The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 196
180 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN Khan : Sheikh Abdullah was undoubtedly the most popular leader in Kashmir when this trouble started. Before Independence, he had started a movement in Kashmir called the "Quit Kashmir Movement," that is to say, that the Maharajah should quit Kashmir and the people should be at liberty to set up whatever form of government they desired. Then Partition came and Sheikh Abdullah, obviously distressed by the turn things had taken, and anxious to do whatever he could to speed matters toward getting law and order restored and getting the tribesmen out of Kashmir, reconciled himself to the situation that the Maharaja had offered accession to India. In fact, the Maharaja's letter of accession, no doubt under the suggestion of Mr. Menon, who was then advising him - not the present Defense Minister of India but the then Political Secretary of India - stated that he intended to associate Sheikh Abdullah with his Prime Minister in the administration of the state. In his reply to the letter, Lord Mountbatten expressed the satisfaction of his government over this. Thus India claimed that the undoubted representative of the people of Kashmir was in support of the accession and was associated with the administration. Shortly after Sheikh Abdullah became the Prime Minister of Kashmir. His effort was that the special position of Kashmir vis-a-vis India should be recognized and Kashmir should be completely autonomous and should later settle for itself what it wanted to do. Whether he intended later just to affirm the accession or to let the people decide whatever they wanted to do, is not quite clear. But as time passed and he found that India was steadily working towards greater and greater integration of the state with India, and towards its eventual absorption by India, differences began to arise between him and the Government of India. In the end he was set aside and Bakhshi Ghulam Muhammad took over the administration of the occupied part of Kashmir. Sheikh Abdullah was taken into custody under the preventive provisions of the law applicable, and was kept in custody for quite a long period. He was released about four years ago, and after a few weeks was taken into custody again. He was then charged with various offences against the government. For three years and a half preliminary proceedings went on against him in the magistrate's court, and finally a whole list of charges was framed against him by the magistrate and against those who were being tried along with him, I believe in last January. It appears that the trial