A symposium on the occasion of 70th accession day of Jammu and Kashmir state to India was organized under the aegis of India Foundation & JK Study Center on 26th October, 2016. The symposium was organized in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Ind Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region & MoS PMO, was the chief guest for the occasion.
In his inaugural address Jitendra Singh said that the glory that Maharaja Hari Singh had brought to the state of Jammu & Kashmir eroded over the past 60 years but circumstances are gradually changing and people see a glimpse of hope today. Giving the rationale behind celebrating the accession day, he said that most states in India today celebrate their foundation days so why treat Jammu & Kashmir any differently.
Talking about the accession of Jammu & Kashmir to India, Mr. Singh said that today there is a confusion as regards the facts of the accession and that there is a deliberate attempt to conceal facts so that the issue remains disputed. The so-called intellectual class also raises questions on whether the state of Jammu & Kashmir wanted accession to Pakistan or wished to remain independent. But the truth is beyond these speculations.
Dr Jitendra Singh while discussing the role of Maharaja Hari Singh said that history has been very unkind to a king who loved his people and who was a great patriot. Maharaja Hari Singh, in his time, had build institutions to strengthen science, health and governance.
Director of JKSC, Padma Shri Jawaharlal Kaul discussed the anomalies caused due to Article 370. Shri Maroof Raza talked about the unholy intentions of Pakistan in Kashmir. He gave a threadbare description of the sequence of events during the 1948 attack. The event was moderated by Shri Alok Bansal, director of the India Foundation. Shri Ashutosh Bhatnagar, Secretary of JKSC, gave the vote of thanks.
