Battlefield Zojila - 1948

Dr. Sudhir S. Bloeria

• Publisher: VIJ Books (India) Pty Ltd
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9789388161145
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Geschichte
• Subtopic: Militär- & Seefahrtsgeschichte

During the First Indo—Pak War of 1947, many important battles were fought in Kashmir, which has become part of Indian military folklore. Amongst these, the Battles of Zojila hold pride of place. Our breakthrough at Zojila ensured the security of Ladakh which was gravely threatened by the hostiles at that time. During this period of armed conflict with Pakistan, some heroic battles were fought. In defensive operations, the garrisons of Skardu and Punch withstood long sieges against very heavy odds and a much larger enemy force. Their performance could do proud of any army. Of the offensive actions launched by the Indian forces, the breakthrough at Zojila would probably rank amongst the three most important battles of the J&K Operations. The author has covered the account of the battles with due authentication and interviews with people who were part of the operations.

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

GEO-POLITICAL CONTOURS

Jammu and Kashmir, the crown of Indian Union, is situated in the north of India. It comprises three divisions, viz. Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. The State of Jammu and Kashmir occupies a pivotal position on the political map of Central Asia. Strategically, Kashmir is vital to the security of India. India’s only window to the Central Asian Republics of the Commonwealth of Independent States (erstwhile USSR) in the north, China and Tibet on the east, and Pakistan and Afghanistan on the west. Indian State of Punjab is located in the south-west. The entire State is hilly excepting the Kashmir Valley and the plains of Jammu and Kathua districts. Kashmir valley is predominantly inhabited by the Muslims. Hindus are dominant in Jammu division whereas Buddhists have a slight edge over Muslims in the Ladakh region.

The Vale of Kashmir, approximately in the centre of the State, runs north and south in the valley of the River Jhelum. It is about 130 kilometres long and 50 kilometres wide. The State’s summer capital, Srinagar, is in north-east of the Valley’s centre. The only airport of the valley is situated at Damodar Karewa, near Srinagar. In 1947, the runway was un-metalled and was fit for light aircrafts only and was seldom used. It was meant for the private aeroplanes of the Maharaja. Railways were and still are nonexistent and all movement to the Valley was, therefore, by vehicles and animals.

The approaches to the Valley by road, from Domel and Jammu were through the then western Punjab (now Pakistani Punjab) starting from Rawalpindi and Sialkot, respectively. There was, however, a fair weather 102 kilometres long track from Pathankot to Jammu via Madhopur, Kathua and Samba. This was the only road link with eastern Punjab (now Indian State of Punjab). There were a number of rivers and nullahs on this route without bridges. Unbridged rivers of Ravi, Ujh and Basantar were major obstacles; Ravi being the most formidable. There used to be a motor ferry over Ravi from October to June; it was affordable to motor transport for two to three months only. The Ujh and Basantar rivers could be crossed by motor transport during dry months only. This road was un-metalled and used to be extremely dusty when there were no rains and became marshy even after a slight rain. It was quite a difficult task to take vehicles over this route. Due to bad state of this road, a vehicle normally took upto three days for its trip from Pathankot to Jammu and back. It also ran close and parallel to the border with undivided India and became very vulnerable throughout its length when the State shared that border with Pakistan after the independence.

As opposed to India, which had the Banihal road as the only route for reaching the Valley, that too via the very difficult and hazardous Madhopur route, Pakistan had a much easier roadway access to the State. In the Valley through a good metalled road via Domel; to Mirpur, in the centre, via Jhelum and also to Jammu from Sialkot. Not only the roads connecting western Punjab were fairly good but were also shorter. The only rail link between undivided India and the J&K State was from Sialkot to Jammu; of which a major portion—18 miles out of the total length of 27 miles—was in the western Punjab of the undivided India and only 9 miles in the State territory. The nearest railway station in the then eastern Punjab was Pathankot, and that too through the difficult Jammu-Madhopur route. It was a small station with very limited siding and control facilities, grossly inadequate to be used as a base for handling bulk stores and large bodies of troops in transit. There was an airfield at Satwari, near Jammu, which too was used for the private planes of the Maharaja. The runway of this airfield too was un-metalled and fit for only light aircrafts. This was the status of communications and the various links existing between the State of Jammu and Kashmir—except for Ladakh—Gilgit regions—and the two dominions of India and Pakistan on 15^th August 1947. The dice was heavily loaded against India, which advantage was fully exploited by Pakistan in its nefarious designs of annexing Jammu and Kashmir by force.

