Defence Minister Rajnath Singh believes that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will voluntarily merge with India. In an interview with news agency PTI, Singh expressed his conviction that the region’s economic development and return to peace will lead to such demands from the people of PoK. He stated, “I think India will not have to do anything. The way the ground situation has changed in Jammu and Kashmir, the way the region is witnessing economic progress and the way peace has returned there, I think demands will emerge from people of PoK that they should merge with India.” Singh further asserted that PoK “was, is, and will remain ours”.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated India’s stance that PoK is an integral part of the country. “PoK has never been out of this country. It is part of this country. There is a resolution of the Indian Parliament that PoK is very much a part of India,” Jaishankar said during an interactive session in Cuttack. He added that PoK has “come back into the consciousness of the people of India”.
However, Jammu & Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) chief Farooq Abdullah expressed caution, stating, “If the defence minister is saying it, then go ahead. Who are we to stop?” But he also warned that Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons, adding, “It has atom bombs, and unfortunately, that atom bomb will fall on us.”
In 2023, Rajnath Singh had emphasized that Pakistan illegally occupies PoK and that India has passed resolutions declaring it as part of the country. The Defence Minister’s recent statements have reignited discussions on the future of PoK, with India maintaining its claim while Pakistan continues to administer the region.
