London: The Kashmiri Pandit Heritage Foundation (KPHF-UK) commemorated Jammu and Kashmir Accession Day with a dignified ceremony at the UK House of Commons, underscoring the enduring constitutional and historical validity of the region’s 1947 accession to India.
The event, hosted by Conservative MP for Harrow East Bob Blackman, reaffirmed that the Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh on October 26, 1947, remains a binding constitutional document that definitively established Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of India.
“Last night, I was pleased to host the Jammu & Kashmir Accession Day event in Parliament to commemorate the signing of the Instrument of Accession by Maharaja Hari Singh,” Blackman wrote in a post on X.
During the programme, Blackman displayed his personal copy of the Instrument of Accession and reiterated his continued support in Parliament for India’s territorial sovereignty, as well as the rights of the British Kashmiri diaspora to preserve their authentic heritage, identity, and history.
A briefing circulated to MPs during the event stated clearly:
“The accession is a lawful, settled constitutional fact and not subject to revisionist reinterpretation.”
Coinciding with Armistice Day, the observance also honoured soldiers who lost their lives in the World Wars and those who defended Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India.
In a strongly worded statement, KPHF-UK criticised Mirpuri groups in the UK for “falsely claiming Kashmiri identity and spreading distorted narratives.” The foundation pledged to challenge cultural appropriation and political misinformation aimed at silencing indigenous Kashmiri Pandits and other original communities of the region.
Adding to the event’s significance, Early Day Motion (EDM 2150), introduced in Parliament and supported by MP Blackman, formally acknowledges the importance of Accession Day for British citizens of Jammu and Kashmir heritage.
