The Mystery of Kashmir's Division – What Really Happened in 1947 - video Dailymotion

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00:00Peace be upon you all. Welcome back to our channel.

00:05Do you know how Kashmir was divided into two parts during the partition of India in 1947?

00:12One state, many nations, and a mysterious history.

00:17Today, let's explore how Kashmir was split during that eventful time in 1947.

00:24The year was 1947. The Indian subcontinent was about to gain independence from British rule.

00:33Two new nations were being formed, India and Pakistan.

00:38The British decided that the princely states could choose to join either India or Pakistan, or remain independent.

00:47Kashmir was a Muslim-majority region, but its ruler was a Hindu, Maharaj Ahari Singh.

00:55He initially chose to remain independent.

00:59However, this decision did not last long.

01:03In October 1947, a group of Pashtun tribal fighters from Pakistan launched an attack on Kashmir.

01:11They claimed that since Kashmir was Muslim-majority, it should join Pakistan.

01:18Frightened, Maharaj Ahari Singh sought help from India.

01:23The Indian government said they would only help if Kashmir formally acceded to India.

01:29On October 26, 1947, Maharajah signed the instrument of accession, and Kashmir officially became part of India.

01:39Indian troops quickly entered Kashmir and pushed back the tribal fighters.

01:46This led to the First Indo-Pak War over Kashmir.

01:50The war continued until 1948.

01:54With United Nations intervention, a cease-fire was declared.

01:59The point where the army stopped became known as the Line of Control, Lock,

02:04and from then on, Kashmir was divided into two parts.

02:09The western part came under Pakistani control, known as Azad Kashmir.

02:16The eastern part remained under Indian control, now the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

02:24Sardar Abdul Qayyam Khan, a prominent Kashmiri Muslim leader.

02:29In 1947, he himself had declared rebellion against Maharaj Ahari Singh.

02:35Qayyam Khan said that the tribal invasion had actually disrupted his own plans.

02:41In his words,

02:42The claims that Pakistan orchestrated everything are historically incorrect.

02:48We had started an armed rebellion in August 1947.

02:52At that time, it felt like the state's army was waging war against its own people.

02:58Gradually, more people from the border areas started joining the movement.

03:02But the entire plan was derailed because of the tribal invasion.

03:06Had there been coordination, the tribal fighters could have reached Srinagar Airport without resistance.

03:13But they were disorganized.

03:15There was no command from behind, and they started looting instead.

03:19And once they were loaded with loot, they simply went back.

03:23Even Maharajah's son Karan Singh agreed with this.

03:27He said that had the tribal fighters not wasted time in looting,

03:31the Pakistan-backed forces could have reached Baramala,

03:34and history might have taken a different turn.

03:37The situation had become very delicate.

03:40When the Indian troops finally arrived,

03:42the attackers were only four to five miles away from Srinagar Airport.

03:47From then on, Kashmir was divided into India-controlled and Pakistan-controlled regions.

03:53And for more than seven decades, the dispute over Kashmir has continued between India and Pakistan.

04:00Since 1947, several wars have been fought between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.

04:06For more than 30 years, India-administered Kashmir has witnessed intense, violent, and bloody separatist insurgency.

04:15After 1947, Jammu and Kashmir was granted special status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution,

04:23allowing it to have its own constitution and a separate flag.

04:27But a few years ago, after the Hindu nationalist BJP came to power in India,

04:33on August 5, 2019, this special constitutional status was revoked.

04:39The former state of Jammu and Kashmir was completely dissolved and reorganized into two separate union territories,

04:47Ladakh and Jammu, and Kashmir.

04:50To this day, the division of Kashmir that began in 1947 has never been resolved.

04:56Because of this division, Kashmir remains a disputed region.

05:00Three major wars have been fought between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.

05:06And peace has still not returned to this paradise-like valley.

05:10The people of Kashmir still don't know when they will achieve true freedom.

05:14Divided Kashmir remains an unfinished chapter, whose conclusion is yet to be written.

The Mystery of Kashmir's Division – What Really Happened in 1947

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