The third region of the State, Ladakh, had traditionally been under the influence of Tibetan rulers. It was only in 1834, following the successful invasion by Zorawar Singh, that it became a part of Maharaja Gulab Singh’s possessions. After Kashmir came under the control of the Dogra ruler in 1846, with the Treaty of Amritsar, the administrative amalgamation of this region with Jammu and Kashmir became complete. Ladakh, the cold arid desert, is a plateau located between the Kashmir Valley and Tibet in the extreme north-east of the State. The population of the Leh part is predominantly Buddhist while in Kargil, Muslims are in majority. Culturally, it has close links with Tibet. Leh, which is at the height of 11,554 ft. above sea level, is the principal town of Ladakh and used to be an important commercial focal point between India and Central Asia. In the north, eastern side, Ladakh has common borders with China and Tibet. It has always played an important part in the Central Asian affairs. Gilgit is in the north-west part of the State. It has predominantly Muslim population and common borders with China, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

There was no network of roads to and within Ladakh and Gilgit. The traffic to and from this area was only on foot or by horse, yak, etc. over bridle tracks which were narrow, rough and hazardous. No wheeled traffic was possible. Gilgit was connected with Ladakh by a mule track which ran over passes 12,000 to 14,000 ft. above sea level, Leh to Gilgit was 480 kms. From Leh, this track went west to Kargil, turned northwards from Kargil to Skardu-Gilgit and then onwards led to Wakhan province of Afghanistan and also to Sinkiang over the Pamirs. This route was followed by Zorawar Singh who conquered Baltistan in 1839-40. Leh was connected with Srinagar, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh by three different routes—Central Asian trade route, southwestern and southern route. The south-western route linked Jammu with Leh via Kishtwar and Zanskar. The total distance of this route was 368 kms. It was primarily a foot track. However, horses or ponies could be used for short stretches. The southern route ran from Leh to Himachal, going east from Leh, it went over Taglang La 17,400 ft. and Bara Lacha La 17,000 ft. through Keylong to Rohtang Pass and then to Kulu. The Central Asian Trade route is an age-old passage connecting Srinagar and Leh. The total distance was 365 kms. (now the road distance is 432 kms)¹. From Leh there are routes to Tibet, Chinese Turkistan, Yarkand and Baltistan. These have been described by Alexander Cunningham as²’:

1. a. The south-eastern road from Lhasa to Garo and the Indus to Leh. A branch from India, via the Niti pass, joins this road at Garo;
2. b. The eastern road from Chinese Territory, through Rudok and the valley of Chushul and Sakti to Leh;
3. c. The northern road from Yarkand and Kotan, over the Karakoram mountains and down the Shyok and Nubra rivers to Leh; and,
4. d. The north-western road from Balti, via the Shyok and Indus rivers to Leh.

One of the most striking contrasts in nature manifests itself in the valley of Kashmir and Ladakh being set next to each other. The lush green verdant valley, dotted with blue lakes and capped with glacier topped mountains, is adjacent to barren, windswept cold desert highland region of Ladakh. The principal towns of Srinagar and Leh are connected by a traditional trade route running west to east. The most important landmark, on this route, also being the watershed and the dividing line between the two regions, is Zojila. In the native language “Zojila” means “Path of Blizzards,” a befitting name for the pass, as would be sufficiently evident after studying its topography. The Zojila is known by other names also, such as Seojila, Baltal Kotal, Dras Pass³, Zogila and Zwaje La, etc.⁴ In the great Himalayan mountain range starting from Mount Everest in the east to Nanga Parbat in the west, Zojila is the lowest depression being 11,578 ft. above sea level. All other passes are over 14,000 ft. Though such a low pass and a simple walk under summer conditions, the Zojila is also one of the most dangerous. It accounts for a large number of animal and human lives, taking its deadly toll by means of sudden avalanches or engulfing its victims in bottomless drifts⁵. For the major part of a year, all these passes including Zojila remain closed due to snow and avalanches.

