The Quit Kashmir Movement 1946

Abstract

The Cabinet Mission aimed to negotiate the transfer of power and the future structure of government with Indian leaders particularly with the Indian National congress and Muslim league. The future of the princely states was one of the mission's most major concerns. As soon the members arrived in Kashmir, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah the president of the National Conference submitted a memorandum to its members that demanded not just a responsible government under the aegis of the Maharaja but also the Kashmiri people's right to absolute freedom from the autocratic rule of the Dogra House. The Quit Kashmir movement was launched to pressure the oppressive Dogra government to grant sovereignty to the people of Kashmir. The National Conference by launching the Quit Kashmir had emerged as a principal national organization advocated for political, social, and economic changes to end privilege and raise the masses. The Dogra despot’s barbarism was unashamed in trampling unwarned people who dared to speak the truth and demand their freedom. This paper explores the circumstances that led Sheikh Abdullah to start the Quit Kashmir Movement and highlights the state response against the Movement.