Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday slammed Pakistan and said that it must dismantle terror infrastructure which it has built in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Moreover, he iterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mantra saying that efforts are being made by the government to reduce 'Dil ki duri and Delhi ki duri' from Jammu and Kashmir. Singh was addressing the ninth Armed Forces Veterans’ Day rally at the Tanda Artillery brigade in the Akhnoor sector near Jammu.
"The land of PoK is being used to run the business of terrorism. Even today, terrorist training camps are operational there. Launch pads have been established in areas near the border, and the Indian government has concrete information about this and is fully aware of the situation. Pakistan must eliminate this, otherwise ...," the defence minister said.
He also lauded Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his efforts and asserted that the BJP government treats Delhi and Kashmir equally. Taking a dig at Congress, Singh said, "Kashmir was treated differently (by previous governments) in the past as a result our brothers and sisters in the region could not get connected with Delhi as it should have been. I do not want to go into the past as our government’s biggest achievement is that we have been working to bridge ‘dil ki duri’ (distance between hearts) between Kashmir and the rest of the country."
Rajnath slams PoK's illegal PM
"I congratulate Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for taking the right steps to help overcome the little bit of gap (which is still there)," the defence minister added. On Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), he said that the people living in PoK are being deprived of a dignified life. "In the name of religion, the rulers of Pakistan are trying to mislead and incite them against India. The venom that the illegal Prime Minister of PoK has recently spewed against India is a part of Pakistan's conspiracy. What PoK's Prime Minister Anwarul Haq is saying today is the same anti-India agenda that the rulers of Pakistan have been running since the time of General Zia-ul-Haq," the defence minister said.
