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PAK INVASION OF KASHMIR
ON THE 23rd of October instead of going by road, we flew from Jammu to Srinagar. We flew over the affected areas namely the towns of Mirpur, Kotli and Rajauri which had been besieged by local Muslims with the help of men of the Pak army. We then flew over Muzaffarabad but owing to clouds we could see nothing. Mean- while the tribesmen from the frontier using Pakistan lorries, jeeps and other conveyances and armed with Pakistani weapons had entered the State on 23 October through Muzaffarabad.
These tribesmen were themselves Pakistan nationals; as they advanced they were joined by other Pakistani citizens. The raid had been organised by an ex-officer of the Political Agency at Peshawar, at the instance and with the connivance of the Pakistan Government. Transport, arms, ammunition and military officers were supplied by the Pakistan Government. We had tried to blow the bridge that could provide—and did provide—access to the tribesmen into Kashmir. But as related earlier, this attempt had failed for want of dynamite in the State.
Now they pushed on. At Domel the Muslim officers and soldiers of the State forces who had been guarding this frontier under Col. Narain Singh deserted and joined the raiders after killing their commander in his office at the Domel dak bungalow.
Flushed with arson, loot, and murder, the tribesmen now pushed on the way to Srinagar. At Garhi, the Chief of the Dogra Army staff with his small force tried to stop their advance. He held them up for sometime but ultimately fell against enormously superior forces.
October 24th was the Dussehra Darbar Day on which every year the Maharaja took the salute from the army and held a Darbar. A discussion took, place in the palace on the 23rd night whether or not the Darbar should be held in view of the situation that had arisen.
To be continued…