Treachery & Gallantry: Gilgit-Baltistan-Ladakh 1947-48

Operation Datta Khel, much like Operation Gulmarg that the British unleashed through the newly-created state of Pakistan to annex territories in Jammu as well as the Kashmir region, was also the brainchild of the British, who looked at Pamirs with a certain amount of apprehension. However, unlike Operation Gulmarg, Operation Datta Khel was planned and executed directly by the British without involving any Pakistani. While the British and Western authors have tried to keep Britain clear of two operations, pointing out other issues involved in the dispute that lingers on even today, Operation Datta Khel was an act that no one sitting in London could ever deny. A couple of awards that followed each other with an almost four-and-a-half-decade-long gap between the two further cements the contention that it was nothing but a British ploy to annex Gilgit-Baltistan by force. Pakistanis, too, stepped in once the territory in the high Himalayas was presented to them by their Masters. What followed then was a long slog that J&K State forces and the Indian Army undertook to push the invaders as far back as  was allowed, again by the British! 

About the Authors

Colonel Ajay K Raina, SM, is an Indian Army veteran and a military historian. He has authored 25 books, including a five-book series on the 1947-48 Conflict in Jammu & Kashmir. He is the founding Trustee of the Military History Research Foundation ®, which aims to enable military historians and authors to take their well-researched works to the public. The author can be contacted at ajaykrraina@gmail.com

Brig Rajendra Singh, SM< FRGS, is an accomplished author and an adventure enthusiast. He is the founding trustee of the Military History Research Foundation.