| "As President. All
Jammu and Kashmir National Conference representing all communities and
classes of people in-habiting Jammu and Kashmir State I welcome your visit
to our state and hope that it will usher in new era of freedom both political
and economic for four million state people. As Mission is at moment reviewing
relationship of Princes with the Paramount Power with reference to treaty
rights we wish to submit that for us in Kashmir re-examination of this
relationship is vital matter because hundred years ago in 1846 land and
people of Kashmir were sold away to servitude of Dogra House by British
for seventy-five lacs of Sikh rupees equivalent to fifty lakhs British
Indian rupees. Then Governor of Kashmir resisted transfer, but was finally
reduced to subjection with aid of British. Thus sale deed of 1846 misnamed
treaty of Amritsar sealed fate of Kashmir rr.asses. We declare to world
that this sale deed confers no privileges equivalent to those claimed by
states governed by treaty rights. As such case of Kashmir stands on unique
footing and people of Kashmir press on Mission their unchallengeable claims
to freedom on withdrawal of British power from India. We wish to declare
that no sale deed however sacrosanct can condemn more than four million
men and women to servitude of an autocrat when will to live under this
rule is no longer there. People of Kashmir are determined to mould their
own destiny and we appeal to Mission to recognise justice and strength
of our cause.'' |