Maharaja Hari Singh and Lord Mountbatten

Letter from Maharaja Hari Singh to Lord Mountbatten on Pak invasion
of J&K in 1947


My dear Lord Mountbatten,

I have to inform Your Excellency that a grave emergency has arisen in
my State and request the immediate assistance of your Government.
As Your Excellency is aware,the State of Jammu and Kashmir has not
acceded to either the Dominion of India or Pakistan. Geographically
my State is contiguous with both of them. Besides, my State has a
common boundary with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and with
China. In their external relations the Dominion 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 of 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 arrangement.
The Dominion of India desired further discussion with representatives
of my Government. I could not arrange this in view of the developments
indicated below. ln fact the Pakistan Goernment under the standstill
agreement is operating the post and telegraph system inside the State.
Though we have got a standstill agreement with the Pakistan Government,
the Govemment permitted a steady and increasing strangulation of
supplies like food, salt and petrol to my State.

Afridis, soldiers in plain clothes, and desperadoes with modern weapons
have been allowed to infiltrate into the State, at first in the Poonch
area, then from Sialkot and finally in a mass in the area
adjoining-Hazara district on the Ramkote 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 several points simultaneously
so that it has become difficult to stop the wanton destruction of life
and property and the looting of the Mahura power house, which supplies
electric current to the whole of Srinagar and which has been burnt.
The number 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 a first step to overrunning the whole State.
The mass infiltration of tribesman drawn from distant areas of the
North-West Frontier Province, coming regularly in motortrucks, using
the Manwehra-Mazaffarabad road and fully armed with up-to-date weapons,
cannot possibly be done without the knowledge of the Provincial
Govemment of the North-West Frontier Province and the Government of
Pakistan. Inspite of repeated appeals made by my Government no attempt
has been made to check these raiders or to stop them from coming into
my State. In fact, both radio and the Press of Pakistan have reported
these occurences. The Pakistan radio even put out the story that a
provisional government has been set up in Kashmir. The people of my
State, both Muslims and non-Muslims, generally have taken no part at
all.

With the conditbns obtaining at present in my State and the great
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 people to free booters.
On this basis no civilised government can exist or be maintained.

This alternative I will never allow to happen so long as I am the
ruler of the State and I have life to defend my country. I may also
inform your Excellency's Government that it is my intention at once
to set up an interim government and to ask Sheikh Abdullah to carry
the responsibilities in this emergency with my Prime Minister.

If my State is to be saved, immediate assistance must be available at
Srinagar. Mr. V.P. Menon is fully aware of the gravity of the
situation and will explain it to you, if further explanation is needed.

In haste and with kindest regards,

Yours sincerely,

Hari Singh
October 26, 1947

_____________________________________________________________________
Response from Lord Mountbatten

My dear Maharaja Sahib,

Your Highness' letter dated 26 October 1947 has been delivered to me
by Mr. V.P. Menon. In the circumstances mentioned by Your Highness,
my Government have decided to accept the accession of Kashmir State
to the Dominion of India. In consistence with their policy that in
the case of any State where the issue of accession has been the
subject of dispute, the question of accession should be decided in
accordance with the wishes of the people of the State, it is my
Government's wish that, as soon as law and order have been restored
in Kashmir and its soil cleared of the invader, the question of the
State's accession should be settled by a reference to the people.

Meanwhile, in response to Your Highness' appeal for military aid,
action has been taken today to send troops of the Indian Army to
Kashmir, to help your own forces to defend your territory and to
protect the lives, property, and honour of your people. My Government
and I note with satisfaction that Your Highness has decided to invite
Sheikh Abdullah to form an interim Government to work with your
Prime Minister.

Mountbatten of Burma
October 27, 1947