Kashmir: Fresh looks at
"The unfinished business"
26/11/05 05:39 Filed by Saswat Pattanayak in:
Reference
| Editorial
"I can't understand why anyone said that the thing
was signed in Jammu, because we never went to
Jammu."
[thing: (instrument of accession
proclaming Kashmir's conditional status)]
And what else?
Sam
Manekshaw, the first field marshal in the Indian
army, recalls:
As usual Nehru talked about the United Nations,
Russia, Africa, God almighty, everybody, until
Sardar Patel lost his temper. He said, 'Jawaharlal,
do you want Kashmir, or do you want to give it
away'. He (Nehru) said,' Of course, I want Kashmir
(emphasis in original). Then he (Patel) said
'Please give your orders'. And before he could say
anything Sardar Patel turned to me and said, 'You
have got your orders'.
This is how Indian leadership (read, the nationalist
Patel) operated. And the hapless playboy king Hari
Singh who had lost all legitimacy to govern the state
that forced him to flee, decided on the fate of the
state!
As a careless albeit colorful international celebrity
associated with the blackmail scandal in London, the
pearls, diamonds and emeralds, Singh gave in to
pressures amidst the New Delhi leaders. But the
condition of a referendum has remained still
unfulfiled--despite declarations by both the UN and
Nehru (seems like they died together)!
{
My friend Diptiman Tripathy from Moscow sent
this
link. }
Tags: Saswat, India, Colonialism, History