EAM S Jaishankar Affirms Position On PoK Amid Violent Protests

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated that Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir "will always be part of India".

The analysis of the situation was stressed by the external affairs minister to be highly complex.

"There is a ferment happening in PoK, it can be seen on social media or television. The analysis of it is very complex but definitely, there is no doubt in my own mind that someone living in PoK is comparing their situation with someone actually living in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that how is it that people today are actually progressing there," Jaishankar said, as reported by PTI.

EAM Jaishankar added, "They know that sense of being under occupation, of being discriminated, of being treated badly, clearly that any such comparison would be preying on their minds." When asked when PoK would merge with India, Jaishankar corrected the question and reiterated that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir was and will always be a part of India.

"I don't know what you mean by merge because it has been India, it will always be...if you ask me when will the occupation end, I actually find it very interesting," he said, as per PTI reports.

The external affairs minister added, "Till Article 370 was continuing, in our own country, actually, there was not much discussion about PoK. There was at one point in the 1990s, in fact when some pressure was put on us by Western countries at that time...at that time...parliament unanimously passed a resolution."

Jaishankar's remarks come even as violent protests erupted in PoK since Friday, with demonstrators urging the administration to bring down electricity prices. On Tuesday, at least three were killed and six left injured after Pakistani security forces opened fire on protestors who attacked their personnel.

EAM Criticises Western Media's Coverage Of Indian Elections

The "negative" coverage of Indian elections by the Western media was criticized by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who expressed disapproval of the countries that "have to go to court for deciding election results" lecturing on conducting polls.

During an interaction with the audience after the launch of the Bangla edition of his book 'Why Bharat Matters' in Kolkata, it was remarked by S Jaishankar that the Western countries "feel" they have influenced the world for the last 200 years, and therefore cannot easily relinquish their "old habits."

It was stated by Jaishankar that these Western countries desire to influence India, as they believe they have shaped the world for the last 70-80 years, with some considering their influence extending back 200 years. According to Jaishankar, this long-standing influence makes it challenging for them to abandon their established practices.

Jaishankar suggested that the Western media is keen on having a particular "class of people" govern India and become "disturbed" when the Indian electorate disagrees with this preference. Jaishankar's comments were in response to allegations made against India by Canada and the US concerning poll interference and operations conducted on foreign soil.

The reason behind the negative portrayal of India by these newspapers, according to Jaishankar, is that they see an India that does not conform to their preferred image of the country. He mentioned that these newspapers openly endorse candidates and political parties at times.

The "mind game" described by Jaishankar involved the reputation-damaging actions of newspapers, with some countries resorting to legal means to determine election outcomes and now offering advice on conducting elections in India.

This is reflective of the ongoing legal dispute initiated by Donald Trump in his attempt to reverse the 2020 US Presidential election results, where Joe Biden emerged as the victor.