The Northern Areas, illegally occupied by Pakistan, has been renamed
Gilgit-Baltistan. This region is of great strategic importance to India.
It borders Afghanistan and is legally a part of India, but our
decision-makers have been ignoring it. In the 20th century, the British
were alive to its importance in the context of the threat from Czarist
Russia, and after the 1917 Revolution from the Soviet Union. Current
reports of an increased Chinese military presence in Gilgit are a cause
of grave concern.
The British had a political agent at Gilgit and later obtained a lease
to administer the area. As Independence approached, the lease was
terminated and Gilgit reverted to Jammu and Kashmir. Brigadier Ghansara
Singh of the state Army took over as governor of Gilgit from the British
political agent, Colonel Beacon, on August 1, 1947. Major Brown,
commanding the Gilgit Scouts, staged a military coup at Gilgit,
surrounding the residence of the governor on November 1, 1947. Brig.
Ghansara Singh was forced to surrender and the Pakistan flag was hoisted
in Gilgit. Pakistan got its first taste of a military coup. The
non-Muslim troops of the Maharaja’s Army took refuge in Skardu fort
along with a large number of Hindu and Sikh refugees. Col. Shahmsher
Jung Thapa was commanding the garrison. On November 1, 1947, when this
coup took place, Pakistani forces had advanced to the outskirts of
Srinagar. With our backs to the wall, we were preparing to launch an
offensive to throw them out of the Valley. Our resources were slender in
the Valley and could not be reinforced in the winter.
The grass airfield at Srinagar would soon become unusable after
snowfall and the road across Banihal pass was blocked with snow. There
was then no tunnel at Banihal. We were in no position to do anything
about Gilgit. When the snow melted and the road and air communications
were restored, we reinforced our strength in the Valley. Our summer
offensive was launched with the main thrust to Muzaffarabad. Gurais
Valley was secured in the north to guard against the threat from Gilgit
and Sonamarg in the East against the threat from Kargil, then under
Pakistani occupation. The relief of Skardu was to be carried out
subsequently.
Our summer offensive achieved reasonable success with the capture of
Tithwal, tantalisingly close to Muzaffarabad. On the appeal of the UN to
both India and Pakistan, our offensive was suspended in June 1948. The
Skardu garrison held out heroically for six months. Unfortunately, we
did not then have transport aircraft with pressurised cabins, needed for
flying at 20,000 feet, to carry out air drops at Skardu. By August
1948, food ran out in Skardu, which had a large civilian population that
had taken shelter there.
We had to most reluctantly order the Skardu garrison to surrender. On
August 14, 1948, Col. Thapa had to raise the white flag. The enemy
massacred Hindus and Sikhs. By September they captured Kargil and
advanced to Ladakh, threatening Leh. After two unsuccessful attempts we
managed to break through the Zoji-la heights, establishing a world
record by using tanks at such high altitude. We captured Kargil and
advanced another 200 miles to secure Leh. Soon the ceasefire came into
force and Gilgit Baltistan remained under Pakistan occupation.
Pakistan has been assiduously promoting two myths. First, Gilgit was
liberated by an indigenous freedom movement against the tyrannical rule
of the Maharaja and the people joined Pakistan of their free will.
Second, Gilgit-Baltistan was never a part of J&K. Pakistan detached
Gilgit-Baltistan from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and denied its people
basic political rights. They still cannot vote for the Pakistan
Parliament.
All the top government positions are held by Pakistanis who get special
allowances for serving in the region, as the British officers got in
India.
The council, recently designated an Assembly, has a nominated chairman
known as the chief executive officer with a local deputy elected on a
very limited franchise. Eighty-five per cent of the people in the region
are Shias and are subjected to ethnic and sectarian violence. There has
been a prolonged agitation in the region against anti-Shia school
textbooks and the government settling Punjabis and Pathans to alter the
region’s demographic profile. Interestingly, members of the United
Gilgit-Baltistan movement recently complained that India has not been
doing anything for them and they want reservation of seats in Indian
educational institutions for students from their region!
Although New Delhi maintains the whole of J&K is an integral part
of India, we have been indifferent to the travails of the people of
Gilgit-Baltistan.
In March 1953, Pakistan gifted 5,000 sq. km of territory in Shansgam
Valley to China. The Karakoram Highway through this region provides a
road link between China and Pakistan.
In the present crisis, we can no longer remain indifferent to
Gilgit-Baltistan. Simultaneously, we need to build our military muscle
to deter military adventurism against us by either China or Pakistan.
Belatedly, some efforts are now being made. This must be completed on a
war footing to safeguard our national interests.
A rail link is now under construction from Tibet to join the Pakistan
rail network and connect to Gwadar port. Permanent military barracks
have been constructed for increasing numbers of Chinese troops. This
region is an important link in China’s String of Pearls strategy to
contain India. In 2005, we agreed to the opening of the
Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road. As governor of J&K, in my Republic Day
address that year I had urged the opening of the Kargil-Skardu road.
Musharraf had allowed a PoK delegation led by a former chief justice to
visit Srinagar. This included four members from Gilgit. These four
called on me and thanked me for taking up the opening of the
Kargil-Skardu road. They wanted their visas extended to enable them to
visit Kargil because, they said, they had a deep attachment for the
people of Kargil. I arranged for them to visit Kargil. They also
mentioned their local problems. Baroness Emma Nicholson, a member of the
European Union Parliament, was deputed to prepare a report on Kashmir.
She visited PoK, Gilgit-Baltistan and Indian-administered Kashmir. I had
a long discussion with her in Srinagar. In her report she praised the
functioning of democracy in Indian-administered Kashmir, criticised the
lack of it in PoK and its total absence in Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan
tried to scuttle this report but the European Parliament passed it by
over 400 votes, with only nine votes against it.
In the present crisis, we can no longer remain indifferent to
Gilgit-Baltistan. Simultaneously, we need to build our military muscle
to deter military adventurism against us by either China or Pakistan.
Belatedly, some efforts are now being made. This must be completed on a
war footing to safeguard our national interests.
By S.K. Sinha
- The author, a retired lieutenant-general, was
Vice-Chief of Army Staff and has served as governor of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir.
Vice-Chief of Army Staff and has served as governor of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir.
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