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ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (APP):The India Study Centre (ISC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted the launch of Saud Sultan’s book, Jammu and Kashmir: The Forgotten Narrative: From Distorted Origins to Denied Freedom.
The event featured General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, former Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, as Chief Guest; and Sardar Masood Khan, former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as Guest of Honour, said a press release.
Other speakers included Farooq Rehmani, senior Kashmiri leader and former Convener All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) AJK Chapter, and Barrister Daniyal Chaudhry, Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting.
In his remarks, Director General ISSI Ambassador Sohail Mahmood described Saud Sultan’s book as a substantial contribution to the historiography of Jammu and Kashmir dispute, especially in terms of bridging the many gaps that had existed for decades.
He said that the author, who comes from a prominent Kashmiri family in AJK and feels passionately about Kashmir, ensured that his treatment of the subject remained objective and grounded in rigorous research, drawing extensively on archival material, first-hand testimonies, and long-suppressed accounts.
Sohail Mahmood added that the book makes five major contributions. First, it extensively documents the Jammu massacre of 1947, in which over 200,000 Kashmiris were killed and 300,000 displaced.
The author has established that this was not a spontaneous upsurge of communal violence but an operation orchestrated by Maharaja Hari Singh to alter the region’s Muslim-majority demography, accomplished with the support of Patiala Forces, Akali jathas, Dogra troops, and RSS workers.
Second, the book demolishes the Indian claim that its military intervention was in response to a “tribal invasion” backed by Pakistan. Instead, the author puts a powerful spotlight on the local armed rebellion in Poonch and Mirpur and the formation of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on 24 October 1947 among the relevant factors. He goes on to argue that tribal fighters were invited by the locals facing repression from the Dogra forces and also apprehending India’s military intervention under a plan hatched by Home Minister Sardar Patel.
Third, the author establishes that it was India that invaded Kashmir before the tribals’ entry, with Patiala State Forces, already present in the State and on a killing spree in collision with others, including Dogra forces and RSS volunteers. Fourth, it challenges the legality of India’s military intervention, asserting that the Maharaja had not signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October as claimed by India, before Indian troops landed in Srinagar on 27 October 1947. Fifth, the book contrasts the freedoms enjoyed in the free AJK with the repression faced by Kashmiris under occupation in IIOJK.
The chief guest General Zubair Hayat, underscored the critical importance of the narrative surrounding the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, asserting that the true story of Kashmir has been sought to be buried deliberately by India.
He praised Saud Sultan’s book for providing definitive evidence that challenges the established Indian accounts and motivated narratives. The book has proven beyond doubt that it was India that invaded Kashmir, not Pakistan, but Pakistan was vociferously blamed by India.
The book amply highlights the indigenous nature of the uprising that resulted in the liberation of the areas constituting AJK. The book brings forth the narrative of a “quad” operating in Kashmir — comprising the Patiala State Forces, the Akali Sikh Jathas, the Dogra troops, and the RSS goons — who invaded well before any so-called invader had set foot on the soil of Jammu and Kashmir.
General Hayat also highlighted the book’s exposure of critical historical facts omitted by India in its complaint to the UN and in the subsequent recounting of events, particularly concerning the extent of fatalities in Jammu massacre, which amounted to over 238,000.
He contrasted this finding with the limited focus of the Indian narrative, which cites a significantly lower number of killings. General Hayat concluded that Saud Sultan’s work contributes significantly to setting the record straight by challenging an inaccurate and partial version of history. He emphasized that the book helps correct the historical narrative, countering the current phenomenon of Edit Warfare, which he characterized as a new form of hybrid warfare where history is propelled by India.
Sardar Masood Khan stated that Saud Sultan’s book has filled a huge void. He asserted that the Kashmiri struggle against the brutal Dogra rulers began in the 1830s, and that the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir had decided to join Pakistan on July 19, 1947, before the Partition. He highlighted the Jammu massacre, calling it a genocide and pogrom where over 238,000 people were killed, leading to the volume of the Muslim population in the Jammu region dropping drastically.
He argued that India had already invaded Kashmir before the arrival of the tribesmen, citing the concentration of Indian armies and the presence of Patiala and Kapurthala soldiers in civilian clothes. Sardar Masood Khan concluded that the book’s narrative is vital for informing the international community. He noted that the recent India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025 has once again brought the Kashmir issue to the forefront and that strong, proactive diplomacy must continue to be deployed to make the best of this window of opportunity.
Dr Khurram Abbas, Director of ISC, noted that the book is an important addition and has several strengths. To establish the book’s credibility, Saud Sultan overwhelmingly relied on Indian references as well as the works of internationally acclaimed academics. The inclusion of a foreword by Victoria Schofield, an internationally recognized Kashmir scholar, was cited as another strength of the book.
Saud Sultan, the author, highlighted that his most critical contribution lay in directly challenging and correcting the official narrative that India presented to the United Nations in 1948. He said the Indian claim that Pakistan sent tribesmen on 22 October 1947, prompting the Maharaja to sign the Instrument of Accession (IOA) on 26 October, and the subsequent landing of the Indian Army on 27 October, is completely false.
He added that his most significant historical contribution is proving that the IOA was not signed on 26 October 1947. This conclusion, which is supported by the research of British historian Alastair Lamb, demonstrates that there was absolutely no legal basis for a military intervention when the Indian forces landed on October 27, 1947.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman, BoG, ISSI.