On the 26th of June, 2023, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh addressed the National Security Conclave organised at Jammu University. The conclave discussed internal and external dimensions of the country’s defence mechanism, however, a strong focus was on Jammu and Kashmir.
The Defence Minister outlined four key principles that have been guiding the government’s approach to national security. As per the Union Minister, these include addressing security and sovereignty threats, protecting national interests, creating conducive conditions for progress and the well-being of citizens, and building alliances with friendly nations to tackle global challenges like terrorism.
Pakistan has no locus standi in PoK
Singh categorically asserted that despite illegally capturing PoK, Pakistan does not have a locus standi in POK as it has illegally occupied the area. He reminded everyone that the Indian Parliament had unanimously passed at least three resolutions, which state that PoK is a part of India.
For the umpteenth time, Singh reiterated what every Indian and government believes, he said PoK is, was, and will remain a part of India.
He said, “A large part of Jammu and Kashmir is under the occupation of Pakistan. People on the other side are seeing that people are living their lives peacefully in J-K. People living in POK going through a lot of suffering and they will raise demand to go with India.”
#WATCH | A large part of Jammu and Kashmir is under the occupation of Pakistan. The people there are seeing that on the Indian side, people are living their lives peacefully but injustice is being done to them by the Pakistan government…POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) is, was… pic.twitter.com/AEbARYuoTu
— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2023
Raksha Mantri on Article 370 and dispute with China
Raksha Mantri stressed that BJP abrogated Article 370 and did justice to the people of Jammu and Kashmir who were unfairly treated for decades.
Singh stated that because of Articles 370 and 35A, the common people of Jammu and Kashmir were kept away from the mainstream of the country for a long time, it was a hindrance in taking action against any anti-national force.
On the ongoing conflict with China, Singh assured that his government is committed to protecting the sovereignty and unity of the nation.
He highlighted that despite “perception differences” with China, there are some agreements and protocols following which the armies of both countries patrol at borders. He, however, held Chinese forces accountable for violating these “agreed protocols” which led to a violent dispute in East Ladakh in 2020.
Holding China responsible for the Ladakh dispute, Singh said, “The reason for the dispute that arose in East Ladakh in the year 2020 was that the Chinese forces ignored the Agreed Protocols. Chinese Army PLA tried to make some changes on LAC in a unilateral manner which was thwarted by Indian troops.”
PM Modi follows zero tolerance against terrorism
The Raksha Mantri further claimed that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government started effective action against terrorism and for the first time not only the country but also the world came to know what is the meaning of zero tolerance against terrorism.
He said, “Pulwama and Uri were both unfortunate incidents. Prime Minister took just 10 minutes to take a decision (on carrying out surgical strikes) which shows his strong willpower.”
Pakistan got rattled by the joint statement issued by India and US against terrorism
Rajnath Singh highlighted the recent joint statement that was issued after the prime minister’s meeting with US President Joe Biden. He argued that the joint statement is an indication of how India has changed the mindset of the world on the issue of terrorism.
Singh said, “Pakistan felt slighted by the joint statement from PM Modi and US President Joe Biden. They released the same old statement that India is removing the world’s attention from Kashmir. I agree with them – we have been successful in removing the world’s glare from Kashmir. I want to tell the government of Pakistan that it won’t gain anything by constantly citing Kashmir. Apna ghar sambhaliye (get your house in order).”
An excerpt from the India-US joint statement said, “They (Biden and Modi) strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks.”
Raksha Mantri highlighted that AFSPA has been removed from large parts of North East as the government has successfully controlled the problem of insurgency in North East India. He aspired that a time will come when we will remove the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Jammu and Kashmir.
#WATCH | Defence Minister Rajnath Singh speaks on former US President Barack Obama's remarks about the rights of Indian Muslims
— ANI (@ANI) June 26, 2023
"Obama ji should not forget that India is the only country which considers all the people living in the world as family members… He should also think… pic.twitter.com/k7Swn7HpW1
Further while addressing a presser, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh also responded to Former US President Barack Hussein Obama.
Singh said, “Obama ji should not forget that India is the only country which considers all the people living in the world as family members. He should also think about himself as to how many Muslim countries he has attacked.”
