Union Minister VK Singh on Tuesday said that Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) will become part of India.
POK is the part of Jammu and Kashmir that has bene illegally occupied by Pakistan since 1947-48, when it invaded the then-princely state of Jammu and Kashmir and fought a war with India.
Singh, a former Chief of the Army Staff, said that POK would become a part of India "on its own".
Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Sanjay Raut took a dig at Singh and said that the Narendra Modi government should first look at Manipur and Ladakh.
Manipur has been in the grips of ethnic violence since May 3 when clashes erupted between the state's Meitei and tribal communities after a rally opposing the proposed tribal status to Meitis. Since then, over 160 people have been killed and thousands have been displaced. In Eastern Ladakh, India and China are locked in a standoff since 2020 and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has frequently raised the issue of Chinese incursions and occuption of areas in Ladakh.
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Addressing a press conference in poll-bound Rajasthan's Dausa, Singh said, "PoK will become a part of India on its own, it's just a matter of time."
Reacting to the statement, Raut said that Sena supports the merger of POK with India, but the focus of the government should be on Chinese actions, such as incursions in Ladakh and inclusion of Arunachal Pradesh in Chinese maps.
Earlier this month, China published a map showing Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Ladakh as Chinese territories. China has claimed these Indian territories as part of its Tibet region.
"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? We will welcome it if any effort is made towards that but before that, make Manipur peaceful. China has reached Manipur. Rahul Gandhi says that China has entered Ladakh and has taken our land, parts of Arunachal Pradesh are being shown by China on its map - end this first. After that PoK will merge with India on its own, you are not required for that to happen," said Raut, as per ANI.
