim Singh reminded the world that the Maharaja of J&K had signed the Instrument of Accession on 26th October, 1947 which was counter signed by Lord Mountbatten on 27th October, 1947. Unfortunately/regrettably the Governor General had inserted some undesirable words in a adjoining letter which became irrelevant for many legal and political reasons. Prof.Bhim Singh, Chief Patron of National Panthers Party regretted that Parliament of India has failed in its duty to ratify the offer for the Accession and it was a blunder to insert Article 370 in the Indian Constitution which has given birth to more blunders in the history. He was addressing a rally of the Panthers Party at the Jantar Mantar.

He reminded that it was on October 22, 1947, a Lashkar of tribals, 10000 strong Pakistan planted armed soldiers, led an incursion into the Valley of Kashmir from Abbottabad. Tribal and Pakistani forces experienced significant successes in the opening days of the conflict as they were able to take Dommel on the first day and overpowered a Kashmiri government battalion at Muzaffarabad by October 23. On October 26, 1947, after three days, they were in the vicinity of Baramulla District where they were held at gun-point by the Dogra Army of Maharaja Hari Singh, led by Brig. Rajinder Singh. The Dogra Army confronted the enemy for two days at the skirts of the Baramulla City. Brig. Rajinder Singh with couple of hundreds of Dogra soldiers smashed the Pakistani Army and did not allow them to cross over to the next destination. Brig. Rajinder Singh himself was martyred with nearly 125 Dogra soldiers but never could Pak forces crossed Baramulla towards Srinagar. The sacrifice of Mr. Maqbool Sherwani, a National Conference activist from Kashmir and supporter of Sheikh Mohd. Abdullah was superb who managed to bluff the Pakistani soldiers who could not reach their destination in time only because of Mr. Maqbool Sherwani. Mr. Maqbool Sherwani has been honoured with the highest award for his super sacrifice.

Tribal and Pakistani forces met fierce resistance at Uri, where the Maharaja of J&K armed forces were able to delay the Pakistani forces for two days and the Kashmiries stood like a rock behind Indian Army to fight back the invading mercinaries supported and sponsored by Pakistan thus delaying Pakistani forces for an additional day. In the meantime, Indian Army arrived at Srinagar Airport with its first Dakota plane Indian Army. The Indian soldiers marched towards the skirts of Srinagar city. Pakistani soldiers were pushed back. Pakistani efforts to the south in the Jammu region were less successful as Pakistani forces faced significant resistance and were prevented from gaining most of the towns and locations that Pakistan attempted to capture.

Prof.Bhim Singh narrated the most significant part of the history that it were the people of entire J&K where the role of Kashmiries was superb who resisted the aggressors from Pakistan and that was a reason that J&K is with the Union of India. He said the tragedy is that 20,000 sq. miles of J&K Territory is under Chinese illegal occupation in the Ladakh region whereas 32,000 sq. miles of J&K Territory is under the illegal occupation of Pakistan which include 28,000 sq. miles of Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Prof.Bhim Singh said that 22/23 October are important in the history of J&K when nearly half of J&K was taken into the illegal occupation of Pakistan and later a major chunk of its Territory was occupied by Pakistan. Prof.Bhim Singh said that the tragedy which has not been noticed by the world against the people of Gilgit-Baltistan was that a Territory of 46,000 sq. miles was illegally, unconstitutionally and in utter violation of UN Charter and even in violation of UN Resolution was transferred by Pakistan to China in an illegal Treaty under which 46,000 sq. miles of J&K Territory was transferred to China to enable it to construct a National Highway connecting Beijing (China) with Europe via Pakistan.

The Panthers Party demanded UN intervention to ensure that the United Nations shall hold a referendum in Gilgit-Baltistan as well as in POK (Pak-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) without any delay to resisted the opinion of the residents of J&K in those areas if they intend to remain with Pakistan or would like go with India.  The war and guns are no solution nor any mode of violence shall benefit India or Pakistan. India and Pakistan should also stop beating drums for war and stop abusing and using guns against each other. Guns are no solution. The solution lies in peaceful co-existence. People of India and Pakistan have been one culture, belonged to one civilization with common languages and common history. Both of them need to earn peace. Prof.Bhim Singh said that he shall be convening IIIrd ‘Heart to Heart’ Talk of the people of all sides of J&K, Gilgit, POK and Jammu and Kashmir. Those who participated in the protest included M/s. Kali Ram Tomar (President, Bhartiya Samata Samaj), K.K. Raghav, Mehfooz Khan, Veena Singh, Anil Kumar Sharma, Dildar Hussain Beg, I.P. Singh, Bhawani Maharaj and others.