Pathans : heroes of Kashmir war of 1948

In september 1947, mobs of Hindus and Sikhs aided by dogra forces began slaughtering unarmed muslims of jammu. More than 200,000 muslims were killed. Only sudhans of poonch, who were descendents of Sadozai pathans, were capable of offering armed resistance as many of them had previously served in British indian army in world war two. Sudhans had military and combat skills. Although dogra maharaja had disarmed them, they went across the border to arms manufacturers of NWFP and tribal areas. Here they came into direct contact with pashtun tribesmen.

Sudhans started an armed resistance against Maharaja and were able to defeat dogra forces, poonch went into their control. Encouraged by this success, they asked pashtun tribesmen to assist them against dogras who were killing jammu muslims.

The Pathans who had for months hearing hindu and Sikh outrages against their muslim brothers and sisters in the Punjab, were already gearing up for what they did best: making war. The tribesmen ,mosty Afridis and Mahsuds, tied a bright strip of cloth around their rifles, a sign of their oaths not to return home until they had avenged the deaths of muslims in Punjab and jammu. Pathans were also in the mode of avenging massacres and rapes of Muslims of east punjab but liaqat ali khan governament prevented that.

In a long war from october 1947 to december 1948 , pathan tribesmen defeated dogra forces and indian army and were able to wrest one third of kashmir for Pakistan.