Exclusive Excerpt from The POW Who Saved Kashmir

Here’s an exclusive excerpt from the book by Brig Jasbir Singh, SM, and Pankaj P Singh, offering a rare glimpse into the mindset of the man who defied fate.

All the high hills surrounding Poonch were at that time in the hands of the raiders and the Pakistan Army, and no other obstacles separated the antagonists. Besides the native population of the town, there were over 40,000 ill-clad, starving, and panic-stricken refugees, many of whom were sick and wounded. They had all converged at Poonch after the raiders had ravaged their towns and villages in the countryside.

Pritam thus faced a big dilemma when he arrived there. With the increased population, the available food stocks were estimated to last for barely a week. He had to urgently find a way to increase the stocks of grain in town.

Approximately 1,400 J&K State Force troops had withdrawn under pressure from various border towns like Mirpur, Kotli and Jhangar, and assembled at Poonch. They had no heavy weaponsand the ammunition with them was down to a few rounds per rifle. The enemy held all the cards, and the dice was heavily loaded against the defenders. All set to descend on the town of Poonch, the raiders wanted to loot, rape and massacre. The J&K State Forces garrison had begun preparing their withdrawal, condemning the refugees to certain death. However, providence intervened, and one man arrived to turn the tide. Pritam immediately cancelled the orders for withdrawal of the J&K State Forces and took charge of the defences. The arrival of Pritam and his men proved once again the veracity of Napoleon’s maxim that in war, it is not the men that count, but only the “man”.

Leading a handful of his Kumaoni troops, who yelled the most blood-curdling war cry, Pritam commenced assaulting the hills above Poonch, which had been occupied by the enemy. This audacious and plucky act so completely unnerved the raiders that they fled away in panic, leaving behind weapons and ammunition scattered all over the hills, and allowed the townspeople to get supplies in. At this point, no one had an inkling that the town would remain besieged for more than a year. In the months to come, the raiders would repeatedly occupy the hills as it provided them with maximum domination over Poonch. Pritam would frequently conduct these guerrilla attacks on the raiders in the long months of the siege, as the latter were desperate to take Poonch. But before all this played out, the higher HQ sent instructions for the troops to prepare to withdraw from Poonch.

The message of withdrawal somehow leaked out, resulting in a pall of gloom engulfing the entire town. The horrors that befell the inhabitants of Mirpur, Kotli, Baghand and scores of other towns flashed through the minds of those who had escaped from these places and found refuge in Poonch. Correctly sensing the feelings of the people, and as a true patriot, Pritam responded to his higher authorities by saying that abandoning the population of Poonch and refugees would be the greatest betrayal. The Army would forever forfeit the trust of the nation. He would instead go down fighting with his garrison than have the Tricolour lowered at Poonch.

Brigadier Pritam Singh’s story is one of unwavering conviction — a soldier who refused to abandon his people even when the world turned its back on him. Though history chose silence over celebration, his courage continues to echo through the mountains of Poonch. It surely is a reminder that true heroism often lies not in victory, but in valour without reward.

The POW Who Saved Kashmir finally restores that voice — of a man who fought not for fame, but for faith, duty, and the soul of his nation. You can order your copy and dive into the story of this unsung hero here.