Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir

### Government

Unitary Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy under a Pahlavi Statist One Party Dictatorship

### Establishment

1846 (Original Establishment)
1987 (restoration)

### Region

South Asia

The **Kingdom of the Jammu and Kashmir** is a nation that is east of the Kingdom of Pakistan, southwest of the Islamic State of Uyghurstan, southeast of the Emirate of Bukhara, north of the Kingdom of Punjab and the Sultanate of Delhi. Jammu and Kashmir was a messy kingdom even at the time of its establishment and this was due to the Kingdom being the homeland of both the Muslim Kashmiris and the Hindu Dogras. Pakistan and India in the past fought each other to annex the Kingdom as the Maharajah was forced by India to become part of India against its will, Jammu and Kashmir was liberated by the Empire of Iran and its allies in 1987 in order to prevent Jammu and Kashmir from becoming a hub for Islamic fundamentalist terrorists and fundamentalist officials who were formerly affiliated with the old Pakistani Republic who could plot the ousting of Iran's Pakistani puppet state and return the old fundamentalist republic and conquer the province with it which could cause a bloody and catastrophic war in South Asia.

## History

### Early History

Jammu and Kashmir was a princely state during the British East India Company rule as well as the British Raj in India from 1846 to 1952. The princely state was created after the First Anglo-Sikh War, from the territories that had earlier been in the Sikh Empire. At the time of the partition of India and the political integration of India, Hari Singh, the ruler of the state, delayed making a decision about the future of his state. However, an uprising in the western districts of the state followed by an attack by raiders from the neighbouring Northwest Frontier Province, supported by Pakistan, forced his hand. On 26 October 1947, Hari Singh acceded to India in return for the Indian military being airlifted to Kashmir to engage the Pakistan-supported forces, starting the Kashmir conflict.

### As Autonomous Region of India

After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was divided between India (which controlled the regions of Jammu, Kashmir Valley, and Ladakh) and Pakistan (which controlled Gilgit–Baltistan and Azad Kashmir). Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947 after an invasion by Pakistani tribesmen. Sheikh Abdullah was appointed as the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir as part of an interim government by Maharaja Hari Singh in March 1948. The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950 and integrated the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir through Article 370. A constituent assembly was convened to frame a new constitution for the state in October, after an election in which all the seats being won by Abdullah's Jammu & Kashmir National Conference.

Abdullah reached an agreement termed as the "Delhi Agreement" with Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, on 24 July 1952. It extended provisions of the Constitution of India regarding citizenship and fundamental rights to the state, in addition to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India. Agreements were also reached on issues of abolishing the monarchy, as well as the state being allowed a separate flag and official language. The Delhi Agreement spelt out the relationship between the central government and the state through recognizing the autonomy Jammu and Kashmir, while also declaring it as an integral part of India and granting the central government control of several subjects that were not a part of the instrument of accession.

The government of Jammu and Kashmir quickly moved to adopt the provisions of the agreement. The recommendations of the Drafting Committe on the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir regarding the monarchy were accepted by the Constitutent Assembly on 21 August 1952. The Jammu and Kashmir Constitution Act 1939 was amended in November 1952 to adopt the resolutions and the monarchy was officially abolished on 12 November. The regent Karan Singh was formally elected as the *Sadar-i-Riyasat* or head of state by the Constitutent Assembly and was later recognized by the President of India. The amendments incorporating the provisions into the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir entered into force on 17 November.

After Abdullah's arrest in 1953, Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad became the Prime Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. The Constituent Assembly passed a resolution in February 1954, extending some provisions of the Constitution of India and formallh ratifying the accession of the state to India per the Instrument of Accession. A Presidential Order was passed on 14 May 1954 to implement the Delhi Agreement, drawing its validity from the resolution of the Constitutent Assembly. The new Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir was adopted on 17 November 1956 and came into force on 26 January 1957.

