Kashmir Conundrum Through the Timeline of History | APSC | UPSC | IAS | Lalans

Kashmir Conundrum Through the Timeline of History | APSC | UPSC | IAS | Lalans 16 March 1846: Princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was created with the signing of the Second Treaty of Amritsar between the British East India company and Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu. It was an addendum to the Treaty of Lahore, signed one week earlier, which gave the terms of surrender of the Sikh Darbar at Lahore to the British. The Sikhs could not pay part of the demand made by the British; Gulab Singh paid Rs 7,500,000 on their behalf, and in return received Kashmir Valley, part of the Sikh territories, to add to Jammu and Ladakh already under his rule. Gulab Singh accepted overall British sovereignty. Kashmir Valley was a Muslim-majority[1][2] region speaking the Kashmiri language and had a distinct culture called Kashmiriyat. 10 May 1857 – 1 November 1858: India's First War of Independence. 2 August 1858: End of Company rule in India. 20 April 1927: Maharaja Hari Singh passed the Hereditary State Subject order, granting special privileges to the state subjects for jobs and residence in the state. According to the order an "outsider" could gain state subject status "after the age of 18 on purchasing immovable property under permission of an ijazatnama and on obtaining a rayatnama after ten years continuous residence in the Jammu and Kashmir State".[3][4] 1931: The movement against the Maharaja Hari Singh began and was brutally suppressed by the State forces. Hari Singh was part of a Hindu Dogra dynasty which ruled over a majority Muslim State. The predominantly Muslim population was kept poor, illiterate and inadequately represented in the State's services.[5] April 1932: The Glancy Commission appointed by the Maharaja recommended the establishment of a legislative assembly, called the Praja Sabha. It would have 75 members, with 15 official representatives, 33 elected representatives and the remaining seats held by the Maharaja's nominees. Of the 33 elected seats, 21 would be reserved for Muslims, 10 for Hindus and 2 for Sikhs.[6][7] The Maharaja accepted these recommendations but delayed implementation, leading to protests in 1934. The Maharaja granted a constitution providing a legislative assembly for the people, but it was powerless. June 1932: The All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference was founded by Sheikh Abdullah in collaboration with Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas to fight for the rights of the State's Muslims.[8][6] September 1934: The first elections for the Praja Sabha (the state's legislative assembly) were held. The Muslim Conference won 16 of the 21 seats reserved for Muslims, but lost two of them to the Liberal Group, which had the majority in the assembly.[9] Soon afterwards, the younger leaders of the Muslim Conference pleaded for broadening the party to include all the people of the state.[10] 1937: Sheikh Abdullah met with Jawaharlal Nehru for the first time.[11][relevant?] May 1938: The second election for the state's Legislative Assembly was held. The Muslim Conference won all 19 contested seats.[12] Two independent candidates that won were said to have joined the Muslim Conference afterwards.[13] June 1939: Under Sheikh Abdullah's leadership, the Muslim Conference changed its name to National Conference and opened membership to people of all religions.[8] At the same time, the National Conference joined the All India States Peoples Conference, a Congress-allied group of movements in princely states.[14] 23 March 1940: The Pakistan Resolution was passed at Iqbal Park, Lahore. The resolution demanded the establishment of an independent state comprising all regions with Muslim majorities. The letter "K" in the name "Pakistan" represented Kashmir. 1941: Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas left the National Conference and revived the old Muslim Conference. The Muslim Conference became a client of the Jinnah-led Muslim League.[15] 1941: 71,667 Kashmiris joined the British Indian Army for World War II; seven-eighths of them were Muslim, mainly from the Poonch-Mirpur area.[11] April 1944: Sheikh Abdullah proposed a Naya Kashmir (New Kashmir) programme to the Maharaja, calling for a constitutional monarchy.[16] 1944: Mohammad Ali Jinnah visited Kashmir during the summer, supporting the Muslim Conference in preference to the National Conference