Protest in POK becomes election issue in India, what can be the impact on LoC?

Answering the question of what effect the protests in POK can have on the LOC (Line of Control), Lieutenant General Sanjay Kulkarni (Retd) says that when voices are raised against the administration in POK and the protests intensify. If there is, people from there may try to come towards us here, so we have to be alert. He said that when a large number of people come, there could be terrorists along with them, hence vigilance is necessary. If we allow people from there to come here, there could be a refugee crisis again and we have seen this in 1971 when a large number of refugees came here from Bangladesh. He said that when PoK will join India then the people there will also become ours. He says that the ongoing protests in PoK will help us in a way. That area itself is slowly coming towards us.

Lieutenant General Kulkarni said that just as the Defense Minister also said a few days ago that the people there are so upset that they themselves will merge with India. He said that terrorism is also an aspect of this. On the other side of the LOC, there are launch pads of terrorists in POK itself, which are supported by the military there. To divert attention from the protests, they may increase efforts for terrorist infiltration. Therefore, we have to keep an eye on every movement of the terrorist launch pad. However, Major General Ashok Kumar (retired) says that due to protests in PoK, terrorists will not be able to infiltrate that easily. He said that the stronger the protests there, the lesser will be the possibility of terrorist infiltration. Pakistan’s military supports terrorists and helps in infiltration, but when the local people are opposing the administration and government there, it will not be easy for the terrorists to infiltrate.

Need to cross 400 for PoK!

The protests taking place in PoK are also becoming an election issue in India. Where Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah said that POK is ours and we will take it. Whereas Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that we need 400 seats so that we can take PoK. While campaigning in Delhi, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Congress asks why 400 seats are needed. He said that when Congress was in power, we were told that in a way Kashmir is in India as well as in Pakistan. It was never discussed in our Parliament that the Kashmir which is with Pakistan is Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. There people are protesting against Pakistan holding the Indian tricolor in their hands. He said this is the beginning. If Modi ji gets 400 seats then Pakistan Occupied Kashmir will also become India’s and this has already started.

In a rally in West Bengal, Amit Shah said that when Indi Alliance was in power, there used to be strikes in our Kashmir. Then slogans of independence were raised here, now slogans of independence are being raised in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Earlier there used to be stone pelting here, now stone pelting is happening there. 2 crore 11 lakh tourists went to Kashmir and created a new record and the price of flour in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir has created a record. He said that Pakistan occupied Kashmir belongs to India. These Mani Shankar Iyer, Farooq Abdullah are scaring the country that Pakistan has atom bomb. Shah said that Pakistan occupied Kashmir belongs to India and we will take it.

Earlier, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had also said that the way peace has returned in Kashmir and economic progress is taking place, the people of PoK themselves will demand that they be merged into India. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also said that PoK was, is and will always be a part of India.

attempt to sharpen nationalism

In the last Lok Sabha elections, the airstrike in Balakot and the safe return of Wing Commander Abhinandan was a big issue and it was mentioned extensively in BJP’s election posters and in the speeches of the leaders. Nationalism did not become an issue in this election. Before voting in Tamil Nadu, the issue of Katchatheevu came up but it did not become a topic of discussion among the people. Now the continuous protests in PoK are being mentioned a lot on social media. Such videos are coming from there every day in which protesters are carrying the tricolor. On the pretext of POK, an attempt is being made once again to make the issue of nationalism a big issue in the elections. Four phase elections have been held and three phase elections are yet to be held. Voting is to be held on 164 seats in these three phases.