Bakhtawar Shah's heroic saga in the Gilgit-Baltistan Liberation War, from his escape from prison to pivotal battlefield exploits, underscores his indomitable courage and contribution to freedom against Dogra rule and Indian forces.

With the decision to divide the Indian subcontinent into India and Pakistan, Britain also decided to terminate its suzerainty over the princely states. Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) was to be handed back to the Dogra Raja. The Muslim majority of the Agency feared that, after the British departure, the Dogra Raja would unleash a reign of terror. This fear was compounded by the arrival of Brigadier Ghansara Singh as Governor of Gilgit and the decision to demote the Gilgit Scouts, a levy force, below state forces. Consequently, six Viceroy Commissioned Officers (VCOs) of the Gilgit Scouts decided to revolt against the tyranny of the Dogra Raja.
GB Liberation War of 1947/48, against Dogra rule and Indian occupation forces by much smaller, ill-clad and ill-equipped Gilgit Scouts, is indeed an epic story of courage and valor. It can be rightly equated with the Battle of Thermopylae, fought sometime in 480 BC, where a few thousand Spartans stood against the mighty Persian army of almost 150,000 men. The differences between Battle of Thermopylae and GB Liberation War are the length of wars and the end result, when the earlier lasted for just a week with Greek city state’s defeat and the latter continued for over a year with the liberation of GB due to unwavering determination of the freedom fighters.

GB Liberation War of 1947/48 against Dogra rule and Indian occupation forces by much smaller, ill-clad and ill-equipped Gilgit Scouts is indeed an epic story of courage and valor.

Such battles revolve around gutsy, gritty, and robust warriors who distinguish themselves by the heroic display of vigor and valor. King Leonidas of Sparta distinguished himself as a true warrior at Thermopylae. There were many such warriors in the GB Liberation War who distinguished themselves by sheer determination and will to wrest freedom from the tyrants. Mujahid Bakhtawar Shah was a natural warrior. He was among the few civilians who fought alongside Gilgit Scouts and Muslim segments of the 6 J&K Light Infantry.
Bakhtawar Shah is credited with individual acts of courage, which are hard to believe unless one goes through the merit certificates he earned. He is a legendary and immortal character of the GB Liberation War. His acts of bravery have been acknowledged by many acclaimed writers of GB history including Shamsheer Se Zanjeer Tak (Colonel Hassan), Tehreek Baltistan (Hussain Abdi), Jehad e Musalsal (Aman Ullah) and Jang e Azadi Gilgit Baltistan by Moulvi Haq Nawaz. Tales of his bravery have been narrated in native poetry and are  often hummed by youngsters and oldies alike to pay tribute to this brave soul. Succeeding paragraphs give a crisp account of Bakhtawar Shah’s life to reveal a fascinating, hardy and equally romantic character of GB.
Early Life
Born in Khaltaro Harmosh in the Raki family, a sub-clan of the vastly respected Sheen Tribe of GB, Bakhtawar received his elementary education from Bunji and later joined the police service in Gilgit under Dogra rule. A well-built, strong and robust man with a big waxed moustache looked fearsome in his youth in the police service despite possessing a tender and loving heart. Playing with rifles was his favorite sport. Being a natural hunter and a marksman, he was handpicked as a personal hunter by Colonel Cobb, the British political agent. He would often accompany Colonel Cobb on his hunting expeditions in the rugged and mountainous terrain of GB. His knowledge of terrain, stamina and marksmanship would become very valuable later when he volunteered to fight alongside Scouts against the Dogra forces.
A few years later, Bakhtawar Shah was entangled in a complicated issue. He was engaged to one of his cousins, whom he truly adored and was to marry her soon. Because of some family dispute, his uncle re-engaged the girl with another young man of the tribe, only to enrage the daring and stubborn hunter. 
Bakhtawar Shah could not bear the humiliation brought on by this incident and killed the man who had become engaged to Bakhtawar’s bride-to-be, under the pretext of an honor killing. Although honor killing was a common practice at that time, it was still considered a heinous crime under the existing laws. Thus, he was charged with murder. In 1943, he received a life imprisonment sentence for this assassination. He was kept in Astore Police Station, where he and other inmates facing capital punishment were to be shifted to Srinagar jail.
However, Bakhtawar Shah managed to escape from custody and hid in GB's rugged terrain, which he was so familiar with. He remained a fugitive until the beginning of the freedom struggle in November 1947. He surfaced on the pretext that after the demise of the Dogra rule, his sentence was no longer valid, which was probably endorsed by many at that time. Due to this incident, some writers have labelled him as a criminal, perhaps unjustified, as avenging in the name of honor was a common and pardonable practice in those times, indeed a crime of passion. Moreover, with the collapse of the Dogra rule, the sentence awarded automatically lapsed until re-trial by the newly formed GB Government, which was never done.
GB Liberation War
Major Hassan Khan, one of the prime movers of the revolt and a Muslim officer of the 6 J&K Light Infantry, had liquidated the Dogra elements of his battalion in collaboration with Gilgit Scouts.
Some of the surviving Dogra soldiers managed to escape to Skardu via Astore. After the liberation of Gilgit and Bunji, many people gathered at Bunji to wage jihad against the Dogras. Major Hassan Khan appreciated that Dogra soldiers who had escaped towards Skardu were to be apprehended or killed at all costs before they could alert the Dogra garrison at Skardu. He asked for volunteers for this arduous task. Bakhtawar Shah was the only volunteer on the occasion.
Considering it impossible, no one even volunteered to accompany Bakhtawar Shah. But Major Hassan Khan was fully aware of Bakhtawar Shah's lineage, whose forefathers had fought gallantly during the wars of Chilas in 1853 and the fight of Pissan Fort Nagar in 1847 against the Dogras. Thus, he entrusted Bakhtawar Shah with the challenging chase.
Ambush at Meindi/Rondu
Bakhtawar Shah, equipped with his favorite rifle, embarked solo on the mission to hunt down the escaping Dogra soldiers. He started the chase towards Rondu. After a day’s hectic trekking and travelling, he spotted the Dogra soldiers moving towards village Meindi near Rondu. He very intelligently selected a position on the far bank of Meindi nullah, and waited for the arrival of his prey, which was a platoon-size force of the Dogra segment of 6 J&K Light Infantry. He waited anxiously, staying motionless in his hideout. After ensuring the last enemy soldier was inside the nullah, the hunting nest, he suddenly opened fire on the enemy. The Dogra soldiers quickly took up positions behind boulders and responded with fire. The exchange of fire continued for several hours. Bakhtawar Shah would change his position after firing a few shots, making the Dogra soldiers believe they were up against at least a section strength. The exchange of fire lasted for almost eight hours, and eventually, the Dogra platoon surrendered to Bakhtawar Shah. During the encounter, two enemy soldiers were killed, and four were left severely injured. He singlehandedly disarmed them, removed the bolts from their weapons, took the prisoners to Bunji and presented them to Major Hassan Khan.

