Garrison Withdraws

Northern Advocate, 29 November 1947, Page 7

Garrison Withdraws

NEW DELHI, Fri. (noon).—A garrison comprising Jammu and Kashmir state forces abandoned positions in Mirpir, which is Jammu's second largest town, says Reuters correspondent in Kashmir.

Invading tribesmen had been besieging Mirpir for more than three weeks. Although Indian relief troops pushing south-west from Kotli were fewer than 20 miles away, the Mirpir garrison, which comprised only a few hundred troops, could no longer withstand the tribesmen’s tightening pressure. The terrain and stiff opposition slowed the relief troops' advance. It was reported that 20,000 refugees had swollen Mirpir’s population. VILLAGERS FLEE Indian Spitfires and Tempests attacked columns of raiders retreating with loot loaded on camels, donkeys and ponies from Akhur, near the Jammu and Pakistan border. Pilots reported that they inflicted between 70 and 90 casualties. Thousands of villagers are fleeing from this sector after raids by Pathnns and North-West Frontier tribesmen ' Raiders have fired huts, killed peasants, looted and withdrawn. In New Delhi today Mr Nehru said the Indian and Pakistan differences could not be ironed out by force. MUST SETTLE THEMSELVES Any visit by Mr Attlee to New Delhi to mediate between India and Pakistan or by the Premiers of India and Pakistan to London, is unlikely, says the Parliamentary correspondent of The Times. He understands correspondence which passed between Mr Attlee and the Premiers makes it clear that matters in dispute must be settled by the Dominions themselves. 'Standstill 7 Agreement For India, Hyderabad LONDON. Fri. (11.30 a.m.)—The Hyderabad Government announced in London that a one-year “standstill” agreement between India and Hyderabad would be taking effect tomorrow. The sovereign rights of the Moslem Nizam of Hyderabad, the world’s richest man, 80 per cent of whose 10,000.000 subjects are Hindu, will remain unimpaired. India will not exercise paramount powers and all Indian Dominion troops will be withdrawn by February 29, 1948. Hyderabad will appoint agents-gen-erai abroad. ,