Under the command of a British officer Major William Brown, they executed a coup d'etat, overthrew the governor Ghansara Singh, and imprisoned him.

Sensing their resentment, Major Brown organised a coup on 1 November 1947, overthrowing the Governor, Brigadier Ghansara Singh.

[12][16] The soft coup d'etat and takeover of the region was planned by Brown to the last detail under the code name Described as Operation Datta Khel.

The local populace of Gilgit supported the tribal fighters as they were eager to force the Dogras rule out of Gilgit-Baltistan.

[18] Pakistan took over Gilgit when, Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan countenanced an intrusion of the Princely state, by Major Khurshid Anwar in the north and a Force led by the ex-Indian National Army personnel in the south .

Brown, along with his group of indigenous personnel under the Gilgit Scouts, mounted a bloodless coup d'état and took control over the region.

The Gilgit Coup did not have civilian involvement and was absolutely the work of military leaders, not all of whom had been in favor of joining Pakistan, at least in the short term.

According to various scholars, the people of Gilgit as well as those of Chilas, Koh Ghizr, Ishkoman, Yasin, Punial, Hunza and Nagar joined Pakistan by choice.