The Instrument of Accession of Jammu and Kashmir
The Instrument of Accession associated with Maharaja Hari Singh bears the date October 26, 1947.
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A Dated Instrument
The Instrument of Accession associated with Maharaja Hari Singh bears the date October 26, 1947. It arose during the crisis following British India’s partition.
A Crisis and a Request
The Nehru Archive preserves records of Indian government discussion about requests for assistance and accession. These documents show decisions being made under rapidly changing conditions.
Document and Subsequent Action
The instrument’s date, its acceptance and the arrival of troops belong to a sequence. They should not be collapsed into a single ceremony that settles every historical question.
A Continuing Dispute
The accession became central to a prolonged conflict. Describing the instrument does not require presenting the territory’s subsequent status as uncontested by all parties.
Reading Precisely
The safest starting point is the document’s wording and the surrounding records. This entry identifies a historical act rather than offering a legal judgment about every later claim.
Sources
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