During his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hit out at Pakistan, saying the neighbouring country has "no locus standi" in Jammu and Kashmir, and it should stop making statements on the internal matters of India. Singh was addressing farmers, security personnel and scientists after inaugurating the 26th Ladakhi Kisan Jawan Vigyan Mela, organised by Defence Institute of High-Altitude Research (DIHAR), at Leh on Thursday.
Singh is the first senior minister from the Union government to visit Jammu and Kashmir after the August 5 decision. The strong words from the defecne minister has come on a day when Pakistan military announced it had conducted a successful test of the ballistic missile 'Ghaznavi'.
Moreover, Singh's words gained significance in the wake of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's appeal to all Pakistanis to come out on Friday—from 12 noon to 12.30 pm—to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir and send the Kashmiris in IOK (Indian Occupied Kashmir) a clear message that the entire Pakistani nation stands with them.
“I would like to ask Pakistan, when was Kashmir a part of you? Kashmir was always a part of India”, Singh said, adding that New Delhi's stand on Jammu and Kashmir has always been clear. He further said in February 1994, the Parliament had unanimously passed a resolution on Jammu and Kashmir.
He also pointed out that Pakistan has illegally occupied PoK, including Gilgit-Baltistan. "Instead of speaking on Kashmir, it should look into the human rights violations people are facing in that region," the defence minister added. He also maintained that by making Ladakh a union territory, the government has not only honoured the public sentiment, but also provided a solution to the people’s problems.
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"Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aim is to bring ‘localised solution’ to the country’s strategic areas," he said.
Earlier, Singh inaugurated Kisan Jawan Vigyan Mela in the presence of chief executive counselor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Jamyang Tsering Namgyal; secretary, Department of Defence R&D and chairman of DRDO, Dr Satheesh Reddy and other senior civilian & Army officials in Ladakh.
Singh also visited the experimental farm of DIHAR where technologies for production of quality organic fruits and vegetables are being demonstrated. He inspected the greenhouse technology, soil-less cultivation technology, potato storage technology and growing melons under cold climatic conditions, according to a statement issued by the ministry of defence.
Singh also called upon the scientists at DIHAR to develop, within three years when it completes 60 years of its establishment, a model on ‘high altitude survival’ that can help the armed forces personnel to brave the harsh and inhospitable conditions and keep their morale high. The Indian Army has the capability to become the best ‘high altitude warfare’ force in the world, he added.
DIHAR was established in 1962 to meet the fresh food requirement of soldiers deployed in the harsh terrain of Ladakh. Through the technologies developed by the institute, the Army is getting locally grown, fresh organic farm produce. As a spin-off of the technologies developed, farmers in Ladakh are able to produce a variety of fruits and vegetables, resulting in improvement of their socio-economic conditions.
