With the inauguration and opening up of the rail link, from Katra (Udhampur) to Srinagar, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 6, 2025, Jammu and Kashmir has truly opened up to the rest of India. Coming on the heels of the April 22 Pahalgam carnage, it makes a strong statement on J&K’s merger with India. It is a timely slap on the face of Pakistan’s Army Chief, General, nay the ‘Failed Marshal’, who had said that Kashmir was Pakistan’s Jugular vein. This so-called Jugular vein has been permanently snapped, as India demonstrated with the opening of this rail link that J&K was the pivot of India’s ‘nationhood’.
It is not the religion but the culture, history, geography, customs and traditions of J&K, which unites it with India. ‘Failed Marshal’, Saeed Asim Munir, ought to read Major General Akbar Khan’s book ‘Raiders in Kashmir’ to learn that Pakistan did not want J&K state because it was a Muslim majority state but because of military, economic and agricultural reasons. Major General Akbar Khan was the so-called ‘Baba-e-Kaum’ MA Jinnah’s chief military advisor in 1947, who prevailed upon Jinnah to disregard the ‘Standstill Agreement’ signed with Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir and annex it with tribal invasion. He had led the ‘invasion’, as now infamous ‘General Tariq Ali’. This was the unpardonable blunder of Jinnah and Pakistan, which led to Kashmir’s merger with India. Another cardinal sin, the Pahalgam terrorist attack of April 22, 2025, scripted, planned and directed by General Munir, has driven the final nails in Pakistan’s coffin of its Jugular vein.
Ever since the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019, Kashmir Valley has seen great development and growth. Though it was not fully rid of the machinations of Pakistan things were largely under control. Terrorist activities in the Valley had been considerably reduced. In sheer desperation, Pakistan-sponsored militants have shifted their activities out of the Valley. It is after 78 years of Independence that Kashmir Valley began to breathe fresh air. While winds of change were blowing in J&K, Pakistan kept spreading misinformation about the real situation.
It claimed Kashmir as its ‘jugular vein’ because the state had been a Muslim majority state, an extension of the ‘Two Nation Theory’ of 1947. It was the biggest lie ever told by Pakistan’s Army Generals to the public of Pakistan. The Kashmir issue was a handle for its Generals to perpetuate Pakistan’s enmity with India to justify their army’s ‘giant size’ and ‘Control over Pakistan’. There is no other truth, which general public in Pakistan still does not grasp. The public is over-stuffed with religious ‘Jazba’, which speaks volumes about their national health, where Balochistan, Sindh and KPK are down with ‘separatist fever’.
Unfortunately, Indian youth are unaware of facts about Kashmir and most often they fall victim to misinformation campaigns by Pakistan. Our history books are silent on this. And no efforts have been made by successive Indian governments to educate our youth on Kashmir. Thus, falsehoods spread by our enemies have become truth, even for our educated youth.
Most of us are unaware of the ancient and recent history of Kashmir. There are two tales about the word ‘Kashmir’. One says it is made of two Sanskrit roots – KA and SHIMIR, KA means water and SHIMIR means drained or edged out, with reference to Lake Wular. The Valley was a frozen lake in ancient times.
The second story says the Kashmir word owes its origin to Sage Kashyap, godfather of Lake dwellers (Naga people – ruled by Kashyap’s son Neel Nag). Sage Kashyap helped kill a monster called Jallodhav, the son of another notorious monster called SANGHRASUR. Since Kashyap got Jallodhav killed, its name became KASHYAPMAR and later corrupted to Kashmir. It is up to you to take whatever you feel comfortable with.
The Kashmir issue has been a handle for the Pakistan Army to perpetuate enmity with India to justify its ‘giant size’ and ‘control over Pakistan’. But the public is over-stuffed with religious ‘Jazba’, which speaks volumes about their national health, where Balochistan, Sindh and KPK are down with ‘separatist fever’
Some recent historical facts need reiteration in this context. First, we must know that India in 1947 was governed by Britain in two ways:
- Directly governed by the Queen/King of England through a viceroy was British India. This region was to be divided into India and Pakistan as per the Indian Independence Act of June 6, 1947, passed by the British parliament.
- Indirectly governed through Resident Agents were 562 Princely states having separate PARAMONUNTCY treaties with Britain, who, if not joining India or Pakistan, were free to become Independent. Besides Junagadh, Patiala, Faridkot, Hyderabad, Bahawalpur and many other small states, two important such states were J&K and KALAT (Balochistan), which inclined to go independent. In fact, Kalat (Balochistan) did declare its independence on August 11, 1947, and stayed a separate country till annexed by Pakistan in April 1948. India, under Nehru, did not protest this annexation.
