By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Grand Council of Chiefs of Meghalaya will gather as agreed for the third time on August 13 at 11 am at the Khasi National Dorbar Hall, Mawkhar, Shillong, to deliberate and discuss 65 years of the conditional treaty, Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement accepted by the Government of India and the twenty five Khasi States on August 17, 1948.
At the dawn of Independence, 25 Khasi States signed the Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement in Shillong on various dates starting from December 15, 1947 upto March 19, 1948, in presence of Sir Akbar Hydari, Governor of Assam.
After all the Khasi States had signed the conditional treaty, it was sent to Delhi and was accepted and finally signed by Late Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, the last Governor General of India, on August 17, 1948.
However, the Khasi States did not sign Instrument of Merger as done by all former Indian States.
During the gathering, to remember the historic signing and acceptance of the treaty, a very significant and important letter of reference to the treaty – Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement of the Federation of Khasi States by the former Prime Minister of free India (late) Jawaharlal Nehru, during the later part of 1947, will be released. The official letter was discovered recently after long years of research by the Federation of Khasi States.
The Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Chiefs have been demanding a separate party less council for the traditional tribal governing institutions of Meghalaya.