KAKINADA: Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy has said Pakistan would be wiped out of the world map if at all it engages in a war with India.
He was addressing a ‘Jan Jagaran’ meeting at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Kakinada, on Sunday on the theme ‘One Nation, One Constitution,’ where he elaborated on why Article 370 of the Constitution was abrogated.
“If at all a war happens Pakistan will no longer remain on the world map. It will be wiped out,” Reddy warned.
“There is none to be cowed down by the hollow noises of Imran Khan (Pakistan Prime Minister) or the Pakistan Army. The Prime Minister of India is not a man to be cowed down. This is a government that protects the sovereignty and integrity of the country. It’s a patriotic government,” the Union Minister observed.
He also asserted that India would look into PoK (Pak-occupied-Kashmir) when the time comes. Noting that not one gunshot, not one teargas shell was fired nor one person was killed since Article 370 was abrogated, the minister said, “It’s a matter of pride.”
In the last 70 years, when Article 370 was in force, it only gave rise to terrorism, separatism and pro-Pakistan elements. India had to fight four wars with Pakistan in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999,” he pointed out.
As many as 42,000 people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990 (due to terrorism). “Poverty, unemployment, terrorism, bloodshed, curfews, bomb blasts, gunfire... nothing else in 70 years. There were 65,000 terrorist incidents, 35,000 AK rifles seized in Kashmir. There was no education and no reservations of any kind,” he said.
Thousands of temples were demolished while lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits and Hindus driven out of Jammu and Kashmir, the Union Minister added. By removing Article 370, integration of Jammu and Kashmir into India was completed after 70 long years.
“What right does Imran Khan have to talk about Article 370, which is an internal matter of India?” he asked. He asserted that the Centre would protect the “land, culture and traditions” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The minister also held first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru responsible for the present situation in J&K.