A Page from History: Kashmir and Hyderabad

Two of the major problems facing the Government of India are Kashmir and Hyderabad. They are among the largest of the Indian States. One has a Hindu ruler with a majority of Muslim population and the other has a Muslim autocrat as its ruler, the majority of his subjects being Hindus.
The Muslim League has long been trying to build up its influence in both the States, the tactics employed being that in the one it played up the Muslim sentiment and decried the Dogra “tyranny” over the majority community and in the other it played up the Muslim sentiment for entirely different reasons, namely, to preserve Muslim rule and put down the majority community.
It may be argued that this stand is certainly unjust and unreasonable but the League never in its life worried about justice, reason and fairplay. It wanted all the cakes and wanted to eat them all at once.
Pakistan’s Avarice
In a way, that is the position today. “Pakistan’s” avarice for other people’s land led it to plan the invasion of Kashmir. It had other motives. The trouble creating pathan and other tribesmen have got to be kept quiescent. The British in their days did the trick through bribery but “Pakistan” cannot do that for its coffers are almost empty.
History to Repeat Itself
History may repeat itself in Kashmir unless the mischief in nipped in the bud now. Without any warning or provocation of any kind, maurauding hordes from the Frontier and West Punjab invaded peaceful Kashmir, bringing about destruction in their wake. There can be no sympathy with goondas and gangsters who plunder and pillage and destroy the peace of the people.
It will be very necessary on the part of the American authorities to clear up the position regarding the American sergeant fighting on the side of the marauders. If he is an American national, the US Government should forthwith take steps to pull him out. Certainly this invasion affair does not provide any just cause for the American to fight for. That applies equally to the nationals of other countries also. Sheikh Abdullah, Chief of the Emergency Administration in Kashmir, is in Delhi now, consulting the Government of India. In a speech he has made it plain that Kashmir after its accession to the Indian Union is an much the affair of the Kashmiris as that of the people of the Indian Union. That is true enough and Pandit Nehru has made it plain that Kashmir would remain in the Indian Union for all time. No one can expect a people to act in a manner different from what they want and know to their true interests.
Hyderabad Medley
Hyderabad is still shilly-shallying and does not come to a straight and honourable decision. Apparently, the Nizam is a prisoner in the clutches of the dragon he himself has helped to create—the Ittihad-e-Musalmeen. That is the anomalous position created in the State by the foolish policy followed by the Nizam in creating this rabidly communal body. A body which he thought would come to his rescue is actually working for his downfall.
Impartial observers of the Hyderabad negotiations have been struck by the patience and forbearance the Government of India has shown to this autocratically-ruled Muslim State with a predominantly Hindu population which has been groaning under the yoke of political, religious and social oppression for years. Repeated appeals for the democratization have brought only further oppression on the heads of those who had the courage to stand up and ask for their political and religious rights.
Victory for Nizam
According to a Lodon report, the Hyderabad Government announced in the British Capital on Friday night that a standstill agreement had been reached with the Indian Union, by which the “Nizam’s sovereign rights remain unimpaired”. The Indian troops are to be withdrawn from the Nizam’s territory by the end of February next. The Union Government “undertakes to cooperate with the Nizam’s Government to prevent and discourage all subversive activities and propaganda”. Hyderabad has the right under the agreement to appoint agents general in all countries, including USA and the Dominions.
If these are the terms that have been reached in the negotiations, it is a thundering victory for the Nizam. The plight of the Hindus who form more than 85 percent of the population of the State can be seen from the fact that the services including the police and the military are completely dominated by the Muslims who form not even 12 per cent of the population.