Maharaja Hari Singh Signs Instrument of Accession to India

Under pressure from Pakistani-backed tribal militias advancing on Srinagar, Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession to India on October 26, 1947. India accepted the accession on the condition of holding a plebiscite once law and order was restored — a plebiscite Pakistan argues was never held, and India contends became moot after Pakistan's aggression.