External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that the Kashmir conflict is “mostly solved” and that India was just waiting for Pakistan to now “return the stolen part” of the territory.
Speaking at the Chatham House think tank during his London visit, Jaishankar also listed several steps taken by the government in tackling the Kashmir issue, such as abrogation of Article 370, restoration of growth, economic activity, and social justice as well as conducting elections in the Union Territory.
He said that the only step left to completely resolve the conflict in the Valley is the return of the “stolen part”, which is “under illegal Pakistani occupation”.
“Look in Kashmir actually we have done I think good job solving most of it. I think, removing article 370 was one step number one. Then, restoring growth and economic activity and social justice in Kashmir. It was step number two, holding elections, which were done with a very high turnout for step number three. I think the part we are waiting for is the return of the stolen part of Kashmir, which is on the, the illegal Pakistani occupation. When that’s done, I assure you. Kashmir solved,” EAM Jaishankar said at the Chatham House.
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Jaishankar has time and again asserted that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is a part of India and that every Indian political party was committed to ensuring that it returns to India.
During an interaction with students of Delhi University’s Gargi College on May 9, 2024, Jaishankar said: “All I can say about POK is that there a Parliament resolution…every political party of this country is committed to ensuring that POK, which is a part of India, returns to India. That is our national commitment.”
He had also stressed that the scrapping of Article 370 in 2019 paved the way for people to think about the PoK issue as well.
During a session titled ‘India’s rise and role in the world’ at the Chatham House, the EAM also spoke on several topics such as US President Donald Trump’s new administration, India-China relations, and the UK-India Free Trade Agreement.
He said that US under Donald Trump is “moving towards multipolarity which suits India’s interests”, and that the two nations have agreed on the need for a bilateral trade pact.
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