“Kashmir was never yours, why crying over it?” Rajnath Singh slams Pakistan asserting it has no locus standi on the Valley

Leh, August 29: Reiterating loud and strong that Kashmir Valley is an integral part of India, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that Pakistan has no locus standi on the region and should not be under any illusion about the same. Continuing to maintain a tough stand on Pakistan, Rajnath Singh on Thursday warned Pakistan to not indulge in unsubstantiated and vitriolic talk on Jammu and Kashmir.

Inaugurating the Kisan-Jawan Vigyan Mela organised by Defence Research and Development Organisation, Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh said, “Pakistan has no Locus Standi in Kashmir. The country is illegally occupying Gilgit-Baltistan along with Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Our Parliament had in 1994 unanimously passed a resolution that the entire Kashmir valley belongs to India and our stand on it is clear.”

Questioning Pakistan and realizing them of their own existence Rajnath Singh said, “I want to ask Pakistan - when was Kashmir with Pakistan? Pakistan was created out of India. We respect the existence of Pakistan. But it does not mean that Pakistan can speak anything that it wants to about Kashmir. Kashmir will always remain with India and it should have no doubt about it. Pakistan should ensure that the human rights of the people living in PoK is not violated.”

The warning from the Defence Minister came hours after Pakistan test-fired surface to surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi. Pakistan's Armed Forces spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor confirming the development through a tweet on Thursday, which also included a video of the launch. The missile is capable of delivering multiple types of warheads up to 290 kilometers.

Pakistan has adopted a high-pitched vitriolic diatribe against India ever since PM Narendra Modi-led government abrogated Article 370 and Article 35A from Jammu and Kashmir which ended the former state's special status.

However, Islamabad has largely isolated itself despite desperate attempts aimed at internationalising the Kashmir issue. Despite focusing on the dwindling economy and terrorism emanating from its soil, Islamabad has been crying hoarse over Kashmir and also went to the extent of threatening a nuclear war.

India has maintained that Kashmir is its internal matter but the neighbouring country has downgraded bilateral ties with New Delhi and said that it will consider all steps to counter what it described "illegal steps".