It was early winter, in 1947. Lal Chowk, the city centre of Srinagar, was about to be “historic”. Thousands of people who had gathered in the square were listening to Jawaharlal Nehru who was standing up on a make shift dais. His friend Sheikh Abdullah looked on. “The fate of Kashmir will ultimately be decided by the people. We have given that pledge,” said Nehru. “It is not only a pledge to the people of Kashmir but to the world. We will not, and cannot back out of it.” It was Abdullah’s turn now – Mann tu shudam, tu mann shudi! – as he recited for Nehru the Persian love poem: “I became you and you became I… So no one could say you are separate from me.” If only the thousands of men and women listening to them knew better. A poor witness they were being to the farce of their history.

Even at the time of sending his army to the valley on October 27, 1947, Nehru wrote to the then prime minister of Pakistan: “I should like to make it clear that the question of aiding Kashmir in this emergency is not designed in any way to influence the state to accede to India. Our view which we have repeatedly made public is that the question of accession in any disputed territory or state must be decided in accordance with wishes of people and we adhere to this view” (The Hindu, November 28, 2010). Nehru added further: “Kashmir’s accession to India was accepted by us at the request of the Maharaja’s government and the most numerously representative popular organization in the state which is predominantly Muslim. Even then it was accepted on condition that as soon as law and order had been restored, the people of Kashmir would decide the question of accession. It is open to them to accede to either Dominion then” (emphasis added).