This article is part of the series Former administrative units of Pakistan

Original provinces Baluchistan East Bengal Federal Capital Territory North-West Frontier Province Sind West Punjab Princely states Baluchistan States Union Amb Bahawalpur Chitral Dir Hunza Kalat Khairpur Kharan Las Bela Makran Nagar Swat Minor states Jhalawan Phulra Sarawan One-unit provinces East Pakistan West Pakistan Other subdivisions Gilgit Agency    Trans-Karakoram Tract Marri-Bugti Country

Trans-Karakoram Tract

Capital Not applicable Area 5,181 km² Languages Not applicable Established  Not applicable Abolished 1963 (conferred to China)

Government of Pakistan

The Trans-Karakoram Tract (Chinese: 喀喇昆仑走廊; pinyin: Kālǎkūnlún zǒuláng) is an area of nearly 5,800 km² (2,239 sq mi) along both sides of the Shaksgam River, is entirely administered by the People's Republic of China as a part of Kargilik County and Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County in the Kashgar Prefecture of Xinjiang Autonomous Region, but claimed by Pakistan until 1963. It is still claimed by India as part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan gave up its claim to the tract under a border agreement with China in 1963 with the proviso that the settlement was subject to the final solution of the Kashmir dispute.

Most of the tract, also called Shaksgam, is composed of the Shaksgam Valley. Most of the tract was administered as a part of Shigar, a valley in the Baltistan region.^{[citation needed]} The Raja of Shigar controlled most this land until 1971, when Pakistan abolished the Raja government system. A polo ground in Shaksgam was built by the Amacha Royal family of Shigar, and the Rajas of Shigar used to invite the Amirs of Yarkand to play polo there.^{[citation needed]} Most of the names of the mountains, lakes, rivers and passes are in Balti/Ladakhi, suggesting that this land had been part of Baltistan/Ladakh region for a long time.

The tract is one of the most inhospitable areas of the world, with some of the highest mountains. The tract is bounded by the Kun Lun Mountains to the north, and by the Karakoram peaks to the south, including Broad Peak, K2 and Gasherbrum. On the southeast it is adjacent to the highest battlefield in the world in the Siachen Glacier region.

History[link]

Historically the people of Hunza cultivated and grazed areas to the north of the Karakoram, and the Mir of Hunza claimed those areas as part of Hunza's territories. Those areas included the Raskam Valley, north of the Shaksgam Valley.^[1]

In 1889 the first expedition to the Shaksgam Valley by a Westerner was undertaken by Francis Younghusband (who referred to the Shaksgam as the Oprang).^[2] In March 1899 the British proposed, in a Note from Sir Claude MacDonald to China, a new boundary between China and British India. The Note proposed that China should relinquish its claims to suzerainty over Hunza, and in return Hunza should relinquish its claims to most of the Taghdumbash and Raskam districts. The Note proposed a border which broadly followed the main Karakoram crest dividing the watersheds of the Indus River and the Tarim River, but with a variation to pass through a Hunza post at Darwaza near the Shimshal Pass. The Chinese did not respond to the Note, and the British took that as acquiescence.^[3] The Macdonald line was modified in 1905 to include in India a small area east of the Shimshal Pass, to put the border on the Oprang Jilga River and a stretch of the Shaksgam River.^[4]

At the same time Britain was concerned at the danger of Russian expansion as China weakened. Britain adopted a policy of claiming a border north of the Shaksgam River, following a line proposed by Sir John Ardagh in a Memorandum of 1897.^[5] That border included the Mir of Hunza's claim over the Raskam Valley. However, the British never administered north of the Karakoram watershed.^[6]

From 1899 until the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, the representation of the border on maps varied. In 1926 Kenneth Mason explored and surveyed the Shaksgam Valley^[7] In 1927 the Government of British India abandoned any claim to the area north of the Macdonald line, but the decision did not find its way on to British maps.^[8] By 1959, however, Chinese maps were published showing large areas west and south of the Macdonald line in China. That year, the Government of Pakistan announced its willingness to consult on the boundary question.^[9]

From 1947 India claimed sovereignty over the entire area of the pre-1947 Jammu and Kashmir, and therefore maintained that Pakistan and China did not share a common border.

This section may require copy-editing.

Sino-Pakistan Frontier Agreement[link]

In 1959 Pakistan became concerned that Chinese maps showed areas of Pakistan in China. In 1961 Ayub Khan sent a formal Note to China, there was no reply. It is thought that the Chinese may not have been motivated to negotiate with Pakistan because of Pakistan's relations with India, with which China was soon to enter a war with.

