Indian minister speaks of annexing Gilgit-Baltistan

Published October 28, 2022
In this file photo, India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attends a ceremony for the delivery of the first Rafale fighter to the Indian Air Force at the factory of French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation in Merignac near Bordeaux, France. — Reuters/File
In this file photo, India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attends a ceremony for the delivery of the first Rafale fighter to the Indian Air Force at the factory of French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation in Merignac near Bordeaux, France. — Reuters/File

NEW DELHI: Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday he hoped to have Gilgit-Baltistan as part of India to complete the mission the Modi government began by annexing held Kashmir in Aug 2019.

Mr Singh is visiting the occupied region to celebrate the landing of Indian forces in the state a day after New Delhi allegedly signed the Instrument of Accession with its Hindu ruler on Oct 26, 1947. Pakistan disputes the narrative.

Mr Singh’s claims are linked to a 1994 resolution on Gilgit and Baltistan passed by the Indian parliament when Narasimha Rao was the prime minister, but it also follows two events that ruffled feathers in New Delhi.

The first was the unusual visit by Donald Blome, the US ambassador in Islam­abad, to Azad Kashmir recently. The move was followed the same day by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock expressing her country’s concern over the Kashmir dispute.

India promptly and sharply criticised the US and Germany for the back-to-back moves. “I’m honoured to visit during my first trip to AJK,” the US embassy in Islamabad quoted Blome as saying on Twitter.

Rajnath Singh, who was advising Russian President Vladimir Putin on the risks of nuclear war the other day, appeared less bothered about the South Asian nuclear rivalry.

“Kashmir and Ladakh are set on a new path of development and prosperity (post-Aug 5, 2019). This is just the beginning. The mission will complete only when Gilgit-Baltistan and areas of Kashmir (under Pakistan’s control) reunite with India.

“Also, when justice is delivered to the refugees of 1947 and they get their land and homes back. The day is not far away,” reports quoted Mr Singh as saying.

The defence minister was speaking at an event in Budgam to remember the landing of Indian soldiers in Srinagar on Oct 27, 1947.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2022

Opinion

Predatory taxation

Predatory taxation

Without fundamental rethink and reset, Pakistan’s catastrophic tax regime will drive the country's already shrinking formal sector towards extinction.

Editorial

Victim complex
Updated 20 Mar, 2025

Victim complex

If New Delhi is sincere about bringing peace to South Asia, let it agree to an unconditional dialogue with Islamabad about all irritants.
LSM decline
20 Mar, 2025

LSM decline

THE slump in large-scale manufacturing amidst the adjustments the economy is forced to make in order to stay afloat...
Education interrupted
20 Mar, 2025

Education interrupted

THE sudden closure of major universities in Balochistan, ostensibly due to ‘security concerns’, marks another...
Genocide resumes
Updated 19 Mar, 2025

Genocide resumes

It appears that Palestinian people will again be left defenceless in the face of merciless brutality.
Strength in unity
19 Mar, 2025

Strength in unity

WILL it count as an opportunity lost? Given the sharp escalation in militant violence in recent weeks, some had ...
NFC weightage
19 Mar, 2025

NFC weightage

THE NFC Award has long been in need of an overhaul. The government’s proposal to bring down the weightage of...