THE BRITISH BABUS

Kashmir history owes a lot to a number of British officers who helped the exploited residents to get certain rights that the East India Company literally denied through the Treaty of Amritsar writes M Saleem Beg

- M Saleem Beg

The treaty commonly called Bainama Amritsar was signed on March 16, 1846 AD, subsequent to and in consequence of the disintegration of the Sikh empire of Punjab. Under the treaty, a huge territory west of River Ravi and east of River Indus was ceded and transferred to the Dogra Raja of Jammu, Maharaja Gulab Singh. The treaty, through different clauses, bestowed the unfettered right to the Maharaja over the life and property of the local population which led to extortionary taxation resulting in unprecedented human suffering.

The treaty and its violent implementation led to embarrassment for the British rulers who made some serious attempts for corrections in running the affairs of the ceded territory, particularly Kashmir. These corrections were introduced by deputing British officers for bringing order and accountability to the system of administration.

At a time in history when events and actions revolved around men of adventure and merit, Kashmir has had a fair share of such people who were serving the British Empire in India with distinction and a great amount of objectivity. They were professionals in different fields with passion and concern for the common good and keen realization of the miseries and abject living conditions inflicted on the Kashmir populace.

THE MIGRATION