Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday that people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) are part of the Indian family and the day is not far when they will return to India's mainstream voluntarily.
Laying out India's policy approach towards Pakistan, Singh said New Delhi has "redesigned and redefined" its strategy and response to terrorism and that possible dialogue with Islamabad will be only on terrorism and PoK. He also warned Pakistan that the Indian army "could have done even more, but with power must also come restraint."
About two weeks after the horrific April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians were killed, India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 under Operation Sindoor, following which Pakistan attempted to attack the Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10.
The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions until the two countries agreed upon a ceasefire.
Rajnath Singh On People Of PoK
In an address at the CII Business Summit, the defence minister largely attempted to reach out to people of PoK, saying India considers them to be part of its "own" family.
"I believe that the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are our own, part of our family," he said.
"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 soul," he added.
Singh said most of the people in PoK feel a "deep connection" with India and only a few of them have been "misled".
"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.
Rajnath Singh's Message to Pakistan
In a clear message to Pakistan, Singh also said the business of terrorism is not cost effective and it will come with a heavy price as Islamabad has realised now.
He further said, "You saw how first we destroyed the terrorist hideouts and then the enemy's air bases," Singh said.
"We could have done even more, but with power must also come restraint. We have presented a remarkable example before the world, of strength combined with coordination."
In his remarks, Singh also highlighted India's domestic defence capabilities.
India's defence export was less than Rs 1,000 crore 10 years ago but it has now reached a record figure of Rs 23,500 crore, he said.
Today, it has been proven that Make-in-India in defence is essential for both India's security and prosperity, he said.
India's home-grown systems surprised the entire world during Operation Sindoor as our platforms and systems displayed their strength, he added.
Today, we are not just building fighter jets or missile systems and we are also preparing for new-age warfare technology, he said.
