Pakistan: J&K incomplete without PoK, says Rajnath Singh
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid Pakistan’s continued support of terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday warned Islamabad that J&K is incomplete without the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Our Muslim brothers have sacrificed their lives fighting against terrorism, he said, adding that more than 80 percent of terrorists entering India are from Pakistan.
Addressing the Ninth Armed Forces Veterans’ Day function, at Akhnoor, in the Jammu district, he asserted that the Union Territory of J&K is incomplete without PoK and warned the neighbouring country against terrorist training camps there.
“Jammu and Kashmir is incomplete without PoK, which is nothing more than a foreign territory for Pakistan… PoK’s land is being used to run the business of terrorism. Terrorist training camps are being run in PoK… Pakistan will have to destroy them otherwise,” Singh said, according to the media reports on Tuesday.
The Lal Bahadur Shastri government at the Centre could have ended cross-border terrorism by converting the tactical advantage gained in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war into a strategic advantage.
“The war between India and Pakistan was fought in Akhnoor in 1965. India succeeded in thwarting the efforts of the Pakistani Army. Pakistan has been promoting illegal infiltration and terrorism since 1965. The cross-border terrorism would have ended in 1965 itself, but the then central government was unable to convert the tactical advantage gained in the war into a strategic advantage,” he said.
Singh said that the “Top priority of our government is to bridge whatever gap exists between Kashmir and the rest of the country. Steps are being taken in this direction by J & K CM Omar Abdullah…The Veterans Day celebrations in Akhnoor prove that Akhnoor has the same place in our hearts as Delhi,”
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said veterans “Are the people who gave everything for the sake of the country… who didn’t worry about their future or lives while they were ready to sacrifice and die for the protection of the country… We must now serve you… We must pay back by ensuring you live comfortably.”
“We will try our best that the reservation is fully used in recruitment, and you get all the financial support needed under the schemes without any obstruction… I have no hesitation in saying that the son of a retired soldier, Satish Sharma is in my Cabinet helping me and both of us are trying our best to serve you,” he added.
The Armed Forces Veterans’ Day is celebrated on January 14 every year to recognize the services rendered by the First Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Field Marshal KM Cariappa, who retired on this day in 1953. The day was first celebrated in 2016 and it has been commemorated every year since by hosting such interactive events in honor of the Ex-Servicemen.
