Kashmir an integral part of Pakistan By Sehrish Khan.

THE foundation of the September 1965 war was laid when the leadership of India landed its troops in Srinagar through British warplanes based on a very cunning show of force and started the brutal massacre of Kashmiri Muslims.

Hindu Dogra Maharajas were oppressing the Kashmiri Muslims for the last century. There were huge demonstrations against these atrocities in the entire sub-continent and in 1931, the Kashmir Committee was established under the chairmanship of Allama Iqbal, on the appeal of which thousands of volunteers entered the state of Jammu and Kashmir to arrest the Dogra regime against Islam.

It was a strange coincidence that the first Kashmir Day was celebrated in the state of Jammu and Kashmir on August 14, 1931 and on this date Pakistan came into being, which shows the deep historical geographical and religious/spiritual relationship between them.

At the time of partition of India, the State of Jammu and Kashmir was the largest state in India in terms of area (84 thousand 471 square miles).

Its international borders were with Tibet, China, Afghanistan and a small area with Russia. Thus, this State was of great strategic importance.

According to the 1941 census, its total population was 44 million, of which 77 percent were Muslims.

The rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab emanating from the mountain ranges of this state irrigate the plains of Pakistan and give the entire region geographical unity.

Apart from this, the road and railway communication of the State was connected with Pakistan.

Its exports and imports used to pass through here. Based on these facts, the Maharaja of the State signed the Standstill Agreement with Pakistan, the apparent purpose of which was to maintain the continuity of the existing relations with Pakistan, but in reality, this agreement was part of a nefarious conspiracy.

The conspiracy was to get time to establish a postal and telegraph system with India. On August 15, 1947, India sent a message to the Maharaja to speed up the campaign to eliminate the majority of Kashmiri Muslims.

As soon as this message was received, the brutal Dogra government heated up the market for bloodshed.

Stephens, editor of the Calcutta Daily 'The Statesman', wrote: In eleven weeks, five lakh Muslim population wiped out from Jammu and Kashmir.

Two lakhs were destroyed in such a way that not even a trace of them was found. The rest of the Muslims saved their lives by fleeing to West Punjab in a state of extreme disorder.

The...