Thursday 8 July 2010

Bose's legacy

I found a poignant vignette on the career of the great Subhas Chandra Bose here-
"Let me add a footnote to this story on Subhas Bose. Soon after the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, Rehman and Kayani (Brigadier Raja Habibur Rehman was Bose's chief of staff, and an eye-witness of his death, and Colonel M.Z.Kayani, whom Bose had reportedly selected as INA chief in case of his death) were mobilised by the Pakistani authorities to lead tribal militias and other irregular forces from Pakistan to go into Kashmir at the time of the Maharaja Hari Singh’s unilateral accession to India. The Pakistani forces suffered military setbacks and India occupied most of Kashmir. Rehman and Kayani were then given senior civilian positions in the Government under contract. Interestingly, their INA colleague Major Shahnawaj Khan had joined the Indian Army and fought on the Indian side in Kashmir, later rising to the rank of a Brigadier. That was the beginning of the Kashmir conflict, which unfortunately continues till today and threatens war between India and Pakistan from time to time."

(Writer and Columinst Mr. Azizul Jalil writes from Maryland.)

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