Past Glory of Kashmir : Intrigues (Part-Second)

As in the past, a group of traitors headed by Malik Shams Chaodoora, went to Delhi to wait upon the Mughal Emperor. Humayun was requested to extend his rule over them. Nothing could have been more pleasing to the Mughals, than to see this deputation of Kashmiris asking for their own enslavement. They were the prized and honoured guests. A large aid in the shape of money, arms, ammunition and army was provided to them. Subsequently, an invasion on Kashmir was engineered by the Mughals, through the group of these Kashmiri traitors, which included Shams Raina, Lohar Dangray, Musa Malik. They entered Poonch and then proceeded towards Kashmir via Toshmaidan. After having crossed Drang they reached Hanjivera near Pattan and faced the Kashmiris, who fought desperately. Though the invaders gave a very brave account of themselves, they had to yield at last. The traitors were- defeated and nearly 1700 prisoners were taken by the Kashmiris who butchered the ring leaders including Shamas Raina.lg In accordance with the usual practice and in order to signify the victory, a huge tower was raised up of the heads of the enemy. The Kashmiris had once again triumphed.
A new batch of traitors arose and it included, Malik Mohamad Nazi, Lohar Dangray, Haji Banday and Yosaf Chak. This deputation went to Kara Bahadur, and requested him to invade Kashmir.The time was most opportune, because the Kashmir kingdom had not recovered fully from the previous invasion of the Mughals. He welcomed the offer and marched with an army of 12 thousand Mughal soldiers for the invasion of Kashmir. The invaders were guided by a few traitors and they easily occupied Rajauri, which was considered one of the northern gates of Kashmir. Gazi Khan proceeded to meet the enemy and the Kashmirs measured swords with the Mughal invaders. They fought boldly and desperately and inflicted heavy losses on the Mughals. The invaders left the field and the Kashmiris once again won the day against the Mughals. The Domba clan of the Kashmiris killed the major portion of the Mughal army and raised a huge tower from heads of the slain.
The story of the slavery of Kashmir begins with that of Akbar. The Mughals have employed their historians to paint very ugly pictures of the Kashmiri rulers and fan communal feeling among the Muslims. As such, we have very distorted accounts about the Chaks, which was the last independent dynasty of rulers in Kashmir. The Chaks of Kashmir were patriots who faced the invaders for nearly 50 years and saved Kashmir from the Mughal slavery.
Sultan Yosaf Shah Chak came to the throne in 1579. The Mughal emperor Akbar had designs on Kashmir and as such, deputed an army of 5,000 horsemen to conquer Kashmir. The Mughals were led by Raja Baghwan Dass and Shah Quli Miharam. The Kashmiris stood divided among them- selves, due to the activities of the Mughal spies, who had engineered fights between the Shias and the Sunnis of Kashmir.
Sultan Yosaf Shah was a simpleton and could not decide as to what was to be done. The Kashmiris wanted to fight and they told him to stand firm and oppose enemy at the mountain passes. But the Sultan showed cowardice and accepted the advice of the Mughal spy, Mirza Moqeem, who had now become his chief minister. The Kashmiri army was posted on the borders of Kashmir and the spearhead of the Kashmir forces faced the Mughal invaders at Bigama, on the left side of the river Jhelum near Kathoi. The Kashmiris inflicted heavy losses on the Mughals, whose limbs benumbed with cold and snow." The Mughals sent a message to Sultan Yosaf Shah indicating that if defeated, Akbar will depute a hundred-fold strong army to attack Kashmir. The Sultan Stealthly and secretly went over to the Mughals, leaving Kashmir to its fate- He had acted on the advice of the Mughal spy Mirza Moqeem, but still his action meant a stab in the chest of his motherland. He had scumbed to the treachery and had himself become a traitor to Kashmir by his foolish action.
The Kashmiri army declared Yaqub Shah as its leader. He fought the Mughals, inflicted losses on the enemy and even captured 3000 Mughals, who were drowned in the river. As it rained heavily, the Mughals were held at bay for one month. The Kashmiris went on inflicting losses on the enemy. Raja Bhagwan Dass made peace with the Kashmiris and took away Yosuf Shah Chak with him to the Mughal court. Akbar broke faith with Yosaf Shah and detained him as a prisoner in Bihar, where he died in 1592.30 A memorial slab was put up at the grave of this last independent ruler of Kashmir, on the 19th of January, 1977 by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the Chief Minister of the Jammu and Kashmir State. It was after a lapse of about four centuries that a leader of Kashmir offered homage to a great and noble son of Kashmir on behalf of the Kashmiris.