Secondly, first Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru’s inexperience in international conduct led him to commit a blunder of going to UNO even after Maharaja Hari Singh of J&K had acceded to India in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Independence Act of June 6, 1947.
Then, even this was done under a wrong charter i.e. instead of asking UNO for EVICTION OF AGGRESSOR under Charter VI, he went under Charter VII for SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTE. This was the negation of Accession to India by Maharaja Hari Singh. He probably did this on the advice of Mountbatten, who deliberately misguided him (clearly brought out by me in my book on Kashmir).
First Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru’s inexperience in international conduct led him to commit a blunder of going to UNO even after Maharaja Hari Singh of J&K had acceded to India in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Independence Act of June 6, 1947, passed by the British parliament
Further, the UN Resolution No 648 of August 13, 1948, has been allowed to be misinterpreted by Pakistan for a plebiscite, which had though rejected it. This resolution has three clauses:
a) Pakistan to withdraw all its troops from territories of J&K State.
b) India to remove adequate forces from J&K (NOT ALL)
c) India to organise plebiscite after clauses a) & b) above were implemented.
Note this plebiscite was to be done after clause a) and clause b) were implemented. BUT PAKISTAN REFUSED TO ACCEPT IT IN 1948. So, the issue of plebiscite had died there and then.
Now the real issue was whether we had accepted J&K’s accession to India or not. If we had accepted, then there was NO dispute. It was only for UNO to evict the aggressor. And if UNO and India had not accepted the accession of J&K to India, then Indian request to UNO was illegal and as such Resolution 648 was invalid as India had NO locus standi.
In 1972, according to the Shimla Agreement, both nations agreed to resolve the Kashmir issue (NOT DISPUTE) bilaterally. Thus, bringing an end to UN intervention and making Resolution 648 and others virtually dead. It is believed there was an unwritten clause to the Shimla Agreement of 1972, which said that the LoC (Line of Control) of 1971 would be the IB (International Border).
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had pleaded with Indira Gandhi to implement this clause. He is alleged to have said: MADAM MUJH PE BHAROSA KARO (TRUST ME MADAM). It was then she agreed to release 93,000 prisoners of Pakistan. It was also agreed that Pakistan could directly control the GILGIT-HUNZA region, which Bhutto did in 1974 and India did not react as per the Shimla Agreement’s secret clause.
Unfortunately, thereafter, Indira Gandhi got involved in her internal problems of Emergency and Bhutto was hanged in 1978. Indira was assassinated in October 1980. Thus, SECRET CLAUSE became dysfunctional and went to grave with them.
There are many facts on Lord Mountbatten’s manipulation, Jawahar Lal Nehru’s mishandling and Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s health problems (he was terminally ill with TB), which led him to annex Kashmir by force. Pakistan’s tribal raider action forced Maharaja Hari Singh and Sheikh Abdullah to opt for India
Another aspect that needs clarification is why Pakistan did not accept UN Resolution 648 which asked for a plebiscite to be organised after Pakistan withdrew its troops. It must be noted that the Muslim League of Jinnah had NO influence in the Kashmir Valley, then. The Muslims of Kashmir were then with Sheikh Abdullah of the National Conference who favoured India over Pakistan. It must be also understood that there was no option/choice for independence in the UN Resolution 648; it was either India or Pakistan. Sheikh Abdullah preferred secular India over theocratic Pakistan, if NO choice of independence was given. Maharaja Hari Singh had also preferred independence but after the Pakistani tribal invasion of October 1947, he had no choice but to accede to India.
These are some facts that are not known to people and often confusion is created about the Indian stance on Kashmir. There are many other facts on Mountbatten’s manipulation, Nehru’s mishandling and Jinnah’s health problems (he was terminally ill with TB), which led him to annex Kashmir by force. Pak tribal raider action forced Maharaja and Sheikh Abdullah to opt for India.
These facts need to be brought out to our youth so that they understand the real issues regarding Kashmir. In fact, it needs to be taught to our school children as part of our history. Let our children know why KASHMIR was part of India legally and legitimately. Also, they must know that KASHMIR is part of J&K and not the whole of J&K state. And what is with Pakistan was NOT Kashmir but part of some territories of erstwhile J&K.
The portion with Pakistan is certainly NOT to be called POK but POT JAK (Pakistan Occupied Territory of Jammu and Kashmir). In my endeavour to educate all Indians, particularly our youth, I have brought out all these above facts in my book KASHMIR – A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, published by TURNING POINT, PUBLISHERS, NOIDA, INDIA.
-An ex-NDA and Wellington Staff College graduate, Col Rajinder Singh is a renowned author and security analyst. He has authored four books, two individually and two in collaboration. His best-selling books are Kashmir – A Different Perspective and The ULFA Insurgency. The views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
