Accession Day is a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir commemorating October 26, 1947 when Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession, wherein J&K joined the Dominion of India. It became an official public holiday in J&K for the first time in 2020.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event in Srinagar, senior BJP leader and former minister Sunil Sharma said that Hurriyat leaders and separatists are left with only two options — either join the national mainstream or go to jail.

Shops that the Hurriyat leaders used to run in Kashmir on the request of Pakistan have been closed and now they have no customers here, he added.

“The only option left for them now is to open Indian shops as now only these shops will operate in Jammu and Kashmir. Hurriyat leaders better mend their ways or get ready to go to jail,” Sharma said.

He also said that Accession Day is a historic moment in Jammu and Kashmir which is celebrated to remember the sacrifices made by people who laid down their lives for J&K.