In 1956–57, China constructed a road through the disputed Aksai Chin area of Ladakh. India's belated discovery of this road culminated in the Sino-Indian War of 1962; China has since administered Aksai Chin. Following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, India and Pakistan signed the Simla Agreement, recognising a Line of Control in Kashmir, and committing to a peaceful resolution of the dispute through bilateral negotiations.

### Restoration

In the late 80s, the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election triggered a violent uprising and armed insurgency that was backed by Iran and Pakistan in order for Pakistan to keep the Azad Kashmir region. The incident got so out of hand to the point that Iran had invaded the Jammu and Kashmir state of India. Iran after invading the state had annexed it as a puppet state ruled by the son of Hari Singh the last Maharajah of Jammu and Kashmir, Maharajah Karan Singh as Maharajah of Jammu and Kashmir. The Hindu Nationalist Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party became the ruling party of Jammu and Kashmir. Muslim Kashmiris were expelled to the portions of the region controlled by Pakistan (Gilgit–Baltistan and Azad Kashmir) and the Hindus were allowed to remain in the region as citizens.

### Attack that started the invasion

The loss of Jammu and Kashmir had severely angered the populace of India and the Indian government met with Iran to demand the return of the Jammu and Kashmir State. Iran had said no because the government of India had interfered with the election of Jammu and Kashmir which caused instability that made Iran nervous as Iran itself feared that the Insurgents would "conquer the entirety of Pakistan" which could result in Iran having borders with a Fundamentalist Pakistan that could be the hub of radical Islamic terrorists that could pose a threat to Iranian national security. India said that they had rigged the election and that there was no point in Iran taking Jammu and Kashmir. Iran said rigging the election only triggered potentially dangerous terror attacks in Pakistan that made Iran paranoid of Pakistan becoming a potential hub for terrorists from the Kashmir region and that the Kashmiri Muslims must either migrate to Pakistan or be forced to convert to Hinduism.

Indian soldiers tried to get into Jammu and Kashmir and get it back into India. This was a pretext for Iran to declare war on India but the Shah said no because the population already had enough of war and he did not want another revolution against him. The Prime Minister then decided to negotiate peace with India. India refused all peace negotiations unless they got Jammu and Kashmir back which Iran refused to give back. India tried to invade Jammu and Kashmir, but Iran used its nukes to protect Jammu and Kashmir from India by threatening to nuke India if they don't leave Jammu and Kashmir. India, reluctant about a nuclear war had called back their troopers and it caused more internal instability.

### Iran's expansionist War

Jammu and Kashmir had helped Iran in its invasion of India in Iran's expansionist war in the Indian Subcontinent in order for Jammu and Kashmir to defend itself from the aggressive India who will do anything to get Jammu and Kashmir back as a province of India. Sadly for India they lost the war due to the fact that they are too unstable to handle such an invasion. Jammu and Kashmir after the expansionist was able to implement reforms and grow into a strong nation without the looming threat of India at their borders.

## Government

The Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir is a Constitutional Monarchy ruled by a Maharajah as a Constitutional Monarch who is in charge of all religeous institutions, education facilities and decides if laws should be accepted or rejected. The government is controlled by the The Hindu Nationalist Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party as the ruling party of Jammu and Kashmir and the leader of the party automatically becomes Prime Minister, however the have to get approval from the Maharajah.

* **Maharajah:** Karan Singh
* **Prime Minister:** Balwant Singh Mankotia
* **Foreign Minister:** Omar Abdullah
* **Industry Minister:** Bijan Allipour
* **Minister of Defense:** Manoj Sinha
* **Minister of Intelligence:** Mahmoud Alavi
* **Chief of Staff:** General Upendra Dwivedi
* **Chief of Army:** Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi
* **Chief of Air Force:** Lieutenant General Rahmonali Safaralizoda

## Military

### Army

The Military of Jammu and Kashmir only consists of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles which is an infantry regiment. Otherwise technology is imported from the master state of Iran and Iran mostly imports vehicles such as Humvees and Sherman Tanks. Much of the Army's Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regiments are made of recruits from the districts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, and Reasi, while other districts like Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and Kishtwar also contribute . Soldiers from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand,Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana also contribute to the ranks.

