Siege of Skardu
| Siege of Skardu | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 | |||||||||
_p232_ISKARDO_FORT.jpg?lang=en) A painting of Skardu Fort | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
 Jammu and Kashmir State Forces  Indian Air Force[1] |
 Gilgit Scouts Chitral Scouts Chitral State Bodyguards | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 285[1] |
~ 400 (Ibex Force, February – April 1948)[3] ~ 300 (Chitral Bodyguard, June – August 1948)[3] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 250 captured[3] | Unknown | ||||||||
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The siege of Skardu was a prolonged military blockade carried out by the pro-Pakistani forces of Ibex Force, Chitral Scouts and Chitral State Bodyguards, against the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces and the Indian Army in the town of Skardu, during the First Kashmir War of 1947–48.[4]
Background
[edit]Gilgit Scouts, the British-officered force of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir stationed in Gilgit for frontier defence, launched Operation Datta Khel on 31 October 1947 after hearing the news of Jammu and Kashmir's accession to India. They were joined by rebels from the 6th battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces stationed at Bunji, annihilated the rest of the battalion and imprisoned its commander Col. Abdul Majid. The combined forces of the Gilgit Scouts and rebels were placed under the command of Lt. Col. Aslam Khan by the Azad Kashmir provisional government.[a] Aslam Khan divided the troops into three forces of 400 men each, and deployed one of them, the "Ibex Force" under Major Ehsan Khan, to take Skardu.[3]
Skardu, the political centre of Baltistan, was the headquarters of a tehsil of the Ladakh wazarat. The administration of the wazarat was stationed at Skardu for six months in each year and at Leh for the other six months. At the time of the rebellion, a company of the 6th battalion of Jammu and Kashmir State Forces under the command of Major Sher Jung Thapa was at Leh.
Siege of Skardu
[edit]When the news of the Gilgit rebellion was received, Sher Jung Thapa was promoted to Lieut. Colonel and made commander of the remainder of the 6th battalion. He was asked to proceed to Skardu for its defence. On reaching Skardu on 3 December, he realised that his position was untenable and sought permission to withdraw the garrison and the civil administration to Kargil and also requested reinforcements. The request for withdrawal was turned down and he was reportedly asked "to hold to last man and last round".[1] The Indian forces, along with the non-Muslim civil population of Skardu, withdrew into the Skardu Fort.[5] On 1 February, 1948 the leading column of the Ibex force left Harmosh, 25 miles east of Gilgit and reached Tsari on 9 February where it quickly overpowered the two Indian platoons left by Col. Thapa. Skardu was besieged on 11 February.[3]
Meanwhile in Srinagar, under the control of the Indian Army, a Skardu relief column consisting of two companies was assembled, which crossed Zoji La Pass and reached Skardu on 10 February.[1] On 11 February, the Pakistani forces battled with the Skardu garrison of the fort. After a six-hour-long battle between the two, the attackers retreated. They came again on 14 February directing "harassing fire into the fort".[6]
In mid-March a second Indian relief column consisting of 350 men and 600 coolies under the command of Brig. Faqir Singh was ambushed and destroyed at Thorgo, 10 miles away from Skardu. Renewed attacks were carried on the besieged garrison on March 24 and half of the Indian positions were captured.[3] A third Indian relief column consisting of two battalions under the command of Lt. Col. Sampuran Singh and Lt. Col. Kirpal Singh was sent in April and ambushed at Parkutta by the Pakistani forces on 20 April, which developed into a full scale battle by the mid-May. As a result the siege of Skardu was lifted and the responsibility of blockade was handed over to the local volunteers as the rest of force was sent to Parkutta.[3] On 29 April Major Ehsan Ali left Skardu, giving the charge to Lt. Babar Khan.[7]
In June the prince of Chitral Mata-ul-Mulk arrived in Skardu with his brother Burhan-ud-Din and a contingent of Chitral bodyguards. He took charge after Babar Khan was sent to Ladakh on 12 June. His arrival was instrumental in turning the tide of war as he brought with him four pieces of light artillery. From 19 June till the end the Skardu garrison had the continuous support of the Royal Indian Air Force.[8] By mid-August 1948, the Skardu garrison was in beggarly shape and the Kashmir forces began to leave the fort in small batches on 13 August 1948. On 14 August 1948 and with the last box of the reserve ammunition used, the garrison surrendered to Col. Mata-ul-Mulk.[1][2] All the remaining men were reportedly killed by the invaders, except for Col. Thapa and his Sikh orderly, who were taken prisoner.[6] Skardu fell and along with southern Baltistan, became part of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, later renamed Gilgit-Baltistan.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Lt. Col. Aslam Khan was a decorated officer of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces, who moved to the British Indian Army and later Pakistan Army. Officially on leave from the Pakistan Army, he described himself as a "deserter" and joined the service of the Azad Kashmir provisioinal government, .
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Singh, Harbans (19 August 2015). "Spare a thought for those defenders of Skardu". Tribune India. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016.
- ^ a b Khanduri, Chandra B. (2006). Thimayya: An Amazing Life. Knowledge World. pp. 123–129. ISBN 978-8-187-96636-4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Khan, Masud Ahmed (27 September 2020). "Surrender at Skardu—1948". The Nation.
- ^ Cheema, Amar (2015). The Crimson Chinar: The Kashmir Conflict: A Politico Military Perspective. Lancer Publishers. pp. 82–89. ISBN 978-8-170-62301-4.
- ^ Poplai, Sundar Lal, ed. (1 January 1959). External affairs. India, 1947–50. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. p. 493. OCLC 361810.
- ^ a b Chakravorty, B. L. Stories of Heroism: PVC & MVC Winners. Allied Publishers. pp. 352–353. ISBN 978-8-170-23516-3.
- ^ Dani 1991, p. 387.
- ^ Dani 1991, pp. 387–388.
Sources
[edit]- Saraf, M. Yusuf (2015) [1979]. "XXVII. Liberation of Gilgit". Kashmiris Fight For Freedom (1819–1946). Vol. II. Lahore: Ferozsons. pp. 279–286. OCLC 917824524.
- Dani, Ahmad Hasan (1991) [1989]. "Struggle for Freedom (1947–1948)". History of Northern Areas of Pakistan (2nd ed.). Islamabad: National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research, Quaid-i-Azam University. pp. 380–390. ISBN 978-969-415-016-1.
- Battles of the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948
- History of Gilgit-Baltistan
- Jammu and Kashmir State Forces
- Skardu District
- Battles involving the Rajputs
- Sieges involving India
- Sieges involving Pakistan
- 20th-century sieges
- February 1948 in Asia
- March 1948 in Asia
- April 1948 in Asia
- May 1948 in Asia
- June 1948 in Asia
- July 1948 in Asia
- August 1948 in Asia