On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar addressed India’s position on Kashmir during a discussion at the Chatham House think tank in London. Responding to a Pakistani journalist’s claims of “illegal occupation” and the presence of “one million troops” in Kashmir, Jaishankar firmly dismissed the allegations and reiterated India’s stance on the issue.
The journalist, while posing his question, claimed he would make Jaishankar “little nervous” and accused India of “illegally occupying Kashmir”.
He further stated that “Kashmiris are up in arms” and alleged that “India has stationed one million troops to control seven million Kashmiris”, before asking whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi could use his friendship with US President Donald Trump to resolve the Kashmir issue.
Jaishankar rejected any third-party intervention and stated that India had already taken decisive steps to resolve the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He also added that the only the part of Jammu and Kashmir illegally controlled by India’s neighbour Pakistan is the only thing which was left from attaining complete resolution of the problems in Jammu and Kashmir.
“In Kashmir, we have done a good job solving most of it. Removing Article 370 was one step. Then, restoring growth, economic activity, and social justice was step number two. Holding elections, which witnessed a high voter turnout, was step number three,” Jaishankar said.
He further asserted, “The part we are waiting for is the return of the stolen part of Kashmir, which is under illegal Pakistani occupation. When that’s done, I assure you, Kashmir is solved.”
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Jaishankar’s Consistent Stand on POK
EAM Jaishankar has consistently maintained that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is an integral part of India and must return to the country. On May 9, 2024, while interacting with students at Delhi University’s Gargi College, he reiterated that every Indian political party is committed to reclaiming PoK.
“All I can say about PoK is that there is a Parliament resolution, and every political party in this country is committed to ensuring that PoK, which is a part of India, returns to India. That is our national commitment,” he said.
Jaishankar also linked the 2019 abrogation of Article 370 to renewed discussions on PoK.
“Because we finally took the right decision on Article 370, the PoK issue has come to the forefront of people’s thinking. The first prerequisite for something happening is that it should be in your thoughts,” he remarked.
On May 5, 2024, while speaking at an event in Cuttack, Odisha, Jaishankar stressed that PoK has always been a part of India and accused past governments of neglecting the issue.
“PoK has never been out of this country. There is a resolution of the Indian Parliament that PoK is very much a part of India,” he stated.
He also criticized India’s early post-independence stance, saying, “We didn’t tell Pakistan to vacate the region in the early years, and that’s why this sorry state of affairs continued. When you have someone who is not a responsible custodian of the house, someone from outside steals from it.”
Jaishankar concluded by emphasizing that the issue of PoK has been revived in public consciousness and remains a key aspect of India’s foreign policy stance on Pakistan.
