THE VULNERABLE PRIZE
This is a series of summary of chapters of the book " SLENDER WAS THE THREAD " written by Lt. General Lionel Sen. So in this series the summary of very first chapter " The Vulnerable Prize " is here .
The Vulnerable Prize here refers to nothing but the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The coronation of Maharaja Hari Singh happened in 1925. Maharaja Hari Singh was a person with the attitude of not tolerating anyone's else interference in his state especially in the political matters . But he liked tourism very much as tourism was the main source of revenue for his state, the Kashmir valley.
There was two ways of entering into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan. One was going from Pakistan's Abatabad to Kashmir's Muzaffarabad, Uri , Baramulla and then to Srinagar. Two from Pakistan's Sialkot to Suchetgarh near Jammu, Udhampur, Ramban and then Srinagar. But there was no rail or road network connecting Kashmir to India.
The condition of J&K forces was not so good, only the infantry division was strong. It has neither ordinary artilliary support nor air support. The leaders in J&K was having their own political aspiration such as the Muslim conference which later became the National conference. The king Maharaja Ranjit Singh has his own aspiration of having an independent kingdom. Pakistan was making conspiracies to possess Kashmir on one side and on the other side India was remain a neutral country. Although India wanted J&K to merge with it but not forcefully.
Now how the situations changes from here? How and what the steps did Pakistan take ? And how the J&K state forces respond to it. Later how India intervene in between?
Knowing the process of mergence of Hyderabad and Junagarh was going on with India, Pakistan cuts off all the supplies in order to pressurize J&K to merge with it. And even after this, when the king didn't surrender or get ready to negotiate then Pakistan used naked force . And invaded Kashmir by sending it's tribals on 22 October 1947.
After which Maharaja Had to come Jammu and then to Bharat where he signed the "instrument of accession ". And this is the point from where the war started between India and Pakistan.
Wait for the war description in next series.
