S. Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs, spoke candidly on the issue of Kashmir and what the Indian government was doing. There were various issues: pulling down of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, development and economic activity in Kashmir, restoring social justice, and also conducting elections in the Union Territory. ‘I would say concerning Jammu and Kashmir, other than one area left to be resolved the other fronts were all dealt with. That area is the part of Jammu and Kashmir that is under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. Its return will resolve all.’ He delivered these words at Chatham House in London.
Addressing the Kashmir issue, Foreign Minister Jaishankar said, “I, for my own part, believe Kashmir has really been served well by us. I think we have sorted out most problems in Kashmir. The first was the abrogation of Article 370. The second stage would be the restoration of development and economic activity and social justice in Kashmir. Conducting elections with high voter turnout was certainly the third stage, the people of every section participated in the election process in large numbers. The part that is still pending is the return of the part of Kashmir that has been stolen and is under illegal occupation of Pakistan. The minute that happens, I assure you. Kashmir will be sorted.”
Some earlier thoughts of Jaishankar on POK
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar spoke earlier about PoK on May 9, 2024, asserting that it is an integral part of India. In his speech, he stated that every Indian political party has a national commitment to return PoK to India. Minister Jaishankar, while addressing students at Delhi University’s Gargi College, stated, “All I can say about PoK is that every political party of this country is committed to ensuring that PoK, which is part of India, is returned to India. This is our national commitment.”
“First, it should be there in your thought if something has to happen.”
According to him, after August 2019, the abrogation of Article 370 eased the way for people to think about the issue of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He mentioned: “Since we have finally taken the right decision on Article 370, the issue of PoK has come to people’s mind. The first condition for anything to happen is that it should be in your thoughts.”
‘PoK is part of India, and people were forced to forget about it.’
Earlier on May 5, 2024, Foreign Minister Jaishankar said, “PoK is part of India, and people were forced to forget about it.” Responding to a question about India’s plans for PoK, within an event at Cuttack, Odisha, he stated, “PoK can never be separated from this country. It is part of this country. There is a resolution of the Indian Parliament that PoK is an integral part of India.”
‘If someone from outside tries to steal inside the House, there has to be someone within responsible enough to guard it.’
He stated that because India did not ask Pakistan to leave this area in the early years of independence, this unfortunate state of affairs continued. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar stated, “When you have someone who is not a responsible custodian of the House, someone from outside steals it.” This, he declared, refers to the fact that people were forced to forget PoK, and it was brought back into people’s consciousness.
