New Delhi: The Indian Army will take appropriate action to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) if it receives orders to that effect, Army chief General M.M. Naravane said Saturday.
Naravane, in his first press conference after taking over as the Army chief last month, recalled the 1994 Parliament resolution, which stated that the whole of Jammu and Kashmir belonged to India, including PoK.
“The Parliament had adopted a resolution that the entire state of erstwhile J&K belongs to us. If the Parliament orders to reclaim PoK, appropriate actions will be initiated,” he said.
On the question on Pakistan’s Border Action Team allegedly killing two porters at the Line of Control Friday, one of whom was allegedly mutilated, Naravane said that a professional army does not resort to such barbaric acts and the Army “will deal appropriately with such situations in a military manner”.
According to reports, the head of one of the porters was missing and is believed to have been taken away by the BAT personnel.
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1994 resolution
The Indian Parliament had unanimously adopted a resolution on 22 February 1994, declaring that Pakistan must vacate parts of Jammu and Kashmir under its occupation.
The resolution read, “…[This House] expresses regret and concern at the pitiable conditions and violations of human rights and denial of demoractic freedoms of the people in those areas of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, which are under the illegal occupation of Pakistan”.
It added, “The State of Jammu & Kashmir has been, is and shall be an integral part of India and any attempts to separate it from the rest of the country will be resisted by all necessary means.”
The resolution also called for Pakistan to vacate the areas of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir “which they have occupied through aggression.”
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PoK should belong to India, if it wants
Naravane said that if Parliament wants PoK, then it should belong to India.
He had earlier told a news channel that the Army was ready to conduct larger-scale operations in PoK if it is ordered to do so.
Multiple people, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, have made statements regarding the reclamation of PoK after the revocation Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in August last year.
Jaishankar had said that PoK is a part of India, and India expects physical jurisdiction over it one day.
Taking back PoK when the opportunity arises should certainly be a military scenario we should be ready for – but it requires preparation well beyond what the Indian armed forces are currently capable of. Talking prematurely about it in public does not behove a chief of the Indian Army. Kargil was an ideal opportunity to take back PoK but we were simply not prepared militarily to exploit Pakistan’s blunder in initiating the war. At this juncture fighting in PoK means taking on both Pakistan and China – not something we should shrink from, but that requires a serious military capability buildup. For instance we will need a much greater air assault (helicopter borne units) and strategic airlift capability than we currently possess, not to mention an Air Force about twice as strong as ours currently is. Which means spending something like 3% of GDP on defense over 10-12 years (we currently spend 1.6%) and getting the slothful defense ministry and DPSUs to suddenly start performing like stars. The general would be well advised to get going with preparation but hold off on the topic in public lest he appear ludicrous.
Great. First, country is running through economic slowdown and backslashes of demonetisation and bad implementation of GST and new General has started talking about a new war among the ruins. Sir, pahle is desh ki halat ko sudhar lo, fir yudh karna.
Then why don’t you do it. Darpok
He’s become a mouthpiece of the government. Dangerous.
He is a Loud mouth trying to endear himself to the government. His predecessor Bipin Rawat had said the same thing about the PoK! None of them have said what appropriate actions they would take to recover Aksai Chin from China!
I think he is just being HMV (His Master’s Voice). So you see, it’s not just the CAA and Hindutva. This government is hell-bent on imposing their view of how India should be run.
It’s the same with the Supreme Court: the judges are also T(heir)MV.
CAA is innocent in comparison.
India of future will be Pakistan of past. Pakistan of future will be Afghanistan of past. The downward spiral continues.
Never saw an army chief giving a press conference just because he has become the army chief. Modi hai toh mumkin hai.
We are waiting for you.
Kuch bhi