The Origins of a Dispute; Kashmir 1947

by Prem Shankar Jha

• ISBN13: 9780745320854
• ISBN10: 0745320856
• Format: Trade Book
• Publisher: Pluto Press

Summary

Kashmir is one of the most intensely disputed regions of the world. Lying between India and Pakistan, it was acceeded to India by the British when they left in 1947; however, with a majority Muslim population, many Kashmiris and Pakistanis felt that it should have become a part of Pakistan. To this day, it continues to be the subject of passionate conflict between the two countries -- in late 2002, as troups aligned on the borders, the prospect of a possible nuclear war was only narrowly avoided.In such a context, a book on the history of Kashmir is not only timely but of great usefulness to anyone who wishes to understand the full and complex background to the ongoing conflict. Prem Jha is a renowned Indian scholar and his new book is a controversial account, based on exhaustive research and recently declassified papers. Jha provides a virtually day-to-day account of the critical times when the fate of Kashmir was decided in the context of Britain's geo-political strategies. Drawing on personal accounts by the main players in the events of 1947, he examines th

Table of Contents

Two Versions of History	p. 1
Uprising or Invasion?	p. 11
Accession Under Duress?	p. 36
Signing the Instrument of Accession	p. 59
The Gurdaspur Award	p. 74
A Grand Design?	p. 83
Britain and the Kashmir Question	p. 92
Myths Exploded, an Enigma Unravelled	p. 119
Appendix I: Statement by Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw	p. 133
Appendix II: Letter from General Iskander Mirza to Sir Olaf Caroe	p. 139
Appendix III: The Truth of the Partition of the Punjab in August 1947	p. 141
Index	p. 145
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