Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said those residing in the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) are India’s own people and will one day return to the country, saying that they are Indians.
Addressing an event in New Delhi, Rajnath Singh also said that India could have done much more when retaliating to Pakistan’s terror attacks, and that we exercised restraint with power during the ‘Operation Sindoor’.
“The Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir is our own people. Most of the people in PoK feel a deep connection with India, there are only a few who have been misled."
“We have full faith that those of our brothers who are geographically and politically separated from us today will also return to the mainstream of India someday, listening to their voice of the soul," he added.
“India always talks about connecting hearts, and we believe that by walking on the path of love, unity and truth, the day is not far when our own part, PoK, will return and say, I am India, I have returned," he said.
In his remarks, Singh also highlighted India’s domestic defence capabilities.
“Our home-grown systems during ‘Operation Sindoor’ have shocked the entire world, proving that we possess the strength to penetrate any enemy’s armour," the Defence Minister said.
“We could have done something else too, but restraint is required with power," the Defence Minister said, as he addressed the inaugural plenary of CII Annual Business Summit-2025 in the national capital.
“Through ‘Operation Sindoor’, today it has been proved that Make in India is important for national security," he added.
“Today, we are not just building fighter jets or missile systems, but we are also preparing for New Age Warfare Technology," he said.
Rajnath Singh also reiterated how India, during its retaliatory strikes against Pakistan, destroyed terror hideouts and military bases there, making a coordination between strength and restraint.
“You have seen how we first destroyed terrorist hideouts, and then the enemy’s military bases, airbases," Singh said.
“Under the banner of self-reliance, we are continuously achieving success in critical and frontier technologies as well. India’s grip in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Defence, Unmanned Systems, and Space-Based Security is now firmly established on the global stage," he said.
Also slamming Pakistan for shielding terrorism, the Defence Minister said, “Running the business of terrorism is not cost-effective; rather, it may come with a heavy price, as Pakistan has realised today."
“We have redesigned and redefined both India’s strategy and response against terrorism. We have recalibrated our engagement and scope of dialogue with Pakistan. Now, whenever there are talks, it will be only on terrorism and the PoK," Singh said.
