Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 18: Reiterating its demand of declaring Accession Day as a gazetted holiday, Panun Kashmir (PK) today said that it will observe the day like a national festival.
Addressing a meeting of the PK activists here, today its secretary organisation, Bihari Lal Koul said the celebration of Accession Day has added advantage after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A which were the barriers in total integration of State with Union of India.
He said for the people of J&K this day is not less important than Independence Day and Republic Day as the people of three regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh enjoyed benefits of freedom only after acceding to India on this day in 1947. He said on this day the last ruler of J&K, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession with Indian Union that was signed by all other princely states who also acceded to India by rejecting theocratic Pakistan.
Koul asked the activists of PK to gear up for the comprehensive programme to bring to the fore the importance of this historical day and pay tributes to Maharaja for his farsightedness and visionary decision of acceding to democratic India. The day has festive importance for the nationalist people of the State especially religiously cleansed Kashmiri Pandit community, he added.
Koul said after the revocation of Article 370 and 35 A time has come to bring to the fore the significance of the Accession Day. It is also a divine day in the history of J&K that on this day centuries ago a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits led by Kripa Ram Dutta sought the help of Guru Teg Bahadur to end the miseries inflicted upon them by Mughal ruler Aurngzeb.
He said PK has devised a nationwide programme and the Central attraction will be Jammu where the Accession Day will be celebrated with full fervour and festivity as after the revocation of Article 370 and abrogation of 35 A the mood for celebration has redoubled among the nationalist KPs who see a ray of hope for the creation of separate homeland with UT status in Kashmir after this development.
Follow our WhatsApp channel