Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh criticized Pakistan’s leadership over making statesment on the issues related to Jammu and Kashmir. Rajnath Singh has said, that Pakistan has no locus standi in Jammu & Kashmir and it should stop making statements on the internal matters of India.
Indian Defence Minister was addressing farmers, security personnel and scientists after inaugurating the 26th Ladakhi Kisan Jawan Vigyan Mela which is organised by Defence Institute of High-Altitude Research (DIHAR) at Leh today.
Rajnath Singh said, “I would like to ask Pakistan, when was Kashmir a part of you? Kashmir was always a part of India”. He said, our stand on Jammu & Kashmir has always been clear and added that in February 1994, Parliament unanimously passed a resolution on J&K.
Raksha Mantri also said, Pakistan has illegally occupied part of Kashmir (PoK) including Gilgit-Baltistan and instead of speaking on Kashmir it should look into the human rights violations the people are facing in that region.
Rajnath Singh said, by making Ladakh a Union Territory, the government has not only honoured the public sentiment but provided a solution to the people’s problems.
According to a press release, Rajnath Singh inaugurated ‘Kisan Jawan Vigyan Mela’ in the presence of Jamyang Tsering Namgya, Chief Executive
Counselor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh. Dr. Satheesh Reddy ,Secretaryof Department of Defence R&D & Chairman of DRDO, and other senior civilian & Army officials in Ladakh were also present on the occassion.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also visited the experimental farm of Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR) where technologies for production of quality organic fruits and vegetables are being demonstrated. He inspected the greenhouse technology, soil-less cultivation technology, potato storage technology and growing melons under cold climatic conditions.
Shri Singh said, the mela provides a platform for interaction between farmers, soldiers and scientists, perfectly imbibing the concept of ‘Jai Jawan-Jai Kisan-Jai Vigyan-Jai Anusandhan’. Appreciating the important role played by DIHAR in connecting the soldiers and the society in Ladakh region, he said the mela is a big leap towards strengthening the strategic ecosystem of Ladakh.
Rajnath Singh called upon the scientists at DIHAR to develop, within three years when it completes 60 years of its establishment, a model on ‘High Altitude Survival’ that can help the Armed Forces personnel to brave the harsh and inhospitable conditions and keep their morale high. The Indian Army has the capability to become the best ‘High Altitude Warfare’ force in the world, he added.
Defence Minister also appreciated the recent initiative of LAHDC to turn Leh into a certified organic district by 2025. He assured support from the Government in its organic mission.
DIHAR was established in 1962 to meet the fresh food requirement of the soldiers deployed in the harsh terrain of Ladakh. Through the technologies developed by the institute, the Army is getting locally grown fresh organic farm produce. As a spin-off of the technologies developed, farmers in Ladakh are able to produce a variety of fruits and vegetables resulting in improving their socio-economic condition.
