1947 Poonch rebellion

1947 Poonch rebellion
Part of the 1837 Poonch Revolt, 1955 Poonch uprising
Date June 1947 – October 1947 Location Poonch Result Rebellion victory Hari Singh loses control over the region Formation of Azad Kashmir
Belligerents
Azad Army[1][2] Supported by: Pakistan	Jammu and Kashmir State Forces
Commanders and leaders
Sardar Ibrahim Khan (MLA for Poonch) Khan Muhammad Khan (Chairman of the War Council) Captain Hussain Khan	Maharaja Hari Singh (Maharaja/Ruler) Henry Lawrence Scott (Chief of Staff)

In spring 1947, an uprising against the Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir broke out in the Poonch jagir, an area bordering the Rawalpindi district of West Punjab and the Hazara district of the North-West Frontier Province in the future Pakistan. It was driven by grievances such as high taxes, the Maharaja's neglect of World War veterans, and above all, Muslim nationalism with a desire to join Pakistan. The leader of the rebellion, Sardar Ibrahim Khan, escaped to Lahore by the end of August 1947 and persuaded the Pakistani authorities to back the rebellion. In addition to the backing, Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan authorised an invasion of the state, by the ex-Indian National Army personnel in the south and a force led by Major Khurshid Anwar in the north. These invasions eventually led to the First Kashmir War fought between India and Pakistan, and the formation of Azad Kashmir provisional government. The Poonch jagir has since been divided across Azad Kashmir, administered by Pakistan and the state of Jammu and Kashmir, administered by India.^[1]