Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir): The Union Jack would have come down the mast on Aug. 15, 1947 but in the following months India was taking shape as it is today. As the struggle for Independence did spill over beyond the D - Day, some names were etched in the history of India by their valour and sacrifice. The 22-year-old Maqbool Sherwani is one such name in Jammu and Kashmir.
Maqbool Sherwani is hailed as the hero who single-handedly thwarted the raids of Pakistan tribesmen buying precious time for the Indian Army to land in Srinagar Airport and rout the tribesmen. On October 22, 1947, Pakistani tribesmen crossed the border and invaded Kashmir. Shortly afterward, Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir fled Srinagar and reached Jammu seeking Indian military assistance. On October 26, the Maharaja signed a treaty of accession with India, soon after which the Indian army launched an operation against the Pakistani tribesmen and forced them to withdraw after a long battle.
Sherwani misled the tribesmen when they were looking for the route to reach the strategic Srinagar Airport. As his ruse was exposed, the tribesmen caught hold of him. They crucified him at Baramulla and pumped 14 bullets on his body. His body was hanged as a warning for other townspeople till the Indian Army brought it down. Maqbool Sherwani is considered an important figure in the events of 1947.
Baramulla Municipal Committee Chairman Tauseef Reena while talking to ETV Bharat appealed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to set up a university named after the late Maqbool Sherwani where people can get to learn Maqbool Sherwani's great sacrifice in service of the country.
Today, when the Kashmiri people remember the attack of these tribesmen, Maqbool Sherwani's sacrifice is also remembered. Maqbool Sherwani was instrumental in thwarting the attack by helping the Indian Army get the much needed time.
Local people said that when the tribesmen from Pakistan started violence in Baramulla, Maqbool Sherwani tricked them and got them turned around. Popular Sherwani Day is celebrated on October 22 and the Sherwani Hall of Baramulla is named after him where his sacrifice is commemorated every year.
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