October 22, 1947: "Black Day" when Pak-backed operation led to killing of thousands in J-K

Kashmir: The tribal invasion of October 22, 1947, known as Operation Gulmarg, resulted in the death of thousands of innocent people and changed the course of Jammu and Kashmir's history.
The intervening night of October 21-22, 1947 is considered the "Black Day" in the history of JK, leaving a grim mark on the fate of J-K. A report published in the al Arabiya post this week condemned Pakistan's failure to mend its way and called out for its role in perpetrating violence in Kashmir. "Time and again, the world has given multiple chances to Pakistan. Yet, it has failed on all accounts to make amends for its misconduct continuing to give a steady hand to breeding terrorism in the subcontinent. Another testament to this is its direct role in instigating violence and terror in the Kashmir valley throughout its independent history, right from the inception in 1947," according to al Arabiya post.
Dr Shabir Choudhry, a prominent PoK activist, has on several occasions highlighted Pakistan's unprovoked and unilateral violations of the Standstill Agreement that was signed by the two sides after the partition.
"The Tribal invasion, as far as the people of Jammu and Kashmir are concerned, was a major event in the modern history of Jammu and Kashmir. In unprovoked and unilateral violation of the Standstill Agreement, the Pakistani Government decided to teach the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir a lesson; and snatch Jammu and Kashmir by military might," Dr Choudhry said wrote in a blog post last October.
"It was not only catastrophic because it resulted in the death of tens of thousands of innocent people, rapes and kidnapping of women and girls; but it also changed the course of our history," he continued.
Multiple reports say that invasion left between 35,000 and 40,000 dead. Dr Choudhry explained how Operation Gulmarg was conceived as early as August 1947 under the command of Major General Akbar Khan.
Dr Choudhry argued that this unprovoked aggression that divided families and people of J-K is the main cause of present miseries and troubles on both sides of the forced division.
The expert reminded how innocent men and women were killed and women and girls were dishonoured. Under Operation Gulmarg, resources of Jammu and Kashmir were plundered and looted.
"Name of Islam was used to advance the imperial agenda of Pakistan, and to kill innocent people in name of religion. In one sentence, it is the cause of all the problems we face today," he said.
Despite the passage of over seven decades, Choudhry strongly emphasised the need to identify the culprits. He asked, "Who planned the attack? What was their agenda and who were the local collaborators?"
"Perhaps, these people have no remorse that our state is divided because of these culprits. They don't feel the pain and suffering of the families who were divided as a direct result of this conspiracy," he added. (ANI)