Amidst the election season, Amit Shah, who is considered very close to the Union Home Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had said, “POK is an integral part of India, which is the aim of every Indian to get it back.”
In an interview given to news agency ‘PTI’, Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had also said – India will never give up its claim on PoK but it will not have to occupy it by force. This is because after seeing the development in Kashmir, the people there themselves would like to become a part of India.
On May 5, 2024, in Cuttack, Odisha, Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar had said, “POK was never outside the country. It has always been a part of the country. A resolution was passed in the Parliament of the country that POK is a part of India.” Then how did other people get control over it? Now, when the head of the house is not responsible, people from outside come and steal things. Because we have got freedom. In the initial days, no efforts were made to vacate those areas from Pakistan and this sad situation continued. However, I always say that today PoK has returned to the consciousness of the people.
Actually, PoK is divided into two parts, one part of which is known as Gilgit Baltistan. It is spread over an area of 64,817 km square, while the other part is POK and it is spread over 13,297 km square.
Before the independence of the country, due to the high taxes imposed by the Hindu king Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir, the Muslim people started opposing him. The different religions of the king and the people then became a major source of contradiction between the two sides.
When India became independent in 1947, Pakistan felt that Kashmir belonged to them. This is the reason why Pashtun people of Pakistan had entered Kashmir then. Raja Hari Singh was frightened by this. He turned to Sardar Vallabh Patel. Patel Saheb had then said, “Join us. We will send the army which will drive out the people who have come from Pakistan.”
After this proposal of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Raja Hari Singh signed the ‘Instrument of Accession’ (Agreement). However, even after this, the Indian Army was able to evacuate the people of Pakistan only till the Jammu and Kashmir border adjacent to POK.
Further in 1948, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru reached the United Nations (UN) regarding this issue. A resolution was passed there in which it was said that wherever one is, one should stay there. The UN had also talked about a referendum. Pakistan immediately agreed but India put a condition that people’s opinion would not be taken until Pakistanis leave Indian soil. The referendum will take place only after the Pashtun people of Pakistan leave India.
According to experts, the possible ways and strategies to achieve PoK include disrupting Pakistan’s economy (especially in Balochistan), disrupting essential basic factors like electricity and internet there, using Afghanistan as soft power and This includes holding peace talks with China (in the context of convincing it to adopt the Sea Route instead of the Dragon, China-Pakistan Corridor), etc.
PoK is very important for India in many ways. It shares borders with different countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Wakhan Corridor and China). Apart from this, PoK is also a big source of fresh water, while natural resources like gold, coal, chalk, graphite and bauxite are found in Mirpur and Muzaffarabad.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which has been built by China by spending huge amounts of money, also passes through Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. In such a situation, this can prove to be a big crisis for India’s sovereignty.
Published at : 08 May 2024 01:55 PM (IST)