This was indeed an unprecedented act of individual courage where a civilian singlehandedly forced a well-trained platoon of enemy soldiers, led by a captain, to surrender. Bakhtawar Shah was later presented with a merit certificate for his bravery by Major Hassan Khan and others.
Surrender by Captain Karshan Singh with Troops
It was February 9, 1948, when Azad forces were fighting a platoon of Dogra forces led by Captain Karshan Singh, who had taken up a defensive position near the village of Saari (close to Skardu). Meanwhile, a Dogra loyalist Muslim spy, Ghulam Rasool, spread a rumor that the enemy is planning a very heavy assault on Azad forces (Gilgit Scouts and volunteers). This created panic amongst Azad forces, and the commander withdrew his troops towards Soundas (close to Skardu). Everyone accepted the order, less Bakhtawar Shah, who believed it was only a rumor and that the surrounded Dogra platoon under Captain Karshan should not be allowed to flee. So, he fought the enemy for many days, ultimately forcing them to surrender. Fifteen enemy soldiers, including Captain Karshan Singh, were taken into captivity. This act of Bakhtawar Shah is yet another feather in his cap, which was acknowledged by the then Wing Commander ‘A’ Wing, Azad Forces, who presented him with a merit certificate that validated the event.
Assault on Skardu Fort
A Dogra force under Colonel Thapa Singh had been besieged in Skardu Fort; it was putting up stiff resistance, and they had refused to surrender with the hope that fresh Indian troops would ultimately relieve them. Azad forces kept tightening the noose around the fort but felt frustrated due to a lack of troops and heavy weapons. All efforts to assault proved futile. On February 12, 1948, the first attack on Skardu Fort was launched. 8 J&K Light Infantry had taken up defensive positions in Kharphocho Fort on Dongsa Ridge. Bakhtawar Shah somehow managed to climb to the top of Dongsa Ridge and establish a bunker with the help of Balti volunteers. He started sniping at the Dogra battalion from this bunker and disrupted their internal movement, thus contributing towards their surrender months later. Bakhtawar Shah was again presented with a certificate of merit, which is a testimony of his contributions in the fall of Skardu.
Snatching of Rifle from Enemy Soldier
One day, Captain Babar Khan, another architect of the GB revolt, was sitting along with Bakhtawar Shah on the Nubra front when he challenged Bakhtawar: if he considered himself so brave, he must go alone and snatch a rifle from an enemy soldier. Bakhtawar Shah accepted the challenge and went for the mission during the hours of darkness. He succeeded in seizing the rifle of a Dogra soldier firing from a loophole. In recognition and as a reward for yet another act of bravery, he was presented with the snatched weapon, which his family still keeps as a symbol of pride and honor.
Head Money on Bakhtawar Shah
As narrated earlier, Bakhtawar had left four wounded enemy soldiers at Roundu and had moved the rest to Bunji. The enemy forces later shifted the wounded soldiers to Skardu for treatment. These soldiers recounted much about Bakhtawar Shah, describing him as a devil, a demon, and an invincible superhuman who could not be killed. They said they fired at him all day long, exhausting all their ammunition before surrendering, but the invincible Bakhtawar remained unscathed. After hearing such stories, the Dogra regime placed a 10,000-rupee bounty on Bakhtawar Shah’s head, which was also broadcast on the official radio.

Bakhtawar Shah’s war performance is unique and full of individual acts of courage. He participated in the battle of Thorgo against Brigadier Faqir Singh's forces. He also took part in the Parkuta action, where there is a famous Bakhtawar Cave named after him. After Parkuta, he went into the Kharmang area with Azad forces. He ventured as far as the Shorbat region with regular forces and remained there until the ceasefire in January 1949.

Bakhtawar Shah’s war performance is unique and full of individual acts of courage. He participated in the battle of Thorgo against Brigadier Faqir Singh's forces. He also took part in the Parkuta action, where there is a famous Bakhtawar Cave named after him. After Parkuta, he went into the Kharmang area with Azad forces. He ventured as far as the Shorbat region with regular forces and remained there until the ceasefire in January 1949.
(Narrated by Brigadier Basharat Ali, grandson of Bakhtawar Shah)

The author serves as Director of Research at the Army Institute of Military History.