Running in its third year, the Jammu and Kashmir Day was celebrated on 26 th October in the UK Parliament to mark the 70th year of the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India.
Originally known as Accession Day, this date marks the union of the Kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir with India which was later ratified in the State Assembly. To commemorate the occasion Major Gaurav Arya, a war veteran and former member of the XVII Battalion, The Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army was invited all the way from India to deliver the
keynote address. The programme was hosted jointly by Jammu Kashmir Festival team led by Lakshmi Kaul, Curator & Director, Jammu Kashmir Festival and Bob Blackman MP. Ms. Madhu Sethi, Counsellor (Political and International Organisation), also delivered a speech congratulating the J&K Festival team for organising Jammu and Kashmir Day,
delineating the importance of this date. Mr. Blackman, to mark the immense contribution of the Indian Armed Forces, presented Maj Arya with the Indian symbol of remembrance, the Marigold Pin Badge as a token of love and respect to the Indian Armed Forces.
Lakshmi Kaul, Curator & Director, Jammu Kashmir Festival welcomed Maj Arya to the UK, “It is a pleasure and a privilege to have a soldier who not only fought on the line of action on ground zero defending the Indian borders but someone who despite a severe injury has continued to defend the honour of Mother India via his contributions in the media.” Acknowledging the gross human rights violations by Indian Army in Kashmir, Maj Arya was quoted saying, “Yes, there have been human rights violations by the Indian Army and it was wrong. Every one of the soldiers responsible for these violations have been punished; many of who are currently in the Tihar Jail in India. However, there are gross human rights violations of the Indian Army personnel posted in Jammu and Kashmir, where they are abused and attacked, and that needs to be taken into account.” He added that prior to the insurgency in 1989-90, there was no need for the Indian army to be present in the valley which was largely peaceful.
A 25 minutes long keynote speech by Maj Arya was followed by an hour-long intense Q&A session with the audience asking him questions ranging from the plebiscite and UN resolution, to the role of army on the Siachen glacier. Upholding peace and harmony, Maj Arya said, “We want peace with Pakistan but we want peace with honour.”
