'One Day PoK Will Say Main Bharat Hoon': Rajnath Singh in Morocco

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said Monday that one day Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) will declare itself part of India, stressing that this could happen without any military action.Speaking to the Indian community in Morocco, Singh said the people of PoK are increasingly demanding freedom from Pakistan's administration. "PoK will be ours on its own. Demands have started being made there, you must have heard the sloganeering," he said. Singh's remarks follow criticism from opposition leaders alleging that the government missed a chance to capture PoK during Operation Sindoor in May, despite India gaining an advantage after downing multiple Pakistani jets."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," Singh said.On Operation Sindoor, the defence minister said Indian armed forces were given full freedom to respond to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, according to an official readout, reports PTI. "We took action not based on religion but on deeds (Humne dharm dekh kar nahi, karm dekh kar maara hai)," Singh said, quoting the Ramcharitmanas to describe the nation's firm yet restrained approach, it noted.India's actions in response to the attack were "measured and non-escalatory", he said.In response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.Singh is on a two-day visit to Morocco, marking the first-ever visit by an Indian defence minister to the country. He inaugurated Tata Advanced Systems’ new manufacturing facility in Berrechid for the Wheeled Armoured Platform (WhAP) 8x8, India’s first defence production plant in Africa.Highlighting India's progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh noted the country's growth in the digital and knowledge economy, as well as defence exports exceeding Rs 23,000 crore to more than 100 nations.He also said that despite geopolitical challenges, India has emerged as the fastest-growing major economy, and is poised to enter the top three soon.