Union minister and former Indian Army chief VK Singh said that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will be merged with India on its own after some time. The remarks by the Union Minister came while responding to the demands by Shia Muslims from POK for opening of the Kargil border crossing with India.
“PoK will merge with India on its own, wait for some time,” Union Minister General VK Singh (Retd.) said while addressing the press on the sidelines of the Parivartan Sankalp Yatra (PSY) program of the BJP in Dausa, Rajasthan.
The development came as the Indian Army has been engaged with Chinese troops on the Ladakh border for the past three years. Recently, China also released its latest “standard map” which included the Aksai Chin area of Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. India and several other countries in South Asia have lodged strong protests against the map.
“China has put out maps with territories (that are) not theirs. (It is an) old habit. Just by putting out maps with parts of India… this doesn’t change anything. Our government is very clear about what our territory is. Making absurd claims does not make other people’s territories yours,” Jaishankar told news platform NDTV.
The region known as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has been split into two distinct regions, namely Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. As per a report by BBC, the combined population of PoK amounts to approximately 4.5 million. Among this population, approximately 97% are Muslims, while the remaining 3% represent various religious minorities, such as Hindus and Christians.
Congress calls it ‘blasphemous’
The remarks drew a strong reaction from the Opposition camp who called the statement “blasphemous”. “That region is an integral part of India, it is a part of our motherland and there is no differentiation. For me, it is a part of India and it is a blasphemous statement he is making. It is an integral part of the Indian Union. It was with us and will stay with us. How dare he make this differentiation that it will be merged? It is very much part of Indian territory,” Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said.
“We have always dreamed that there be an ‘Akhand Bharat’. We always say that PoK is ours. But when the former Army chief was holding the post, he should have tried then to make it ours. How can you do it now?” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut told reporters.
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Updated: 12 Sep 2023, 04:19 PM IST