Jammu and Kashmir is incomplete without PoK: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday accused Pakistan of making persistent attempts to destabilise India by sponsoring terrorism and said it must dismantle its terror infrastructure in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) or face consequences.

Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir is incomplete without PoK, he said the area is being used as a terrorism hub, with its land serving as a base for training camps and launch pads for infiltration activities.

"The land of PoK is being used to run the business of terrorism. Even today, terrorist training camps are operational there. Launch pads have been established in areas near the border, and the Indian government has concrete information about this and is fully aware of the situation. Pakistan must eliminate this, otherwise ...," Singh said while addressing a veterans' rally in Akhnoor area.

Reiterating India's position on PoK, he said, "Jammu and Kashmir is incomplete without PoK. For Pakistan, PoK is nothing more than foreign territory."

He said that the people in PoK have been deprived of a dignified life, and Pakistan's rulers have exploited them in the name of religion to further their anti-India agenda.

Singh also condemned the recent remarks by PoK Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq, calling them a continuation of Pakistan's anti-India agenda nurtured since the era of General Zia-ul-Haq.