During a poll campaign in Howrah, West Bengal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reaffirmed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s commitment to reclaiming Pakistan-Occupied Jammu Kashmir, emphasizing that Pakistan will not deter their efforts.
“Isn’t Pak-occupied Kashmir ours? Mani Shankar Aiyar and Farooq Abdullah used to scare us by saying that Pakistan has an atom bomb, so we should not speak about Pak-occupied Kashmir. Rahul baba, Mamata didi, no matter how scared you are, Pak-occupied Kashmir is ours and we will take it back,” Shah declared on Wednesday.
Highlighting the contrast between the Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu Kashmir, Shah noted, “Earlier, people used to stage protests in our part of Kashmir. Now, under PM Modi’s influence, there are no hartals observed in the Indian part of Kashmir, but in Pak-occupied Kashmir. Previously, slogans demanding independence were shouted here; now, they are shouted in Pak-occupied Kashmir. Earlier, stones were pelted here; now, they are pelted there.”
Regarding the surge in tourism in the Union Territory, the Home Minister stated, “Two crore tourists visited Kashmir, setting a new record, while Pak-occupied Kashmir set a record for wheat sales.”
Addressing the abrogation of Article 370, Shah said, “Mamata didi, Congress, the syndicate used to ask us not to remove Article 370. When I asked them in Parliament, they said rivers of blood would flow. This is PM Modi’s government. After five years, let alone rivers of blood, no one even dared to light a fire.”
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi abrogated Article 370 and integrated Kashmir into the rest of India,” he added.
Shah also referenced the recent violent protests and a shutter-down strike in Pakistan-Occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK), which lasted for four days. The unrest subsided after Islamabad announced an immediate grant of PKR 23 billion to address demands for fair electricity pricing and subsidized wheat flour. On Monday, PM Shehbaz Sharif announced a Rs 23 billion subsidy package for AJK during a high-level meeting addressing the valley’s turmoil. The price of wheat flour was reduced by PKR 1100 per 40 kg bag, from PKR 3100 to PKR 2000. The protests resulted in at least three deaths and several injuries.