India's responsibility to free PoK from illegal occupation: Union Minister
Jammu: Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh on Saturday said it is India's responsibility to get Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan freed from illegal occupation of Pakistan and restore its lost glory.
"PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan are part of Jammu and Kashmir. However, the fact is that the entire area of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir was 2.25 lakh sq km, of which only 1 lakh sq km is part of India. Therefore, it is our responsibility to get PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan freed from illegal occupation of Pakistan and restore the lost glory of Jammu and Kashmir," Singh said.
"There is no compromise in the integration of Jammu and Kashmir. The only agenda left for us is to retrieve the part of Jammu and Kashmir, which continues to remain under the illegal occupation of Pakistan," Singh added.
Slamming Pakistan for perpetrating violence in Jammu and Kashmir by exporting home-grown terrorists, Singh said, "Pakistan has been unmasked before the world. The entire world knows that all conspiracies are being hatched in Islamabad. Pakistan is encouraging terrorism on its soil and exporting terrorists to India, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, and some misguided elements are becoming its part."
Singh said, "On one hand, our responsibility is to defeat Pakistan's design, while on the other hand, we have to sensitise our youth. If the so-called jihad is so pious, then people who are inciting the youth in the name of jihad and 'jannat' (heaven) why don't they give this pious opportunity to their children. They have already sent their children to Bengaluru, Pune and abroad."
Earlier in the day, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at residence. After the meeting, Mufti asserted that PM was extremely concerned about the situation and he expressed his desire to stop the bloodshed in the Valley and also ensured that the state will emerge from the crisis.
"The Prime Minister is quite concerned just the way we are regarding the situation in Kashmir. He reiterated that the basis of the PDP-BJP alliance is to continue the trend of reconciliation with Pakistan that Vajpayee ji had started and use it to solve the problem in Kashmir," she said.
Lauding Prime Minister Modi's approach towards Pakistan, Mufti stated that he had not only invited Nawaz Sharif for his oath taking ceremony but went to Lahore himself, but the Pathankot incident happened and ties between the two nations went downhill.
"With the situation in Kashmir taking a turn for the worse in the last few days, Pakistan instead of helping us is trying to worsen the situation. They had a golden opportunity to talk about Kashmir when Rajnath ji went to Islamabad recently, but instead he was meted with mistreatment," she said.
Calling out Pakistan, she added that if they have any sympathy for the people of Kashmir, then they will stop provoking the youth into attacking security forces.
Defending the curfew which has now entered its 50th day, the Chief Minister said that the purpose of imposing restrictions was to save lives of the locals. She further asserted that the Separatists must come forwards and help the state government in figuring out a solution.
Meanwhile, situation in the Valley continued to be grim as a police constable was shot dead by terrorists in Pulwama district today.
The death toll in the Valley reached 69 on Friday, as another youth succumbed to injuries in clashes that broke out between security forces and locals in Pulwama.
