Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh has said, Pakistan has no locus standi in Jammu & Kashmir and it should stop making statements on the internal matters of India. He was addressing farmers, security people and scientists after inaugurating the 26th Ladakhi Kisan Jawan Vigyan Mela organised by Defence Institute of High-Altitude Research (DIHAR) at Leh today.
Raksha Mantri said, “I would like to ask Pakistan, when was Kashmir a part of you? Kashmir was always a part of India”.
Shri Rajnath Singh said, our stand on Jammu & Kashmir has always been clear and added that in February 1994, Parliament unanimously passed a resolution on J&K.
Raksha Mantri also said, Pakistan has illegally occupied PoK including Gilgit-Baltistan and instead of speaking on Kashmir it should look into the human rights violations the people are facing in that region.
Shri Rajnath Singh said, by making Ladakh a Union Territory, the government has not only honoured the public sentiment but provided a solution to the people’s problems. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s aim is to bring ‘localised solution’ to the country’s ‘strategic areas’, he added.
Shri Rajnath 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.
Raksha Mantri said, the mela provides a platform for interaction between farmers, soldiers and scientists, perfectly imbibing the concept of ‘Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan-Jai Vigyan-Jai Anusandhan’. Appreciating the important role played by DIHAR in connecting the soldiers and the society in Ladakh region, he said the mela is a big leap towards strengthening the strategic ecosystem of Ladakh.