Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on 18 August, Sunday said that talks would be held with Pakistan only on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“If talks are held with Pakistan, it will now be on PoK,” he said in a public address after flagging off the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra', some 20 km from Chandigarh.
Referring to 5 August abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution that accorded a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, he said it was done for the development of the state.
“Our neighbour is knocking on the doors of the international community saying India made a mistake. Talks with Pakistan will be held only if it stops supporting terror,” he said.
He said a few days ago Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan told his country that India was planning to take an action bigger than Balakot. “So Pakistan PM does acknowledge what India did in Balakot,” he said.
The Yatra, being held in the run up to Haryana's upcoming Assembly elections, will pass through the state's 90 Assembly seats and conclude with a rally in Rohtak on 8 September.
BJP's state election-in-charge and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his Cabinet colleagues attended the flagging off of the Yatra.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)