Integrity Score 405
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Pak invasion of Kashmir continues…
After assuming office on 15th October, I had sent Col. Baldev Singh Pathani a and our military adviser, Col. Kashmir Singh, to Poonch and Kotli to help our small military force there, and to inspire confidence in the citizens. Col. Baldev Singh remained at Kotli to give heart to the citizens at great personal risk while Col. Kashmir Singh returned to Srinagar to apprise the Maharaja about the military situation in Poonch and in Kotli. After consult- ing the Officer Commanding, Srinagar Forces, the Governor of Srinagar and the Inspector General of Police, we decided in the afternoon of 25th that the raiders should be given a receding battle. Every effort was to be made to secure that our depleted forces suffer- ed as few casualties as possible. An all-out effort was to be made to check the advance of the raiders to the town of Srinagar. The Maharaja instructed me to fly to Delhi if I could secure a plane. There had been some loose talk of invoking help from Kabul. Some had even suggested surrendering to Pakistan if Indian help was not available in time. All of us however were agreed that we should do our best to save Srinagar .
As we were groping for a way out, Mr. V. P. Menon, Secretary of the Ministry of States, arrived in Srinagar by plane. He came straight to my residence to see me and told me that he had come there to take me to New Delhi. Nothing about military aid, he said. could be decided till my arrival there. I told him that we had sent our Deputy Prime Minister to Delhi with a letter of acces- sion. I reminded him that when I had come to the State to take over as Prime Minister. I had been assured of military aid whenever I wanted it. He told me, however, that without my going to Delhi, it was difficult to say that military aid would be available in time to save the city of Srinagar.
To be continued…