### Air Force

The Air Force has hordes of Raptor Planes imported from Iran and many of the Pilots are trained by Pilots of the Imperial Iranian Air Force. The Air Force is used to defend the airspace of Jammu and Kashmir from Chinese invaders and bombard invaders on the ground. However they might easily be able to defend themselves from China due to their mountainous geography.

## Economy

The Kashmir Valley is known for its agriculture and cold-water fisheries. Wood from Kashmir is used to make high-quality cricket bats, popularly known as Kashmir Willow. Major agricultural exports from Jammu and Kashmir include apples, pears, cherries, plums, saffron and walnuts. The traditional Kashmiri handicrafts industry employs a large workforce of around 340 thousand artisans and has potential for producing export goods. Small-scale cottage industries include carpet weaving, silks, shawls, basketry, pottery, copper and silverware, papier-mâché and walnut wood. The horticulture sector is the next biggest source of income in the economy. The temperature of Jammu and Kashmir is also suited to floriculture and can support various species of flora.

Over 500 mineral blocks are present in Jammu and Kashmir, 261 of which are in the Kashmir Division alone. Kishtwar is known as the 'land of sapphire and saffron'. Resources such as timber, herbs and medicinal shrubs, edibles such as mushroom, chilgoza, black zeera and saffron are available in the forests. The sapphire reserve mines of Machail, Paddar are a source of mineral wealth. Jammu and Kashmir is the only administrative unit in India with a large amount of borax and sapphire resources. It possesses 36 percent of the graphite, 21 percent marble and 14 percent of gypsum present in India. Coal, limestone and magnesite are found scattered among the different districts of the union territory.

Other minerals of significance that occur are bauxite, ball clay and china clay in Udhampur; bentonite in Jammu; diaspore in Rajouri and Udhampur; graphite in Baramulla; lignite and marble in Kupwara; quartz and silica sand in Anantnag, Doda and Udhampur; and quartzite in Anantnag district. In addition, the Department of Geology and Mining has determined the presence of minerals such as magnetite, dolomite, fuel mineral, decorative building stones, slate and gemstones, materials with commercial and industrial uses in many products and factories.

## Demographics

Jammu and Kashmir is is predominantly Hindu (66%) with a significant Muslim population (30%). The Muslims form a majority in the Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts of Jammu, while the Hindus form a majority in Kathua, Samba, Jammu and Udhampur districts. Reasi district has an almost equal number of Hindus and Muslims. Sadly a majority of the Muslim population was forcefully transferred to Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Sultanate of Delhi in order to populate the Kingdom with the Hindu minority populations of those countries.

### Ethnic Groups

The Majority Ethnic group of Jammu and Kashmir is the Dogra ethnic group with the largest minority groups being the Hindis and Punjabis. Other Minority groups include Tajiks, Kashmiris who are believers of Hinduism, Haryanvi people and Ladakhis.

### Religion

The Official Religion of Jammu and Kashmir is Hinduism whereas there are minority religions such as Zoroastrianism and Buddhism.

## Education

Kashmir University located in Srinagar is the main university in the territory. Other universities include Jammu University, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, Islamic University of Science & Technology, etc. Major institutions of higher education are NIT Srinagar, IIT Jammu, IIM Jammu and NIFT Srinagar. Medical colleges include SKIMS, and the Government Medical College in Srinagar and AIIMS Vijaypur.

## Tourism

Some major tourist attractions in Jammu and Kashmir are Srinagar, the Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Patnitop and Jammu. Every year, thousands of Hindu pilgrims visit holy shrines of Vaishno Devi and Amarnath which has had significant impact on the state's economy. The Kashmir valley is one of the top tourist destinations in India. Gulmarg, one of the most popular ski resort destinations in India, is also home to the world's highest green golf course. The decrease in violence in the state has boosted the state's economy, specifically tourism. Jammu and Kashmir is also famous for its scenic beauty, flower gardens, apple farms and more. It attracts tourists for its unique handicrafts and the world-famous Kashmiri Shawls.