After Pakistan voted to grant China a seat in the United Nations, the Chinese withdrew the disputed maps in January 1962, agreeing to enter border talks in March. The willingness of the Chinese to enter the agreement was welcomed by the people of Pakistan. Negotiations between the nations officially began on October 13, 1962 and resulted in an agreement being signed on 2 March 1963. It was signed by foreign ministers Chen Yi for the Chinese and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for the Pakistani.

The agreement resulted in China withdrawing from about 750 sq m of territory, and Pakistan withdrawing its claim to about 2,050 sq m of territory (which it had not in fact occupied or administered).

China's extended territory became known as Trans-Karakoram Tract. The area is part of Kargilik County.

See also[link]

Broad Peak lies on the border of the Tract

• Indo-Pakistani wars
• Line of Control
• Sino-Indian War
• Kashmir conflict
• Indian Kashmir barrier
• Ladakh
• Kashmir region
• List of Jammu and Kashmir related articles
• Gilgit-Baltistan
• Gilgit Agency
• Baltistan
• Pamir Mountains
• Wakhan

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jammu and Kashmir Official Website
• Northern Areas Official Website

Hari Singh
Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir
Reign	1925–1961
Predecessor	Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmir
Consort to	Tara Devi
Religious beliefs	Hinduism
Signature	‎

Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir, Mr. Hari Singh (1895-1961)

Titles of Maharaga Hari Singh and Yuvraj Karan Singh on the first page of his Civil List of 1945

Maharaja Hari Singh (23 September 1895, Jammu–26 April 1961, Bombay) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in India.

He was married four times. With his fourth wife, Maharani Tara Devi (1910–1967), he had one son, Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh.

Early life[link]

Hari Singh was born on 23 September 1895 at the palace of Amar Mahal, Jammu, the only surviving son of General Raja Sir Amar Singh (14 January 1864-26 March 1909), the younger son of General Maharajadhiraj Sri Sir Ranbir Singh and the brother of Lieutenant-General Maharajadhiraj Sri Sir Pratap Singh, the then Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.

Education and preparation for the throne[link]

In 1903, Hari Singh served as a Page of Honour to Lord Curzon at the grand Delhi Durbar. At the age of 13, Hari Singh was dispatched to Mayo College in Ajmer. A year later in 1909, when his father died, the British took a personal interest in his education and appointed Major H.K. Brar as his guardian. After Mayo College the ruler-in-waiting went to the Imperial Cadet Corps at Dehra Dun for military training, imbibing its British upper-crust atmosphere and polishing his English to a high gloss, and by the age of 20 he had been appointed commander-in-chief of the Jammu and Kashmir state forces.

He was a victim of blackmailing plot in Paris during his education trip to Europe.

Reign[link]

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (October 2011)

Title page of Civi List(List of civil officers of Hari Singh) 1945 .Interesting for two reasons. (a) Has seal of Maharaja Hari singh at Bottom.(b) On page 30 serial No:5 shows that Molvi Abdul Rahim one of the leaders of the 1931 agitation was appointed as a judge by the Maharaja in 1934.This proves that the agitation was for democratic reforms and not directed against the Maharaja

Following the death of his uncle, Sir Pratap Singh, in 1925, Sir Hari Singh ascended the throne of Jammu and Kashmir. He made primary education compulsory in the State, introduced laws prohibiting child marriage and threw open places of worship for the low castes.^{[citation needed]}

Singh was hostile towards the Indian National Congress, in part because of the close friendship between Kashmiri political activist and socialist Sheikh Abdullah and Nehru. He also opposed the Muslim League and its members' communalist outlook illustrated in their two-nation theory. During the Second World War, from 1944-1946 Sir Hari Singh was a member of the Imperial War Cabinet.

In 1947, after India gained independence from British rule, Jammu and Kashmir had the option to join either India or Pakistan or to remain independent. He originally maneuvered to maintain his independence by playing off India and Pakistan. There was a widespread belief that rulers of the princely states, in deciding to accede to India or Pakistan, should respect the wishes of the population, but few rulers took any steps to consult on such decisions. Jammu and Kashmir was a Muslim majority state, and a mutiny of Muslim regiments in Gilgit followed in October 1947. Hari Singh appealed to India for help.^[1] India refused to come to his aid unless he acceded to India.^[2]

The last Maharaja of Kashmir

Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947, acceding the whole of his princely state (including Jammu, Kashmir, Northern Areas, Ladakh, Trans-Karakoram Tract and Aksai Chin) to the Dominion of India.^[3][4] These events triggered the first Indo-Pakistan War.

