JAMMU, Sep 8: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday asked the residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to come and join India as “we consider you our own unlike Pakistan which treats you as foreigners”.
Addressing an election rally in the Ramban assembly constituency in support of BJP candidate Rakesh Singh Thakur, the Union minister asserted there is a sea change in the overall security situation in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
The senior BJP leader came down heavily on the National Conference-Congress alliance over its poll promise of restoring Article 370 and said it is impossible as long as the BJP is there.
He said the “sea change” witnessed in the overall security situation in J-K since August 2019 means that youths now carry laptops and computers in their hands instead of pistols and revolvers.
Now, nobody dares to fire bullets at people in Srinagar, he said.
“Support the BJP to form the next government in J-K so that we can facilitate massive development in the region.
There will be so much development that the people in PoK on seeing this should say that we do not want to live with Pakistan and instead will go to India,” the defence minister said.
He said that recently an affidavit was filed by Pakistan’s additional solicitor general in the neighboring country stating that PoK is a foreign land.
“I want to tell PoK residents that Pakistan considers you foreigners, but the people in India do not consider you so. We consider you our own and so come and join us,” he said.
The defence minister’s visit as a BJP star campaigner comes a day after Home Minister Amit Shah’s two-day tour.
During which Amit Shah released the party’s manifesto, held a series of meetings with senior party leaders and also addressed a party workers’ rally. (PTI)
