In August 1947, mass unrest broke out in the Poonch district, as Hari Singh sent State forces under the command of Henry Lawrence Scott.

[5] On September 12th, Liaquat Ali Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, called a meeting with numerous Kashmiri and Pakistani political and military leaders.

The Pashtun force under Khurshid Anwar had high morale and were motivated by the prospects of a holy jihad and the riches and treasures they could receive.

[6] "The Khyber Agency and its adjacent tribal areas, located on the border with Afghanistan, contributed the maximum number of fighters to 'liberate' Kashmir from kafirs (infidels).

The Pathan tribesmen, considered as 'the most troublesome and feared population on the sub-continent', were primarily motivated by the lure of women, money and land and the excitement of combat, which always had a great appeal for the fearless tribes.

The ulema (Islamic scholars) in the North-West Frontier Province issued fatwas (religious decrees) for waging jihad in Kashmir.

"On October 21, 1947, Khurshid Anwar, leader of the Muslim League National Guard, crossed the border into Kashmir with 4,000 Pashtun tribesmen aimed to take Muzaffarabad.

[8] The Jammu and Kashmir State Forces within the Muzaffarabad were only around 500 strong and were unable to repel the tribal invasion, the town quickly fell opening up the route to Uri and Baramulla.

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre state in reference to the killing of the Hindusin Muzaffarabad, "The young leader of the invasion's advance guard was jubilant.