## Culture

### Dances

This is a list of traditional dances in Jammu and Kashmir

* *Kud*, a ritual dance performed in honour of Lok Devatas. This dance style is performed mostly at night. It is spontaneous and people of all ages and genders participate. Instruments used during the Kud are narshingha, chhaina, flute, and drums. The rhythm of music controls the movement of participants. This dance continues for the whole night. The number of participants ranges from 20 to 30 members.
* *Heren*, a traditional theatre form performed during the Lohri festival by 10–15 people. It is mostly performed in hilly regions of Jammu, Udhampur and ramnagar.
* *Fumenie* and *Jagarana*, a dance style performed by women on the eve of groom's departure to in-laws house. Both the songs are sung by a group consisting of 15–20 members. This traditional dance form depicts the feelings and emotions of women.
* *Paakh/Gwatri/Kark/Masade*, a chorus narrative sung by a group of 10 singers without any musical instruments.
* *Gwatri*, a singing–dance combined tradition in which the singers narrate some text which is acted by the Gwatari dancers.
* *Karak*, a narrative ballet sung by a community called 'Jogies'. They narrate a popular folk tale in their dance style, performed by three members with accompaniment of a typical folk instrument called 'Rabab'.
* *Benthe*, the chorus singing tradition performed specific community of tribal called Gujjar and Bakerwal. The dance is performed by 5–7 members

### Cuisine

Wheat, maize and bajra are staple food besides rice, cereals and a tangy preparation made of mango or tamarind popularly known as *Ambal* (अम्बल) or *Maani* (म्हाणी).The whole dish is called *Dal patt maani* (दाल भत्त म्हाणी) and is savoured as a combination. *Mittha madra* (मिट्ठा मदरा) is a favourite and is cooked from milk, dry fruits, and semolina. Preparations of *Rajmash* (a special variety of red kidney beans); *Mash Da Madra* (Yogurt based gravy for black lentils); *Auryia* a dish of curd fermented by rye; *Kulth di Daal* (Horse gram); *Ambal* made from pumpkin, jaggery and tamarind are favourites, especially during ceremonial cooking. The expert cooks are called *Siyans*, usually Brahmins. *Kalari* is a milk preserved by coagulation of proteins and then fried in a pan to make it delicious.

Non-vegetarian food was limited to Rajputs and Vaish (Mahajans). *Khatta meat* is mutton cooked with sour pomegranate seeds (*Anardana*) or lime juice and flavoured with fumes of a burning charcoal soaked in mustard oil. *Keyur* (घ्यूर) is one of the well known foods of Dogras. It is prepared by flour and butter and served with sugar and curd. Mostly, it is served to bridegroom at the time of marriage by the in-laws. *Kalaari* is a favourite food of Dogras in the rainy season. It is prepared by flour mix, cottage cheese and milk cream (malai) with water with help of a small cup shaped pot. *Kalari* is served with milk. Kalari cheese is popular in the Jammu region and in Jammu and Kashmir state more generally. *Babbru/pathoru* are prepared with flour and fried in mustard oil. *Babbru* is served with Maani/Potato dish/Kheer/Curd.

Kheer is a dish prepared from milk by adding some rice and dry fruit in it. It is served at all the special occasions and festivals. Another popular exotic dish is *guchiyyan* (dried black morel), usually added as an ingredient in pulao. As it grows naturally in forests and cannot be cultivated, it is a priced commodity (approx 500 Rs. per 100 g) and makes an excelled dish with mountain potatoes (pahadi aloo). Saffron or kesar is extensively used to flavour sweet dishes and for its anti-oxidant benefits. Many types of pickles are prepared with *Kasrod* (Fiddlehead fern), Mango, *Tyaoo*, *Lasoode* and *Girgle.*