The Stand Down Order was the title of a

general order A general order, in military and paramilitary organizations, is a published directive, originated by a commander and binding upon all personnel under his or her command. Its purpose is to enforce a policy or procedure that is not otherwise addres ...

issued by Field Marshal

Claude Auchinleck Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck ( ) (21 June 1884 – 23 March 1981), was a British Indian Army commander who saw active service during the world wars. A career soldier who spent much of his militar ...

, the Supreme Commander of the Indian and

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

military forces, in 1947. It directed that, in the event of a war between the newly independent

dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

s of India and Pakistan, all the British officers on both sides should immediately stand down. The order was never invoked. However, it was raised when the Pakistani Governor-General,

Mohammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...

, ordered Pakistani Army to march into Kashmir following the Indian air lift of troops for its defence. At Auchinleck's instance, Jinnah was forced to rescind his order. In subsequent months, the British government watered down the strength of the order, and General

Douglas Gracey General Sir Douglas David Gracey, (3 September 1894 – 5 June 1964) was a British Indian Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars. He also fought in French Indochina and was the second Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan ...

, the Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistani Army, defied it. Three brigades of the Pakistani Army were fighting in Kashmir in May 1948, as reported by Pakistan's foreign minister, Sir Zafrullah Khan, to the

United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan United Nations Security Council Resolution 47, adopted on 21 April 1948, concerns the resolution of the Kashmir conflict. After hearing arguments from both India and Pakistan, the Council increased the size of the UN Commission created by the ...

References

Bibliography

* * * :* * * * {{BritishIndia-mil-stub General orders Military history of British India Indo-Pakistani war of 1947–1948 History of the Indian Army 1947 in military history