There are always tensions between India and Pakistan regarding Kashmir. Now Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has given a big statement regarding Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). He said that there is no need for India to occupy PoK by force, because after seeing the development of Kashmir, the people there themselves would like to be a part of it.
In an interview he gave to a news agency, Rajnath Singh said that the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved a lot. He also said that elections will definitely be held here. However, he did not set any date for this.
He said, ‘I think India will not have to do anything. The way the ground situation has changed in Jammu and Kashmir, the way economic progress is happening in the region and the way peace has returned there, I think the people of PoK themselves will start demanding that it be included in India.’
The defense minister further said, ‘We will not have to use force to capture PoK. PoK people themselves will say we should be merged into India. Such demands are coming now. He stressed, ‘POK was ours, is ours and will remain so’.
Assembly elections will be held soon
Referring to the improvement in the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said that assembly elections would soon be held there. However, he did not give any deadline. He said, ‘The way the situation is improving in Jammu and Kashmir, I think there will come a time when AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) will not be needed. This is my opinion and the Ministry of the Interior should decide on it.
Talks with China are going well
Amid the India-China military standoff over the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said talks between the two sides are going well. He expressed hope for the resolution of the long dispute. He said on Saturday that India is developing infrastructure at a fast pace on the border with China. He said that the country’s borders will remain secure.
He refused to give further details in light of the sensitive nature of the talks process and said that the talks are going well. When asked if he expected a positive outcome and an end to the almost four-year standoff between the two armies, Singh said that if there is no hope, then why are the talks taking place. They (the Chinese side) also have hope and that is why talks are taking place.
criticized the Congress
The standoff between the armies of India and China has been ongoing since May 2020 and the border dispute is still not fully resolved. However, both sides backed down on many points in the dispute. Criticizing the Congress for continuously targeting the government on the eastern Ladakh perspective, the defense minister said: “They (Congress) are raising questions about the bravery of Indian soldiers. Whose morale are you degrading? What do you mean? I can also talk about 1962 .
Relations between the two countries deteriorated significantly after the acute clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. It was the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.
