New Delhi, May 16 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said today that there should be no doubt that “Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir will come back to India” even as he slammed Pakistan for its “policy of continuously going against India” which he said has brought the neighbouring country down.
Speaking at an event in Nashik, that was attended by Vijay Chauthaiwale, BJP’s Foreign Affairs Department in-charge, Jaishankar said to a question on PoK, which witnessed massive unrest by the people protesting against high taxes and electricity and food prices, that people there are seeing the development taking place in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Our own sense is that the people in PoK are seeing the positive changes across the Line of Control in J&K, and they are asking themselves that if things are like that there, then why are we suffering and why are we accepting this kind of mistreatment.
“There is no doubt of the fact that the development taking place in J&K is having an effect in POK…
“So we’ll have to see where this goes, as eventually PoK is India and it will come back to India. I don’t think we should ever have any doubt about that,” he added.
To a question on Pakistan and its current state, the EAM said:
“But regarding Pakistan, they have a lot of other problems; Balochistan is having problems, and it is there in other part of Pakistan too.
“They are having very severe economic problems too right now. But whether they do the right reforms, and whether they take the right policies, because this policy of continuously going against India, today that is what has brought Pakistan down to where it is come. We’ll have to see whether there is any change in thinking there.”
To another question, he said there are no red lines as far as PoK is concerned.
“I don’t believe that there is a Lakshman Rekha as far as PoK is concerned,” to loud applause.
“PoK is part of Bharat, and there was a time when due to someone’s weakness and mistake it went out of our hands temporarily,” he said, and repeated “temporarily” with emphasis, to loud whistles and clapping.
He referred to the parliamentary resolution on taking back PoK and said that 10 years ago people in India were not talking of PoK, referring to the advent of the Modi government in 2014.
“This has changed as five years ago we ended 370,” referring to the scrapping of Article 370 from Kashmir. “The people of Bharat have the confidence that if we have chosen such a government that has the courage to scrap 370, so the government will have the courage to complete what is still left half done,” with reference to taking back PoK, to loud cheers.
His comments came as Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing poll rallies in Bihar today, asserted that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) belongs to India and the country will take it back “at any cost”.
