Overview
- The prime minister asserted on May 27 that Patel had urged the army to continue offensive operations until Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was fully reclaimed in 1947, but his advice was ignored.
- His comments followed the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s May 7 Operation Sindoor raid across the Line of Control.
- Patel’s stance on Kashmir evolved after Pakistan accepted Junagadh’s accession in September 1947, prompting him to push for immediate troop deployment despite Nehru’s procedural hesitations.
- Nehru’s January 1948 decision to take the dispute to the United Nations secured a ceasefire that left Pakistan controlling nearly one-third of the princely state.
- Although Patel initially championed military action, he later lamented in 1950 that Kashmir was “insoluble” and refrained from fully asserting his alternative plan.