Durga Prasad Dhar, commonly known as D. P. Dhar (1918–1975), was an Indian politician and diplomat who is considered as the chief architect of the Indian intervention in the 1971

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

. Dhar was a close adviser and confidant of

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

. He served as the

Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union The following people have served as ambassadors of India to Russia and its predecessor state, the Soviet Union: Ambassador of India to the Soviet Union Ambassador of India to Russia See also * Embassy of India, Moscow * Embassy of India Sch ...

, and as a minister in the

Government of Jammu and Kashmir The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is the principal administrative authority responsible for the governance of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Established on 5 March 1948 as the Government of Princely state of Jammu and Ka ...

as well as the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

Early life and education

Dhar was born on May 10, 1918, in

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

into a

Kashmiri Pandit The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, located within the In ...

family. He studied at the Tyndale Biscoe School in Sheikh Bagh. He earned his bachelor's degree from the

University of the Punjab The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public university, public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South As ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

and went on to complete his LLB from the University of Lucknow.

Career

Political

Dhar joined the Quit Kashmir movement in 1946, which was led by

Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (5 December 1905 – 8 September 1982) was an Indian politician who played a central role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir. Abdullah was the founding leader and President of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Confer ...

against Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir. He is reported to have played a key role in assisting the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. He helped the Indian officers interact with the population and collect porters, mules and other kinds of administrative help which facilitated the soldiers' job. Dhar was subsequently appointed the Home Secretary and then the Deputy Home Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in 1948, when Sheikh Abdullah was the Prime Minister. He was a Member of the Jammu and Kashmir State Constituent Assembly from 1951 to 1957 which endorsed Kashmir's accession to India. He was also a Member of the State Assembly from 1957 to 1967, and was appointed Cabinet Minister, in-charge of various portfolios. He was later elected to the

Rajya Sabha Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...

from Jammu and Kashmir in 1972. He was appointed as the Union Minister for Planning in July, 1972. Dhar was a close associate of

and was instrumental in finalising the 1972 Indo-Bangladesh treaty of peace, friendship and co-operation. He became one of the closest confidants of the Nehru-Gandhi family and also played a significant role in the 1972

Simla agreement The Simla Agreement, also spelled Shimla Agreement, was a peace treaty signed between India and Pakistan on 2 July 1972 in Shimla, the capital of Himachal Pradesh. It followed the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which began after India interv ...

between India and Pakistan.

Diplomacy

Dhar was a member of the Indian delegation to the United Nations security council meeting in 1949 and the Indian delegation to United Nations General Assembly in the Paris Session of 1952. He was the ambassador of India to the Soviet Union between 1969-1971 and then again from 1975 till his death. He negotiated the 1971 Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation and was a principal architect of India's military intervention in neighbouring East Pakistan's civil war, which led to the creation of independent Bangladesh. The D.P. Dhar Hall at Embassy of India in Moscow is named in his honour.

Death

D.P. Dhar died of a heart attack on 12 June 1975.

Awards

In 2012, Bangladesh president Zillur Rahman conferred the ''Liberation War Friendship Honour'' (posthumous) to Durga Prasad Dhar in recognition of his pioneering role in concluding the 1971 Indo-Soviet Friendship Treaty, mobilising international support in favour of Bangladesh and playing a special role in support of the Liberation War. Vijay Dhar, son of D.P. Dhar received the honour on his behalf in Dhaka.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhar, Durga Prasad 1918 births 1975 deaths Kashmiri people Kashmiri Pandits Ambassadors of India to the Soviet Union Indian National Congress politicians from Jammu and Kashmir State cabinet ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Rajya Sabha members from Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir MLAs 1957–1962 Jammu and Kashmir MLAs 1962–1967 Members of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly Jammu & Kashmir National Conference politicians Tyndale Biscoe School alumni