Forgotten siege of Delhi: Pakistan’s plot to capture India’s heartIn the chaoti…

In the chaotic aftermath of India’s 1947 independence and Partition, a shadowy chapter unfolded that could have rewritten history. 👇

▪️Barely a month after freedom, Pakistan’s new government, confident in their two-nation theory, secretly plotted to invade Delhi. They planned to use the chaos of India’s refugee crisis as cover, executing the attack through Muslim League supporters already present inside the country.

▪️Intelligence operative Rai Bahadur Bakshi Badri Nath uncovered the plot: Muslim-dominated police forces in East Punjab districts were poised to storm armouries on August 12-14, assassinate Hindu and Sikh officers, and declare the region independent, pushing Pakistan’s border to the Yamuna River.

▪️Rumors spread in Delhi of a “deep-laid Muslim conspiracy” to topple the fledgling government, as refugees flooded the streets. Then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, dismissed the threat as mere paranoia, pinning hopes on diplomacy with his old ally Liaqat Ali Khan.

▪️But Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, saw the peril clearly. The spark ignited when Mahatma Gandhi, summoned to calm tensions, visited Irwin Hospital to aid refugees. As he left, bullets riddled the building from three vantage points: the Muslim League’s Dawn newspaper office, a fanatics’ stronghold, and a nearby mosque.

▪️Patel took swift action. Police raids uncovered huge hidden weapons caches, Sten guns, mortars, and radios; proving an attack was coming. Since many officers had defected to Pakistan, Patel quickly created an Emergency Committee, led by Lord Mountbatten, bringing in ministers and military leaders, and getting backup forces from other Indian states.

▪️This near-catastrophe; foiled by Patel’s vigilance exposed Partition’s lingering venom and the fragility of the new dominion. Yet, irony lingers: Gandhi, Nehru, and Maulana Azad critiqued Patel’s “ruthless” measures, tying his hands even as he defended the nation.

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