THE GILGIT REBELLION - 1947
(Excerpts from the book by Maj William A Brown)
Dedicated to the brave & gallant people of GB
Thread
In Peshawar, enroute for Chitral, Maj Brown was told by Lt Col Roger Bacon, then Political Agent in Gilgit, that the Viceroy Lord Mountbatten...
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(Excerpts from the book by Maj William A Brown)
Dedicated to the brave & gallant people of GB
Thread
In Peshawar, enroute for Chitral, Maj Brown was told by Lt Col Roger Bacon, then Political Agent in Gilgit, that the Viceroy Lord Mountbatten...
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... had decided (for reasons which were not clear to Bacon and which are still not clear) that the 1935 British lease of the Gilgit Agency from the Maharaja of J & K (a lease which still had 49 yrs to run) was going to be terminated and that the Agency, with a 99% Muslim ...
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... population was going to be returned to the Hindu rule of the Dogra Maharaja, Sir Hari Singh.
On 1 Aug 1947, charge of the Gilgit Agency was handed over to the Kashmir State.
It soon became apparent that the whole country, from the Rulers of the small States of Hunza...
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On 1 Aug 1947, charge of the Gilgit Agency was handed over to the Kashmir State.
It soon became apparent that the whole country, from the Rulers of the small States of Hunza...
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... and Nagir down to the humblest villager, loathed this new regime, regarding it as Hindu domination, an understandable loathing in the light of the fact that the population of the Gilgit Agency is 100% Muslim.
On 28 Oct, reports were received that the Wali of Swat...
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On 28 Oct, reports were received that the Wali of Swat...
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... had moved into Tangir and was marching up the Indus River to Chilas.
Other reports were received that His Highness the Mehtar of Chitral was collecting an army at Mastuj with the intention of taking over the two political districts of Kuh Ghizr and Yasin as a step...
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Other reports were received that His Highness the Mehtar of Chitral was collecting an army at Mastuj with the intention of taking over the two political districts of Kuh Ghizr and Yasin as a step...
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... to annexing all the territory up as far as Gilgit.
On 30 Oct, the Governor showed that he was quite incapable of coping with the situation and it was clear that unless something was done quickly, the result would be bloodshed and chaos.
On 31 Oct, the Gilgit wireless...
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On 30 Oct, the Governor showed that he was quite incapable of coping with the situation and it was clear that unless something was done quickly, the result would be bloodshed and chaos.
On 31 Oct, the Gilgit wireless...
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... operator, Mr Limbuwala, showed Major Brown a message from the Mehtar of Chitral breaking off all relations with the Kashmir State and saying that neither his State nor Gilgit could accept the accession to Hindustan.
On 1 Nov 1947, at first light, Major Brown, ...
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On 1 Nov 1947, at first light, Major Brown, ...
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... accompanied by his Adjutant, Lt Ghulam Haider, toured the affected area. It was obvious that Hindu rule in Gilgit had come to an end.
At least 2000 / 3000 people, armed with anything from modern sporting rifles to daggers were gathered on the Polo Ground shouting...
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At least 2000 / 3000 people, armed with anything from modern sporting rifles to daggers were gathered on the Polo Ground shouting...
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... Pakistan slogans and demanding immediate accession and the murder of the Governor and non-Muslims.
At least another 1000 were patrolling the streets in the blood-thirsty excitement restrained only by the influence of the Scouts.
The whole Corps of Scouts...
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At least another 1000 were patrolling the streets in the blood-thirsty excitement restrained only by the influence of the Scouts.
The whole Corps of Scouts...
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... from the States' officers attached and the S.M. down to the latest joined recruit were pro-Pakistan and nobody in the world could have made them fire a round in defence of the Hindu regime.
Maj Brown & Gilgit Scouts massacred the Hindu & Sikh troops of ...
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Maj Brown & Gilgit Scouts massacred the Hindu & Sikh troops of ...
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Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh.
Pakistani Flag was raised G&B on 3 Nov 1947.
One must also remember that once William Brown had embarked upon the process which resulted in the Gilgit Agency declaring for Pakistan he was technically in a state of mutiny against the Govt ...
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Pakistani Flag was raised G&B on 3 Nov 1947.
One must also remember that once William Brown had embarked upon the process which resulted in the Gilgit Agency declaring for Pakistan he was technically in a state of mutiny against the Govt ...
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... of the State of Jammu & Kashmir.
In July 1948 William Brown was awarded the MBE (Military) with a citation so unspecific that it was not clear what lay behind this acknowledgement of his merits.
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In July 1948 William Brown was awarded the MBE (Military) with a citation so unspecific that it was not clear what lay behind this acknowledgement of his merits.
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He assumed that somewhere within the British military establishment there were those who approved of what he had done in Gilgit to ensure that this region went to Pakistan rather than to India.
He was only too aware that there were other leading British...
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He was only too aware that there were other leading British...
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... figures not least Lord Mountbatten, who were far from pleased by his intervention in the affairs of the post-British Subcontinent.
He was also awarded Sitara e Pakistan.
14/ …concluded
#GilgitBaltistan #History #KashmirBlackDay #Pakistan #PakArmy #GBPrideOfPakistan
He was also awarded Sitara e Pakistan.
14/ …concluded
#GilgitBaltistan #History #KashmirBlackDay #Pakistan #PakArmy #GBPrideOfPakistan
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