Kashmir 1947: Rival Versions of History

by Prem Shankar Jha

Kashmir is one of the most intensely disputed regions of the world. Lying between India and Pakistan, it was acceded to India by the British when they left in 1947; however, with a majority Muslim population, many Kashmiris and Pakistanis felt that it should have become a part of Pakistan. To this day, it continues to be the subject of passionate conflict between the two countries -- in late 2002, as troops aligned on the borders, the prospect of a possible nuclear war was only narrowly avoided. In such a context, a book on the history of Kashmir is not only timely but of great usefulness to anyone who wishes to understand the full and complex background to the ongoing conflict. Prem Jha is a renowned Indian scholar and his new book is a controversial account, based on exhaustive research and recently declassified papers. Jha provides a virtually day-to-day account of the critical times when the fate of Kashmir was decided in the context of Britain's geo-political strategies. Drawing on personal accounts by the main players in the events of 1947, he examines the contrasting versions of history that have emerged since that time. Offering vital insights into the volatility of politics in the Indian subcontinent, this is an indispensable book for students, teachers, journalists and anyone interested in the history of the region.

Genres: History, India, Politics

200 pages, Hardcover

First published May 23, 1996

Reviews

[Santosh Mani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recently at the the Indian High Commission in Wellington and noticed bookshelves with lots of books. I checked with the receptionist and she said they could be borrowed at no cost and asked me to select a book and let her know and that she would unlock the bookshelf and issue the book. I selected a fiction book by an Indian author. When I asked her to issue the book to me she said that was the only book shelf for which they did not have the key!

So on an impulse I asked for this book from the non-fiction shelf. I had recently visited Kashmir and found parts of it really beautiful. I also felt people there were a bit subdued and unhappy. I didn't know much about the history of Kashmir except that it was ruled by a Hindu king when India was partitioned by the British in 1947. This book gave me a better understanding of the of the people of Kashmir and made me better empathize with their problems.

India had 562 princely states i.e. territories ruled by kings during the partition. These states were not part of British India. The British gave them the princely states the choice of remaining independent or working out which country to join.

The Princely state of Kashmir was a Muslim majority state with 77% Muslims (as per the 1941 British census). It was naturally assumed that Kashmir would join Pakistan during the partition of India. However the Kashmiri king Maharaja Hari Singh, who was a Hindu chose to join India.

This book describes the events in 1947 that led to the king deciding to join India. Partly this book also focuses on refuting other writers who contended that this decision was either illegal or immoral.

This book also attempts to prove (and does this quite convincingly) that Indian troops only entered Kashmir after the Instrument of Accession was signed by Maharaja Hari Singh. This is not accepted by Pakistan which believes that Indian troops entered Kashmir, committed atrocities and forced the signing of the Instrument of Accession. This difference of opinion still is the bone of contention between India and Pakistan and has resulted in 4 wars.

Prem Shankar Jha goes into much detail about the build up to the accession and quotes many sources to back his views. The role of many key players including Nehru, Maharaja Hari Singh, Jinnah, Sardar Patel, Mountbaten is shown. All of this makes fascinating reading.

One-third of Kashmir is currently part of Pakistan and I have heard many people say that this is Nehru's fault and that the Indian army could have regained all of Kashmir when the first war was fought. This book argues that this was a delibrate move by Nehru who being a Kashmiri recognized the inherent differences between the 'Kashmiris' and the Muslims in the part of Kashmir now with Pakistan and was happy to let that part of Kashmir stay with Pakistan.

Other controversial incidents are also dealt with such as the award of three tehsils of Gurdaspur to India, which allowed India to have a land link with Kashmir.

Despite the number of problems contemporary India seems to be facing, they seem to be nothing in comparison to the issues facing Pakistan. Unfortunately the corruption and sheer incompetence of the Indian governments have led Kashmiri youth to mistakenly believe that there is hope for them with joining Pakistan.

This book is a great read though there are parts where the detailed investigations into claims and counterclaims by analyzing various sources might seem to be a bit dry for somebody who is curious to know what happened next. :-)

[Vishnu E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clear investigation of both India's and Pakistan's version of events that occurred around the accession of Kashmir to India.

[Akash Jha · Rating 4 out of 5]

"As usual Nehru talked about United Nations, Russia, Africa, God almighty, everybody, until Sardar Patel lost his temper.
He said, ‘Jawaharlal, do you do you want Kashmir, or do you want to give it away’.
He [Nehru] said, ‘Of course, I want Kashmir.

Then he [Patel] said ‘Please give your orders’.
And before he [Nehru] could say anything Sardar Patel turned to me and said. ‘You have got your orders’.

The Army was then dispatched into Kashmir and the rest is history- alas written in blood."

This book seeks to examine the accession of Kashmir to India in 1947, on the basis of the wealth of material that become available in recent years after crucial documents and correspondence of that period were made available to the public.

When an issue generates so much bitterness and frustration, some of this feeling is bound to percolate to those attempting to study it. It is not therefore, surprising that over the years, two completely different versions of Kashmir’s accession to India have come into being, not only in peoples’ perceptions-that is only to be expected- but in the academic literature on the subject. These versions have then been fed into the popular perception through the media.

This book examines both versions in the light of contemporary accounts, documents, and correspondence, which are exhaustively discussed in the footnotes. The author has made a great attempt at building up a clear, week by week, day by day, and finally hour by hour account of events and actions in 1946 and 1947, as these emerge from the sources enumerated above.

Jha through the book has made a brilliant attempt, off course based on historical sources at debunking a lot of Western Myths surrounding the accession of Kashmir to India.

I have always said that before commenting on Kashmir, it's important to understand Kashmir and the events in its History and to that end, I highly suggest reading this one.

[Ajeet Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to read this book

[Shekhar Rawat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kashmir a tragic place

[Makrandika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice righteous

[Abhishek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a must read for anyone interested in the birth of kashmir conflict.

[Prem Patel · Rating 3 out of 5]

good contextual background, can tell the author writes for the Hindu