The Promised Son — Page 42
42 Allaamah Iqbal, one of the main perpetrators of the dis- cord, was elected President. His Presidency lasted for one meeting! The situation remained the same for the people of Kashmir for the next few years, but as partition of India loomed, the Kashmir problem took on another dimension. The government of Pakistan asked for volunteers to assist the Pakistani army in the defence of Kashmir. Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra and the Ahmadiyya Community made a substantial contribution in terms of both men and money towards its defence. Most of the other Muslim groups stood aside and did not offer the Muslims of Kashmir any assistance. In fact, groups such as Jama’at-e-Islami publicly voiced their opposition to any help being provided to the Kashmiri people. Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra initially dispatched fifty Ahmadis under the command of his own son Mirza Mubarak Ahmad to defend certain positions. Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra then raised a battalion size force at the request of the Pakistani Government. This force was sent to the Kashmir border. The force was three thousand strong and included Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad’s ra sons and nephews. The force was named the ‘Furqan Force’ and it established a very high reputation for discipline, courage, bravery, and the spirit of sacrifice. The Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army, General Sir Douglas Gracy, wrote a letter to Hazrat