This refers to the article, “Fatal charm that has left India bleeding” (December 3) by Rajesh Singh. It should be noted that lord louis Mountbatten was the chief of India's defence by virtue of his position of Governor General. In that position, he denied General KS Thimayya the opportunity to defeat Pakistani forces and insisted that India should not continue the conflict to take back the territory that Pakistani forces had occupied. Mountbatten went to see Maharaja Hari Singh, denying Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi the chance to visit Kashmir prior to his trip.
When Sheikh Abdullah met foreign dignitaries to discuss the Kashmir issue, Nehru was furious and chided the foreign diplomats. He declared that the West was interfering in India's internal affairs. Nehru had said that not a single inch of Kashmir would be transferred to Pakistan. He allowed fair elections in Kashmir, but Sheikh Abdullah was deceptive. However, Nehru's mistake was in not abrogating Article 370.