The Ministry of Culture is marking October 22 — the day the Pakistani invasion began in Kashmir and set the stage for the first India-Pakistan war — with a string of events, including a symposium in Srinagar on the events of that day.
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On October 22, thousands of tribal invaders from Pakistan crossed into Kashmir overrunning outposts of Hari Singh’s state forces in Muzaffarabad, Domel and other places on the road to Srinagar.
The Kashmir forces were too small in number. Plus, the Muslim soldiers, who were in equal numbers with the Dogras in the force, joined hands with the raiders.
Pakistan maintained it had nothing to do with this invasion, but Indian military histories say the invasion was planned two months ahead by the Pakistan Army, and codenamed Operation Gulmarg.
Two Kashmiris – Brigadier Rajinder Singh and Shahid Maqbool Sherwani – are celebrated for their resistance that helped keep the invaders out of Srinagar for a few days, until Indian troops arrived on October 27, a day after Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession to India.
However, with Pakistani forces formally entering the battlefield in support of the tribesmen, the war would continue for over a year, until a ceasefire was declared on the night of December 31, 1948, and the terms of the ceasefire were accepted on January 5, 1949.
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