On Saturday, former Jammu and Kashmir Governor and veteran Congressman Karan Singh stated that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru made a mistake by taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations.
“I entered politics as a teenager because of the situation that developed, which forced my father to leave the state under excruciating circumstances,” he said.
He continued, “The reason behind leaving Kashmir was, of course, Sheikh Abdullah, the founder of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference. Why Sheikh Abdullah? Because we took the issue to the United Nations and agreed to conduct a plebiscite. I don’t think we needed to raise the issue at the United Nations. It was one of the few but serious mistakes that Pandit Ji made.”
“I believe Lord Mountbatten was the one who pushed him into that decision. Sheikh Abdullah had a long-standing anti-Dogra sentiment. Eventually, he approached Pandit Ji (Nehru) and said he could not win the election as long as Maharaja Hari Singh was in the state,” he added.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India on October 26, 1947, when Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession.
The document, a result of negotiations between Hari Singh and the Indian government, allowed J&K to join India under the provisions of the Indian Independence Act of 1947, which gave princely states the option to join either India or Pakistan.
Pakistan has since fought multiple wars with India over the region, citing religious demographics.
Violence and terrorism have plagued the region for the past four decades, though recent developmental efforts, strengthened by the inclusion of Kashmiri youth in mainstream politics and bureaucracy, have significantly improved the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Follow us
