Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir Will Merge With India, Says ‘Confident’ Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed confidence that Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) will merge with India as the people there are themselves raising that demand, reported ANI.

“Can they (Pakistan) ever take Kashmir? They should be worried about Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. I had said almost a year and a half ago that there will be no need for us to attack and occupy because a situation is developing there that people of PoK themselves are demanding merger with India,” Rajnath said during the ‘AAP ki Adalat’ programme on India TV when asked about Shehbaz Sharif’s recent remarks on Kashmir after being sworn in as Pakistan Prime Minister for the second time.

Asked whether the Indian government was making any plan, the Defence minister refused to divulge anything.

“I will not say anything more, I should not. We are not going to attack any country. India has a character of never attacking any country in the world, nor has it occupied an inch of other’s territory. But PoK was ours, PoK is ours, and I am confident that PoK will itself merge with India,” Rajnath stated firmly.

Last month, Amjad Ayub Mirza, a political activist from PoK claimed that the people there are fed up with Pakistani occupation and are now demanding merger with India.

“The people of PoK in the last few days have told me that they now demand to be merged into India, as they are officially their citizens. The recent elections in Pakistan have just given us a fractured mandate. The upcoming elections will have a fruitful result for India but we the people of PoK ask that, for how long will we have to wait to get rid of Pakistan’s oppression and get merged in India?” Mirza said in a video message.

Rajnath was asked about the possibility of China attacking India.

“God should give them the good sense not to commit such mistakes. India has a character of never attacking any country, but if any country attacks us, we do not spare them. But the truth is that if anyone asks us, we have good relations with all our neighbours,” the Defence minister said.

“We want to maintain ties but not at the cost of India’s self-respect. But if any country attacks India’s prestige, it has the power to give it a befitting reply. We want to have good relations with neighbours because Atal ji used to say that we should keep in mind that we can change friends in life but neighbours never change,” he added.