During his address at Gargi College on Vishwa Bandhu Bharat, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed the Narendra Modi administration’s unwavering commitment to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK and reiterated Bharat’s stance on Palestine.
“People just assumed that 370 (Article) cannot be changed and this is something that we have to accept. Now once we change it, the entire ground situation changes,” Jaishankar stated, highlighting the transformative impact of revoking Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.
“All I can say with respect to PoK, there is a Parliament resolution, and every political party in the country is committed to ensuring that the PoK, which is part of Bharat, returns to Bharat,” he asserted. “But I do want to say one thing, I didn’t use to get people to ask us this 10 years ago or even 5 years ago. It is when we put 370 to rest, now people understand PoK is also important,” added Jaishankar.
In addition to addressing the PoK issue, Jaishankar reiterated Bharat’s view on Palestine, reaffirming the nation’s commitment to a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The External Affairs Minister declared on May 5 that ‘PoK’ has “never been out” of Bharat .
While responding to a question at an event in Odisha, Jaishankar mentioned, “PoK has never been out of this country. It is part of this country. There is a resolution of the Indian Parliament that PoK is very much a part of India.”
Taking the opportunity to reiterate Bharat’s stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and the larger Palestinian issue, Jaishankar made it clear that New Delhi supported a homeland for the Palestinians and has been public about its stand.
“The terrorists’ attack on Israel on October 7 was terrorism. We took a clear stance on it. When Israel responded, we took a position that, whenever any military response takes place, it is very important that civilian lives are protected. And if you are displacing civilians, so they are no longer in their homes, you have to give some kind of humanitarian corridor out there,” stated Jaishankar.
