The day is not far when PoK will say I am India, I have come back: Rajnath Singh

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday (May 29) vowed to integrate Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) with India ‘very soon’, saying most of the people living in the territory feel a “deep connection” with India.

While addressing the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) Annual Business Summit-2025, the defence minister hailed Operation Sindoor and lauded the success of the ‘Make in India’ initiative in the defence sector.

In his speech, Singh said Pakistan-occupied Kashmir will soon return to India.

“Most of the people in PoK feel a deep connection with India, there are only a few who have been misled. The situation of our brothers living in PoK is similar to that of the brave warrior Maharana Pratap’s younger brother Shakti Singh…India always talks about connecting hearts, and we believe that by following the path of love, unity and truth, the day is not far when our own part PoK will return and say, I am India, I have come back. Integration of PoK with India depends on the cultural, social and economic prosperity of this country…,” Singh said.

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#WATCH | Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh says, "Most of the people in PoK feel a deep connection with India, there are only a few who have been misled. The situation of our brothers living in PoK is similar to that of the brave warrior Maharana Pratap's younger brother… pic.twitter.com/B8Pj13rtjT

— ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2025

The defence minister added that people of the PoK are India’s own and part of “family”.

“I believe that the people of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) are our own, part of our family. We are committed to the resolution of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” and we have full faith that our brothers who are geographically and politically separated from us today, will also return to the mainstream of India someday or the other…,” he said.

‘Make in India campaign critical’

Singh said the Operation Sindoor showed that the ‘Make in India’ campaign was critical for the country’s security as well as prosperity.

“In Operation Sindoor, the people of the whole country have seen, understood and felt the success of the Make in India campaign. Today, it has been proved that Make in India is important for both the security and prosperity of India. Make in India is an essential component of India’s National Security. If we did not have this capability, India’s forces would not have been able to take such effective action against terrorism from lower Pakistan to PoK…,” he added.

Warning to Pakistan

Singh also issued a stern warning to Pakistan, saying it will have to pay a heavy price for supporting terrorism in the region.

“Running the business of terrorism is not cost-effective. Today, Pakistan has realised that it has to pay a heavy price for it. We have redesigned and redefined both India’s strategy and response against terrorism. We have recalibrated our engagement and scope of dialogue with Pakistan. Now, whenever there will be talks, it will be only on terrorism and PoK,” the defence minister said.

Operation Sindoor

Operation Sindoor was a precise, large-scale military operation launched by the Indian Armed Forces on May 7, 2025, targeting nine terrorist bases in Pakistan and PoK. It was a direct response to the brutal Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, where 26 civilians, mostly Hindu, were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists.

The operation marked a significant shift in India’s approach to cross-border terrorism, signalling a new doctrine where such attacks are treated as acts of war.