India turns up heat on Pakistan: "Let us free PoK and merge it with India," says MoS Jitendra Singh twin big statements

India has turned up the heat on Pakistan over its attempts to meddle in our internal matters, with MoS PMO Dr Jitendra Singh doubling down on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's big statement that if at all India and Pakistan have a dialogue over Kashmir, it would be over Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

Speaking at Jammu, Dr Jitendra Singh said, "As the Parliament has unanimously agreed, let us free PoK and merge it with India." He added, "Let us pray to the almighty that we get the chance to see this in our lifetime."

India's big statements on PoK

The MoS PMO is referring to two statements - the first being Home Minister Amit Shah's from the Rajya Sabha debate on government's big move to abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories - J&K and Ladakh. During the debate, Shah had unequivocally said that whenever he refers to J&K, he PoK and Aksai Chin are also implicit, and that he is ready to do whatever it takes to take back PoK.

While that statement had in itself completely spooked Pakistan, as it went on a virulent campaign to spread false news and blatant lies on the ongoing situation in Kashmir all the while attempting to aid infiltrations in an effort to drum up trouble and terror in the state, and then subsequently, made a diplomatic push to internationalise the Kashmir issue. It has, however, completely failed in all of its endeavours in this regard, with the US and Russia refusing to back it and upholding that it is a bilateral matter between India and Pakistan, China also only giving it cursory support by making a case to the UNSC, which also refused to interfere after a closed-doors meeting.

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It was after this that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also said on Sunday that if at all India and Pakistan were to have talks, it would now be on PoK. He said:

"Pakistan says India should have talks with it. Talks with Pakistan will be held only if it stops supporting terror. And when we will hold a dialogue, it will now be on PoK (Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir)."

Pakistan's rattled Foreign Minister attempted to deflect from this by trying to re-state that Pakistan's position on Kashmir remains the same.

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