The 73rd anniversary of the accession day of Jammu and Kashmir will be celebrated on October 27, National Panthers Party leader Bhim Singh said on Tuesday.
“It was October 27, 1947, when Lord Mountbatten, then Governor-General of India approved and signed the Instrument of Accession of J&K. The Instrument of Accession was signed by the Maharaja in Karan Palace in Jammu on October 26, 1947 which was brought by then Union secretary from Delhi. Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947 which was taken back to Delhi for acceptance by the Governor-General of India, who approved and signed it in the early hours of October 27, 1947. Jammu and Kashmir acceded to the Union of India on October 27,” he said in a statement.
Singh said an organising committee of Accession Day has decided to celebrate the historic day on October 27 at various places in India as well as in Jammu and Kashmir.
He expressed hope that the leadership will join hands to pay homage to Maharaja Hari Singh who signed the Instrument of Accession.
Singh also described the nullification of Article 370 by the Centre as half-baked approach since the Parliament had not approved/accepted the Instrument of Accession. “This is an unfortunate situation which enemies of India can exploit internationally. The leaders in India, particularly the Parliament, has not been briefed properly on the situation and the need to integrate Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the country. Instead, statehood of J&K has been demolished by converting it into a Union territory. This will not be fruitful for the integration of J&K with the Union of India,” he added.