Prof.G.M.Athar
The national delimitation is a modern European political strategy to create the sovereign or autonomous nation-states. The Greek ethnic assertion in Ottoman Empire led to the establishment of Greece as a sovereign nation-state in 1821.When the Stalin Constitution was written in the former Soviet Union in1936 the geographers, anthropologists, linguists, and other social scientists were involved to have a scientific national delimitation within Central Asia. The main objective of national delimitation was to establish the republics, autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts (regions), autonomous districts and autonomous sub-districts for the Kara-Kalpak, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek and other ethnic communities in Central Asian region. Although the exact purpose of national delimitation by Stalin in the Muslim dominated Central Asia is highly debatable, yet it has set a precedent for making concrete policy for the preservation of national identity as well as the political, economic and social empowerment of the ethnic communities who wanted to resist the assimilation by the Slavic people from Russia, Ukraine and Borussia.
The political disunity based on the ethno-lingual and religio-cultural heterogeneity in former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, necessitated the national delimitation within erstwhile Dogra kingdom, soon after the emergence of India and Pakistan as two sovereign countries in its immediate neighborhood in mid-1947. It was initially All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, led by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah who started the “Quit Kashmir” Movement in mid-May 1946 demanding the abrogation of Treaty of Amritsar, under which Kashmir, dominated by the Kashmiri Muslims became a part of the Jammu kingdom of Maharaja Gulab Singh on16th March 1846. The Kashmiri nation stood behind Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in his demand for the abolition of Dogra autocracy and the establishment of an independent country. However, the Pakistan sponsored tribal raid in Kashmir on 22nd October 1947, dashed to ground the hopes and aspirations of the Kashmiri nation.
Within a year after the rise of Kashmiri ethno-lingual nationalism in mid-May 1946, the Pahari Pothwari speaking Muslims of Mirpur-Poonch in general and the 60,000 ex-servicemen of the World War II, started the “No Tax” Campaign in the Spring of1947 after Maharaja Hari Singh refused to take them in government service. The “No Tax” Campaign turned into an armed revolt against the Dogra autocracy by the August 1947. According to Sardar Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, “the political struggle of Indian Muslim League under the leadership of Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the poetry of Dr Sir Mohammad Iqbal did inspire me to favour accession of Jammu and Kashmir State with Pakistan”. He further stated that the well wishers of Indian Muslim League in Kashmir suggested me to leave Srinagar lead the armed struggle in Poonch-Mirpur. So I raised an army of 50,000 people to fight against the Dogra troops in Poonch-Mirpur, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and Ladakh to make the Muslim dominated territory a part of Muslim Pakistan”.The rebels in Poonch-Mirpur declared the formation of Azad Government of Jammu and Kashmir led by Sardar Mohammad Ibrahim Khan on 24th October 1947. In response to the Pakistan sponsored tribal raid in Kashmir on 22nd October1947, Maharaja Hari Singh invited the Indian troops in Kashmir on 27th October 1947 to drag out the invaders from Kashmir.
Once the news of Indian army stepping its feet in Kashmir reached the Gilgit Scouts, they took Governor, Major Gansara Singh hostage on 31st October 1947 and declared the formation of an independent Gilgit-Astore Republic on1st November 1947. It was only after the efforts of British military officer Major William Brown that the Gilgit Scouts and the local Rajas, Mirs and Mehtars were convinced to join Pakistan on 18th November 1947. Thus the Balti, Shina and Burushaski speaking people of Jammu and Kashmir State chose their own distinctive political goals not in commensurate with the political goals of Kashmiri nation. Subsequently, the Ceasefire Line (CFL) was implemented by India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir State on 1st January 1949 and the CFL was recognised as a working border between India and Pakistan under the Karachi Agreement in presence of the representatives from United Nations on 28th April 1949. In order to construct a direct road between Tibet and Sinkiang through Ladakh plateau, China invaded the territory in1962 to capture the Siachen Glacier and Aksai Chin. Pakistan handed over the Shaksgam Valley a part of Gilgit-Baltistan to China in1963 to construct the Karakoram Highway between China and Pakistan. Pakistan separated the Shia Muslim dominated Gilgit-Baltistan from the Pahari Pothwari speaking Sunni Muslim dominated Azad Kashmir in1974 to make it a separate political unit under its independent control.
The Buddhist Association of Ladakh under the leadership of Kushak Bakola Abot of Spituk Monastery demanded freedom from Jammu and Kashmir in 1947, in case Maharaja Hari Singh opted for accession of Jammu and Kashmir State with Pakistan. After the political power was transferred from Jammu based Jamwal dynasty to Kashmir based popular leadership, the Ladakh Buddhist Association demanded separation of Ladakh region from Kashmir and its integration with Jammu. Subsequently, the Ladakh Buddhist Association demanded the Union Territory status for the Ladakh region. After enjoying autonomous status under the Ladakh Hill Area Development Council for about three decades the BJP led NDA Government at New Delhi finally bifurcated the Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir State into the Buddhist dominated Ladakh Union Territory and the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory on 5th August 2019. Thus the Ladakhi Buddhists not only succeeded in their national delimitation but also had their political and economic empowerment.
The Dogri speaking Hindus of Jammu enjoyed the status of the ruling community of Jammu and Kashmir State for complete one century from 16th March 1846 onwards. In response to the Quit Kashmir Movement of National Conference in Kashmir, the Dogras of Jammu demanded full integration of Jammu and Kashmir State with Indian Union under the banner of Praja Parishad led by Pandit Premnath Dogra. The Praja Parishad protested against the Delhi Agreement between Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in July 1952. The Praja Parishad demanded autonomous status for Jammu region within the Muslim dominated Jammu and Kashmir State. Over the past two decades the Jammu based political parties are demanding statehood for Jammu Division. Presently there is a strong political campaign going on in Jammu region to separate the Dogra majority Jammu region from Kashmir to establish the Dogra Pradesh. It is a matter of a few years if not the months, when the Dogra national delimitation would be made by New Delhi to politically and economically further empower the Dogras of Jammu region.
Keeping in view the above mentioned facts, it can be concluded that the national delimitation within erstwhile Dogra princely state of Jammu and Kashmir has been an ongoing process from 1949 onwards and the same would reach its logical conclusion with the creation of a separate Jammu State in near future. The political struggle for independence of Kashmiri nation will not serve much purpose because till date no Pakistani leader has acknowledged the right of self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir State. In fact when the United Nations Security Council in its Resolution on Jammu and Kashmir State on13th August 1948 recommended the right of self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir State, Pakistan opposed it, with the result a fresh resolution was passed by the United Nations Security Council on 5th January 1949, recommending the two-option plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir State. Secondly, the Kashmiri nation lacks the required manpower, financial resources and International support to overthrow the Indian troops to establish a sovereign nation-state of Kashmir. Keeping these ground realities into consideration, it would be the wastage of time, energy and comforts of life by the Kashmiri nation to struggle for the establishment of an independent country. Therefore, it would be more advisable for the Kashmiri nation to negotiate with New Delhi the autonomous status for Jammu and Kashmir State, rather than launching a separatist political struggle in the conflict-ridden state.
The author can be reached at ghathar@yahoo.co.in
