ABSTRACT
Independent India fought its first war in Kashmir. The topography of the Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir has been compared to a house which has many stories and faces southwards. The local Kashmiri population, mostly members of the National Conference, fought but their invaluable contribution was in providing logistical support and information about the concentration and movement of the tribals. A solitary Indian battalion managed to cross the river and joined the beleaguered garrison of the Kashmir State battalions in Poonch. The Indian Spring Offensive of May 1948 finally led to the formal commitment of large scale regular Pakistani forces on Kashmiri soil. A contemporary dispassionate observor, Alice Thorner, summed up the situation by writing. The problem of freeing Kashmir from the tribal raiders was relegated to the background. The Government of Pakistan's control over the Azad Kashmir Government was far more complete than the Indian grip over Sheikh Abdullah's Government.
