Pakistan Army once sent a warship to capture this scenic Indian island in…, but Pakistani soldiers ran away due to…

India-Pakistan war: India and Pakistan have essentially been at war since the latter was carved out after India’s independence from the British in 1947. But did you know that shortly after the partition, Pakistan Army made an effort to capture Lakshadweep, the scenic island located in the Arabian Sea?

When Pakistan tried to capture Lakshadweep island?

After the 1947 partition which led to the formation of Pakistan, India focused its efforts to integrate the numerous princely states which had given the right by the British to join either country, and almost all of these small monarchies chose to become a part of the Indian Union. But, while India was focused on integrating major princely states into the Union, the tiny little island of Lakshadweep went unnoticed, and Pakistan found an opportunity to try and capture it, as the majority population was Muslim.

In late 1947, Liaquat Ali Khan, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, plotted to capture Lakshadweep and sent a warship accompanied by Pakistani Army and Navy to the remote island. The Pakistan Navy had orders to plant the Pakistani flag in Lakshadweep and claim the island if no Indian troops were present.

Pakistani warship returned after…

But, India got wind of Pakistan’s plans, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the then Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India, decided  that Pakistan cannot be allowed to capture Lakshadweep, and ordered the Revenue Collector of Travancore to immediately take some soldiers and hoist the tricolour on the island.

The collector did as ordered and hoisted the Indian flag in Lakshadweep. A Pakistani warship arrived at the island shortly after but returned after seeing the tricolour flying on the isle. Thus, Patel’s quick-thinking saved Lakshadweep from falling into the hands of Pakistan, and this serene island is now a proud part of the Indian union.

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