Text Of Letter Dated October 26, 1947 From Maharaja Hari Singh,
The Maharaja Of Jammu & Kashmir to
Lord Mountbatten, Governor General of India .
Dated: 26 October 1947
My dear Lord Mountbatten,
I have to inform your Excellency that a grave emergency has arisen in
my State and request immediate assistance of your Government.
As your Excellency is aware the State of Jammu and Kashmir has not
acceded to the Dominion of India or to Pakistan . Geographically my
State is contiguous to both the Dominions. It has jvital economical
and cultural llinks with both of them. Besides my State has a common
boundary with the Soviet Republic and China . In their external
relations the Dominions of India and Pakistan cannot ignore this fact.
I wanted to take time to decide to which Dominion I should accede, or
whether it is not in the best interests of both the Dominions and my
State to stand independent, of course with friendly and cordial
relations with both.
I accordingly approached the Dominions of India and Pakistan to enter
into Standstill Agreement with my State. The Pakistan Government
accepted this Agreement. The Dominion of India desired further
discussions with representatives of my Government. I could not arrange
this in view of the developments indicated below. In fact the Pakistan
Government are operating Post and Telegraph system inside the State.
Though we have got a Standstill Agreement with the Pakistan Government
that Government permitted steady and increasing strangulation of
supplies like food, salt and petrol to my State.
Afridis, solidiers in plain clothes, and desperadoes with modern
weapons have been allowed to infilter into the State at first in
Poonch and then in Sialkot and finally in mass area adjoining Hazara
District on the Ramkot side. The result has been that the limited
number of troops at the disposal of the State had to be dispersed and
thus had to face the enemy at the several points simultaneously, that
it has become difficult to stop the wanton destruction of life and
property and looting. The Mahora powerhouse which supplies the
electric current to the whole of Srinagar has been burnt. The numer of
women who have been kidnapped and raped makes my heart bleed. The wild
forces thus let loose on the State are marching on with the aim of
capturing Srinagar , the summer Capital of my Government, as first
step to over-running the whole State.
The mass infiltration of tribesmen drawn from distant areas of the
North-West Frontier coming regularly in motor trucks using
Mansehra-Muzaffarabad Road and fully armed with up-to-date weapons
cannot possibly be done without the knowledge of the Provisional
Government of the North-West Frontier Province and the Government of
Pakistan. In spite of repeated requests made by my Government no
attempt has been made to check these raiders or stop them from coming
into my State. The Pakistan Radio even put out a story that a
Provinsional Government had been set up in Kashmir . The people of my
State both the Muslims and non-Muslims generally have taken no part at
all.
With the conditions obtaining at present in my State and the grreat
emergency of the situation as it exists, I have no option but to ask
for help from the Indian Dominion. Naturally they cannot send the help
asked for by me without my State acceding to the Dominion of India. I
have accordingly decided to do so and I attach the Instrument of
Accession for acceptance by your Government. The other alternative is
to leave my State and my people to free-booters. On this basis no
civilized Government can exist or be maintained. This alternative I
will never allow to happen as long as I am Ruler of the State and I
have life to defend my country.
I am also to inform your Excellency's Government that it is my
intention at once to set up an interim Government and ask Sheikh
Abdullah to carry the responsibilities in this emergency with my Prime
Minister.
If my State has to be saved immediate assistance must be available at
Srinagar . Mr. Menon is fully aware of the situation and he will
explain to you, if further explanation is needed.
In haste and with kind regards,
The Palace, Jammu Your sincerely,
26th October, 1947
Hari Singh
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