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Pakistan Shows its Hand continues...
We intended to go to Kathua from Jammu, a distance of about sixty miles. The next day we proposed to go to Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli side. On the morning of October 20 when we left the palace, the Maharaja ordered that instead of going to Kathua, we should first go towards Mirpur side. I said this would upset the whole programme of which intimation had been given to the diffe- rent district Magistrates.
The Maharaja said, “You are new to the State and it is much better in a situation like this not to follow the programme as the Pakistani raiders must have come to know of it and we may find ourselves in a difficulty.” So we took the road to Akhnoor where we crossed the Chenab and went to Beawer the village that had been raided during the night. I went to the village and saw dead bodies lying about. There were a few men of the State forces there and we told them to dispose of the bodies. We proceeded further on the border and had our lunch in the dak bunga- low at Bhimber, which is situated just within two miles of the border of Pakistan and within a few miles of the town of Gujarat.
One of the leading Ministers of Pak Government was in Gujarat at the time. It transpired that he had organised an armed raid on this dak bungalow for the next day, when according to our original programme, His Highness and myself would have been at Bhimber. The raid did take place the next day as arranged, and the Dak bungalow was destroyed! We could not proceed further to Mirpur as it was getting dark so we started on our return journey to Jammu. We noticed burning of Muslim and Hindu houses on both sides of the road. People were standing out on the road with all kinds of crude weapons with which to commit murder and arson.
To be continued…