In a message to Pakistan and the terrorists it breeds on its soil, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday reiterated that India will get back the control of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), because the people in the region itself have been demanding freedom from the current administration.

“PoK will be ours on its own. Demands have started being made in PoK, you must have heard sloganeering,” the Minister said.

Recalling his statement of five years ago, he said, “I was addressing the Indian Army at a program in Kashmir Valley five years ago, I had then said that we will not need to attack and capture PoK, it is anyway ours; PoK itself will say, ‘Main bhi Bharat Hoon’. That day will come.”

The remark comes months after India’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan based terrorists after 26 tourists were murdered in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. After four nights of intense action between India and Pakistan, New Delhi agreed to reach an understanding of a ceasefire after Islamabad’s request. 

However, many opposition leaders opined India should have aggressively acted to take control of the PoK region.

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‘Humne karam dekh ke maara’

The Defence Minister, while talking about Operation Sindoor, said India executed it to target killers. He said India does not discriminate against people from different communities, and it acted to teach a lesson to those who spread terror. Speaking at a programme in Morocco where he was addressing the Indian community, he said the terrorists killed people in Pahalgam after asking their religion.

“Ab bharat ki vishesha dekho, atankwadio ne deshvashiyo ka dharam puch kar mara, Magar hum logo ne kisi ka dharm dekh kar nahi, unka karm dekh kar maara hai. (The terrorists came here and killed our citizens after asking their religion. But we did not see someone’s religion, but their actions),” Singh said during his interaction in Rabat, Morocco, quoted ANI.

“We killed only those who killed our people. We didn’t attack any civilian or any military establishment. Only India can have this character. Had we wanted, we could have attacked any military establishment or civilian establishment, but we didn’t do it. We should uphold this character of India,” he told the Indian community in Rabat, Morocco.

‘We’re broad minded’: Rajnath on US tariffs

Rajnath Singh also shared his views on US President Donald Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian imports to the country. He said India did not react to the announcement immediately because the country operates with a broad mind and big heart.

“We didn’t react…Those who are broad-minded and big-hearted, do not react on anything immediately,” he added.

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Rajnath’s Morocco visit

Rajnath Singh reached Morocco on Sunday for a two-day official visit, marking the first-ever trip by an Indian Defence Minister to the country, reported ANI. He was welcomed at the Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport by the Head Wali of the Military Command of Casablanca and the Indian Ambassador to Morocco, Sanjay Rana.

Members of the Indian community, including the President of the Indian Association, also turned out in large numbers to extend a warm welcome to the minister. 

The Defence minister is set to inaugurate the Tata Advanced Systems’ new manufacturing facility for the Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8×8 at Berrechid, which will be the first-ever Indian defence manufacturing plant in Africa.

He will also hold a bilateral meeting with his Moroccan counterpart Abdeltif Loudiyi. The two sides are likely to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the field of Defence. The memorandum will provide an institutional framework to expand and deepen bilateral defence engagement, including exchanges, training, and industrial linkages. Indian Navy ships have been making regular port calls at Casablanca in recent years, and this agreement will further consolidate such ties.