Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya made waves on Thursday after declaring that he had asked the Indian Army Chief for Pakistan occupied Kashmir as ‘dakshina’. The remarks came weeks after India launched Operation Sindoor again terror camps in the neighbouring country. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also asserted on Thursday that the residents of PoK would ‘return voluntarily’ to mainstream India.
“The Indian Army Chief came to me. He received initiation from me in the Ram Mantra – the same mantra that Hanuman ji received from Sita ji and achieved victory over Lanka. Afterwards, when the matter of ‘Dakshina’ came up, I said I would ask for a ‘Dakshina’ that no teacher has ever asked for before. I said, ‘I want PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir).’ He accepted my request. We are ready to give Pakistan an appropriate response,” the Padma Vibhushan awardee told PTI.
The seer is the founder of Tulsi Peeth Seva Niwas, a prolific writer and the founder-chancellor of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University. He received the Jnanpith Award earlier this month — the first time that a saint has received the honour. The spiritual leader had also made headlines earlier this month after contending that Pakistan could have been “wiped off the global map” if the ceasefire had been delayed by even a day or two. Swami Rambhadracharya also reiterated in mid-May that he had recently met with top officials of the armed forces and told them that the country wants Pakistan-occupied Kashmir back.
Ties between the two countries have remained strained in recent weeks following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead and several others injured. India had launched Operation Sindoor in retaliation — targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK.
“I believe that the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) are our own, part of our family. We are committed to the resolution of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ (One India, Best India) and we have full faith that those of our brothers who are geographically and politically separated from us today, will also return to the mainstream of India someday or the other with self-respect, listening to their voice of soul,” the Defence Minister said.
In a clear message to Pakistan, Singh also said the business of terrorism is not cost effective and it will come with a heavy price as Islamabad has realised now.His comments came three days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is for the youth of Pakistan to step forward and “free Pakistan from the disease of terrorism”. Singh said the unification of the PoK with India depends on “the cultural, social and economic prosperity of this country”. He also claimed that most of the people in PoK feel a “deep connection” with India and only a few of them have been “misled”.
(With inputs from agencies)