ABSTRACT
India’s struggle for freedom from colonial rule was a long and arduous one. In Jammu & Kashmir whether the signing of the Instrument of Accession was a thoughtful decision or was unduly expedited and forced by the conditions that emerged from the invasion of Kashmir in October 1947 remains a part of the discourse. The tribals and regulars of the Pakistan Army had crossed into Kashmir by end of October, but the full dimensions of the invasion came to be known only later. Just at about the time that the invasion was getting underway Sheikh Abdullah had met Home Minister Sardar Patel. One fact that remains however is that Sheikh Abdullah was able to convert the crisis to a situation that greatly suited his own political vision of Kashmir. The arming of the workers of the National Conference and the giving of virtually unlimited powers to Abdullah were essentially decisions taken by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