Zojila, at a distance of 102 kms. east of Srinagar is the gate-way to the Ladakh region. From Srinagar to Sonamarg, a distance of 84 kilometres, a fairly good road existed in 1947; though in parts only one-way traffic was possible. About 14 kms. east of Sonamarg lies Baltal, which was connected by a good, but not motorable track. Baltal⁶, height 9,600 feet, is in the shape of a basin, a large flat ground. It is located on the right bank of the river Sind and enveloped by a stream draining into Sonamarg valley from Zojila; the pass being on the mountain range rising sharply in the east. The route from Baltal to Zojila was just a mule track going up the steep slope of the hill overhanging the gorge of the Sind river and was usable only from May to December. In winter this was impassable and a temporary pathway, rarely traversed, road was used to be made over the snow which filled the gorge below Zojila until the snow melted and the summer route became available. Right from December to June the stretch between Baltal and Gumri was so dangerous and hazardous that any traveller could lose his life and belongings on account of snow storms or avalanches, since there was no place to take shelter in the inhospitable climate. The gradient of this track from Baltal to Zojila was considerable. The ascent from the Kashmir side of the track was the most dangerous part of the pass during winter. The 9 km. section between Baltal and Gumri, devoid of habitation and plantation was too long for the safety of individuals. After the snow had fallen, only the very brave could venture to walk through, ignoring the howling winds, blinding blizzards and thunderous hurtling of avalanches. The minimum temperature there became sub-zero from mid-October and could be as low as -50 degrees centigrades during winter months.⁷

There was hardly any proper track over Zojila. The only passage was through the nullah bed hugging the hillside, crossing a number of small streams of freezing temperature even during summer. The descent on the Ladakh side was easier than on the Kashmir side, leading down to the Dras river and along its banks to Matayan crossing several tributaries flowing into it. The pass opened into Gumri which is a basin of over a kilometre wide and about three kilometres long. The terrain was very difficult. There were snow bridges and steep gradients which were slippery. Until November 1948 no wheel or track ever defiled the paths of this mountain fastness. Matayan was the first village on the Ladakh side of Zojila. A group of ramshacked huts, Matayan was inhabited by the people of Kashmiri stock and, like Dras, was second only to the coldest inhabited place in the world Verkhoensk in Siberia.

Zojila lay isolated in the semi-arctic and barren zone. Life in that area was at a standstill during the six months of winter. Crossing of the pass was always hazardous on the Central Asian Trade Route. This link was, however, effectively used by intrepid traders and adventurous warlords. King Sikander of Kashmir followed this route to conquer Baltistan in 1405 A.D. and forced conversion on the Buddhist population with violence. His son, the great Zain-ul-Abidin also invaded Ladakh, twice, forcing the local king to acknowledge Kashmiri supremacy.

The reverse traffic started in 1533 when Kashmir was successfully invaded by the Kashgari army of Sultan Abu Sayed Kashgiri, under his general Mirza Haider Dughlat. Mirza Haider as the then ruler of Kashmir reconquered Ladakh and Baltistan and annexed these to his possessions in 1545.⁸ The next recorded military confrontation with forces from the plains took place in the 1680s, when the troops of Aurangzeb, from Kashmir, moved into Ladakh and defeated the Tibeto-Sokpa invaders, pushing them to the traditional Ladakhi-West Tibet border at Tashigong.⁹ This was the last time, till 1948, when a large body of troops had traversed across Zojila for combat and conquest. However, it was not the final struggle for supremacy in the Ladakh-Balti region, for the campaigns of Zorawar Singh were still to follow. But this Dogra general took the more arduous southernly routes to the northern highlands, than over Zojila. His forces had no access to this traditional approach, as Kashmir was not then a part of the territories of his master, Raja Gulab Singh. However, Zojila is so strategically located that the one who controls it acquires a decisive role to influence events in the Kashmir Valley as well as in the Ladakh region. This was fully realized by the Pakistani invaders and the Indian forces in 1947-48.

CAMPAIGNS OF ZORAWAR SINGH

Background

The military campaigns of Zorawar Singh across the lofty mountains and snow covered high plateaus, of Baltistar-Ladakh-Western Tibet area, form an amazing chapter of India’s military history. Notwithstanding the internal political situation in this region, as also the interplay of the ambitions and strategic formulations of the two dominant forces in India, viz. Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the British, military exploits and political achievements of Zorawar Singh in these Himalayan heights were truly remarkable. From the summer of 1834 till the day of his death on 12^th December 1841, Zorawar Singh spearheaded a relentless campaign, subduing his adversaries in the battlefield as also braving the severely harsh elements of nature and climate of the terrain of his operations. His last battle at To-Yo, which had cost him his life was fought under extremely adverse conditions. To quote Cunningham, “The Indian soldiers of Zorawar Singh fought under very great disadvantages. The battlefield was upwards of 15,000 feet above the sea level and the time mid-winter, when even during the day the temperature never rises above the freezing point and the intense cold of th...