Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday reaffirmed India’s commitment to the 1994 resolution on retrieving the part of Kashmir that is currently under Pakistan's control.
Speaking at an official event organized in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital of Srinagar on the occasion of "Shaurya Diwas" ("Victory Day"), the minister said that the region, including both Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, is reaching a new level of development today.
Singh was among the top government functionaries attending the official celebrations that the Indian authorities introduced in 2020, following the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s semi-autonomy. That year, Delhi decided to celebrate October 26 as "Accession Day" and October 27 as "Victory Day."
“We have [initiated] the development of this area. Our journey will be completed when we implement the 1994 resolution passed in the Indian parliament on retrieving our remaining territories [and] reaching Gilgit and Baltistan,” Singh said.
On October 27, 1947, the Indian Army entered Srinagar to repel a Pakistani raid aimed at taking control of the entirety of Kashmir. This was India's first military action as an independent nation, which came at the request of Maharaja Hari Singh, the then Hindu Dogra ruler of the region who had signed the “instrument of accession” to join the Union of India the day before.
Since then, India and Pakistan have fought several wars over Kashmir, finally drawing a ceasefire line (Line of Control) dividing Kashmir between their respective administrations.
Speaking in Kashmir on Thursday, India's defense minister also slammed Islamabad over the alleged mistreatment of locals in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir.
“How many rights have you given to the people of our areas of which [you have] taken unauthorized possession?” Singh questioned. “We know how much they really care for human rights. We keep hearing about human rights violation in PoK every other day, [and] Pakistan is fully responsible for inhumane incidents.”
The minister concluded by suggesting that history is a witness that whoever oppresses people has to face consequences in the end.
The territorial dispute remains a thorn in bilateral relationships between the two nations. Russia follows the principle of non-intervention into the domestic affairs of other states and respects their will to resolve the dispute without the third party involvement.