In October 1947, the Indian Army airlifted troops to Srinagar, helping halt a tribal invasion of Jammu and Kashmir. The raiders had seized Muzaffarabad, Domel and Uri and were advancing towards Srinagar, the state’s summer capital. Securing its airport was crucial to preventing the valley from falling to the invaders.

Why did the raiders invade Kashmir, what were their objectives, and how did the Indian Army organise the airlift?

The princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was established in 1846, when the British East India Company transferred territories, including the Kashmir Valley, to Gulab Singh, a Dogra ruler of Jammu, under the Treaty of Amritsar.

In the 20th century, popular movements challenged Dogra rule, which was marked by repression.…