Fazl-e-Umar — Page 181
Fazle Umar 181 which people were beaten up and occasionally shot down and killed. Matters came to a head by 1930 when a series of riots took place which were mercilessly suppressed entailing considerable loss of life. The Muslims of the Punjab, among whom Kash- miris who had migrated from Kashmir into the Punjab held a high position and were counted among the leaders, were deeply stirred by these happenings but were unable to think of anything that could prove effective in helping their suffering and distressed fellow Muslims in Kashmir. T H E A L L I n d IA K ASH M I R C OM M I T T E E Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] was deeply touched by the plight of the Kashmiri Muslims and decided to help them in early 1931. He invited Muslims of the Punjab to help the Kashmir Muslims and also lobbied the government of Kashmir to reform their draconian policies. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II [ra] invited leading Muslims with a deep interest in the Kashmir issue for consultation on 25 July 1931. They felt helpless as the British gov- ernment was bound to shield the Maharaja because of the treaty relationship between them. The Khalifatul Masih felt that despite all this some practical step must be taken which should convince the people of Kashmir that a body in British India was taking sympathetic interest in their affairs, and the Hindu Maharaja and his advisers should be compelled to recognise that the people of Kashmir in their struggle for securing their basic human rights had the support of a strong and active organisation across the borders of the State. Finally it was decided that an All India Kashmir Committee should be formed which should take all appropriate and feasible steps to secure basic rights for the people of Kashmir, and the Committee’s activities should not cease till the full achievement of this purpose. Agreement having been reached on the setting up of the Committee all those who were present in the consultation expressed their