August 1990. On a somber morning, a medium height, the fair-skinned old man was sitting in his balcony. “The guests are about to arrive; everything is ready”, said Shaista Begum, the wife of the old man. The fellow stood up, went to his room, got properly dressed, and moved towards the guest room. The guests upon seeing him stood up in reverence, greeted him, and took their respective seats. The discussion got underway. Different points were coming from all possible directions until a very tantalizing argument was made by one of the guests. “You sold your state and freedom to someone else. You were our hero, our liberator but what you did to the nation was indeed humiliating”, said Osama, a young fellow in early twenties’.
“Don’t you have the manners to talk? Has nobody told you how to behave with the elders? , said Mustafa, who was the former press secretary of the old man. The old man (former head of the state) smiled and gently replied, “In those days we had no other options left; we had a different outlook for the Kashur issue. Moreover, we wanted to accede with Cresent ones and for that reason, I signed the April Pact in 1949.” Upon hearing the answer Osama replied, “We will discuss it some other day”. President replied, “I will invite you for dinner and we will discuss many events of historical importance”. The guests took their meal and finally departed. The President greeted them with farewell regards. He moved towards the window and standing aside from the window he murmured, “Probably it was a mistake”.
September 1947. The revolt against the despotic and authoritative regime of The Feudal Lord was at its peak. A foreign qualified barrister naming RaajWali Khan was leading the movement. The local army was outnumbering the feudal forces in the region. The fight was getting intense. The swastikans invasion was on cards as the Krishna regiment was already deployed in the Valley. In October, 1947, the Lashkar stepped on the soil of the state. They had nefarious designs of their own. They butchered, massacred the innocent people of the region. Some of the lashkarians remained while others after doing catastrophic damage to the freedom movement went away.
September 1990. RaajWali Khan was looking a bit nervous and anxious. He was thinking regarding the decisions he made and the consequences of those decisions. “Why are you looking bit depressed, Papa? Was Osama’s attitude disrespectful towards you? If it is the case, then I assure he will have to apologize for his behavior”, said Amir, the elder son of RaajWali. “No, it is not about attitude son, it is about decisions. I am thinking that how the world will remember me when I will be long gone”, said RaajWali in a depressing tone.
October 1947. The revolutionary government of the state was formed. RaajWali Khan was the founding head of the state. The revolutionary government included the foreign and defense ministries as well. To an extent, it was a full-fledge government which had the purpose of liberating the whole of Kashur. In October 1947, feudal signed the accession document with swastikans . Afterward, the Swastikan forces entered into the Valley and the fighting continued. Crescent ones regular army entered Kashur in April 1948 and just one year after Independence, the two newly born ones were engaged in a deadly conflict over the territory of Kashur. Swastikans rushed to the Big Brother. A cease-fire was initiated between the conflicting parties. A pledge was made to the people that a free, fair, and impartial plebiscite will decide their future.
October 1990. The resistance movement was at its peak in the occupied part and the ideological clashes were becoming evident day by day. The pro-independence factions were gaining serious momentum. RaajWali Khan was sitting in his room, writing his autobiography. “Sir, we have an important call for you, the head of the Supreme Court wants to talk to you”, said Ismail, his secretary. He answered the phone call and what he heard was quite shocking. The head said, “Sir, you never discussed the pact made with Cresent ones. Regarding the hearing of a case related to Northerners , I have been informed that this part of our state was transferred to Cresent ones and surprisingly you never wrote about it. Am I right sir? “Yes! You are right; I never wrote about it”, said RaajWali in a faint voice.
Read More: Sold down the River – Karachi Agreement
September 1948. RaajWali Khan- the president of the state- was on a visit to Cresent ones. “We have no proper agreement, thus our working relation is not established. Importantly, the legitimacy of your government is quite objectionable”, said Azam Khan- a minister without a portfolio. Upon hearing that, RaajWali Khan started thinking that now he will have to enter into a formal accord with Cresent ones, in order to establish a working relation. April, 1949, the day when freedom was tarnished. An agreement known as Kolachi Pact was signed between the respective governments. All the important affairs ranging from Foreign Affairs to Defense were handed over to Crescent ones. In total eight affairs of utmost importance were given to Cresent ones, five to Residents of peer panjal government, and six to a local group. Moreover, an important part of the state, The Northerners were handed over to the Cresent ones. Whatever we had in 1947 was given to Cresent ones so that the Peer panjal residents’ government could claim the legitimacy.
December 1990. “I will be honored if you join me for the dinner”, said RaajWali. At 8:00 P.M, Osama arrived. After the formal greetings, the two of them sat down. The dinner got started along with the discussion. “Don’t you reprimand your decision. Whatever we got in 1947, you lost it in order to claim legitimacy. We have become a vessel state which has no independent recognition of its own. Our status resembles that of a local authority. There is nothing to discuss sir; there are no answers”; said Osama in a depressing tone. The president gently nodded his head and replied, “The circumstances have changed a lot and our interpretations of the issue proved fallacious. I must say yes! There are no answers”.
On a rainy day of August 2019, Osama got up early in the morning and switched on the TV. A headline was circulating on all the news channels. Swastikans have revoked the special status of kashaurs. This news sent a shockwave around. In the evening, people were discussing the possible consequences of unilateral swastikan’s decision. Osama, sitting in his garden in the evening, pictured a frame in his mind.
October 1947: The revolutionary government was formed.
October 1947: The Feudal signed the accession document with Swastikans.
April 1949: Kolachi Pact was signed; Freedom was sold.
August 2019: Swastikans ended the special status of Kashur.
October 2019: the former princely state was divided into separate union territories.
Osama said to himself ‘kisay waqeel krain, kis sy munsafi chahin’ and got up, picked his pen and paper and went away.
Written by: Sibghat Ullah
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