Pressure from Nehru and Sardar Patel eventually compelled Hari Singh to appoint his son and heir, Karan Singh, as Regent of Jammu and Kashmir in 1949, although he remained titular Maharaja of the state until 1952, when the monarchy was abolished. Hari Singh retired to Bombay (Mumbai), where he died on 26 April 1961 of a heart attack, aged 65. His son Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh was appointed 'Sadr-e-Riyasat' ('President of the Province') in 1952 and Governor of the State in 1964.

Seal of Maharaja Hari Singh[link]

Detail of the Seal of Maharaja Hari Singh as printed on the Civil List of his government is reproduced below:

The British Crown is at the top, representing Emperor of India, whose Resident was posted in Kashmir. An unidentified object^{[citation needed]} is below the crown. Two soldiers are holding two flags. An image of the sun is between them, as the Rajput clan to which Hari Singh belonged claimed to have descended from the sun. The sword crossing the two flags may^{[citation needed]} signify that the state was conquered by force of arms. The inscription at the bottom needs to be deciphered.^{[citation needed]}

Family[link]

Singh married four times in all:

1. Dharampur Rani Sri Lal Kunverba Sahiba; married at Rajkot 7 May 1913, died during pregnancy in 1915. No issue.
2. Chamba Rani Sahiba; married at Chamba 8 November 1915, died 31 January 1920. No issue.
3. Maharani Dhanvant Kunveri Baiji Sahiba (1910-19?); married at Dharampur 30 April 1923. No issue.
4. Maharani Tara Devi Sahiba of Kangra,(1910–1967); married 1928, separated 1950, one son:

• Yuvraj (Crown Prince), i.e., heir-apparent Karan Singh (9 March 1931-)

Titles[link]

• 1895-1916: Sri Hari Singh
• 1916-1918: Raja Sri Hari Singh
• 1918-1922: Captain Raja Sri Sir Hari Singh, KCIE
• 1922-1925: Captain Raja Sri Sir Hari Singh, KCIE, KCVO
• 1925-1926: Captain His Highness Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Sri Sir Hari Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, Sipar-i-Sultanat, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, KCIE, KCVO
• 1926-1929: Colonel His Highness Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Sri Sir Hari Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, Sipar-i-Sultanat, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, KCIE, KCVO
• 1929-1933: Colonel His Highness Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Sri Sir Hari Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, Sipar-i-Sultanat, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, GCIE, KCVO
• 1933-1935: Colonel His Highness Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Sri Sir Hari Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, Sipar-i-Sultanat, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, GCSI, GCIE, KCVO
• 1935-1941: Major-General His Highness Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Sri Sir Hari Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, Sipar-i-Sultanat, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, GCSI, GCIE, KCVO
• 1941-1946: Lieutenant-General His Highness Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Sri Sir Hari Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, Sipar-i-Sultanat, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, GCSI, GCIE, KCVO.
• 1946-1961: Lieutenant-General His Highness Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Sri Sir Hari Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur, Sipar-i-Sultanat, Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO

Honours[link]

• Delhi Durbar Medal-1903
• Delhi Durbar Medal-1911
• Prince of Wales Visit Medal-1922
• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE)-1929 (KCIE-1918)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy-1930
• Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (GCSI)-1933
• King George V Silver Jubilee Medal-1935
• King George VI Coronation Medal-1937
• Hon. LL.D from Punjab University-1938
• Grand Officer of the Legion d'Honneur-1938
• 1939-1945 Star-1945
• Africa Star-1945
• War Medal 1939-1945-1945
• India Service Medal-1945
• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)-1946 (KCVO-1922)
• Indian Independence Medal-1947

See also[link]

• List of topics on the land and the people of “Jammu and Kashmir”
• The royal house of Jammu and Kashmir
• Hari Singh Blackmail case

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hari Singh

• Genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Jammu and Kashmir
• Proclamation of May 1, 1951 on Jammu & Kashmir Constituent Assembly by Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh (Son of Maharajah Hari Singh) from the Official website of Government of Jammu and Kashmir, India
• Conflict in Kashmir: Selected Internet Resources by the Library, University of California, Berkeley, USA; University of California at Berkeley Library Bibliographies and Web-Bibliographies list
• [Ref.: http://newstodaynet.com/2006sud/06jan/1201ss1.htm The role of Shri Guruji Golwalkar (Sir Sanghachalak of the Rashtreeya Swayamsevak Sangh - R S S)]