Instrument of Accession to the Indian Union

The Instrument of Accession was a legal document signed in October 1947 by Hari Singh, the maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. This act joined Kashmir to the Indian union, a decision that precipitated warfare between India and Pakistan.12

Following India's independence and partition in 1947, the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was given the choice to join either India or Pakistan. Hari Singh, the Hindu ruler of the Muslim-majority region, was hesitant to decide, aiming to maintain his state's sovereignty. However, an attack by Pashtun tribesmen from Pakistan in October 1947 prompted him to sign the Instrument of Accession, thereby integrating Kashmir into India in exchange for military aid. This event ignited the ongoing dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan. A ceasefire brokered by the United Nations in January 1949 established a line of control, though neither country recognizes it as an international border. India has also contested China's presence in areas claimed as part of the accession. In 2019, India revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special autonomous status, reorganizing it into two union territories.2314