Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday paid tributes to Maqbool Sherwani, who played an influential role in defeating Pakistani invaders during tribal raids in 1947.
“Remembering the courage and supreme sacrifice of Maqbool Sherwani on the day of his martyrdom. The heroic deeds of great son of mother India will continue to inspire coming generations,” Sinha said in a tweet.
During the invasion, Sherwani played a crucial role by misleading the tribal raiders because of which they lost four crucial days. This allowed the Indian Army to take control of Srinagar airport which was about to get targeted by Pakistani tribal raids and regulars.
The invasion of the Pakistani Army-backed tribal raiders was beaten back by an Indian Army unit led by Major Somnath Sharma who had took charge of the airport and repulsed the advance of the raiders.
A resident of north Kashmir’s Baramulla, Sherwani, who is popularly known as the ‘Lion of Baramulla’, was captured by the raiders and hanged in the central square of the north Kashmir town. In his memory, an auditorium has been named after him in Baramulla.