J&K Is "Incomplete" Without Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, Says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday praised Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his efforts to reduce the distance between the hearts of the people of the union terrorirorty and Delhi, and asserted that the BJP government treats Delhi and Kashmir equally.

Mr Singh was addressing the ninth armed forces veterans' day rally at the Tanda Artillery brigade in Akhnoor sector near here.

"Kashmir was treated differently (by previous governments) in the past as a result our brothers and sisters in the region could not get connected with Delhi as it should have been. I do not want to go into the past as our government's biggest achievement is that we have been working to bridge 'dil ki duri' (distance between hearts) between Kashmir and the rest of the country.

"I congratulate Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for taking the right steps to help overcome the little bit of gap (which is still there)," the defence minister said.

The defence minister slammed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq for his remarks against India, and said that Jammu and Kashmir is incomplete without PoK.

He also extended Makar Sankranti and New Year greetings to the veterans, and said their presence in Akhnoor demonstrates that "we are treating Akhnoor or for that matter Kashmir the same way as Delhi in our hearts."

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