Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Aksai Chin Part Of Jammu & Kashmir: Amit Shah

Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin are part of Jammu & Kashmir and the Kashmir Valley is an integral part of India, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Moving a resolution for abrogating some provisions of Article 370 and the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019, the home minister said that there has been a long-standing demand for giving union territory status to Ladakh which is now fulfilled by the Narendra Modi government.

"Kashmir is an integral part of India, there is no doubt over it. When I talk about Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin are included in it," he said.

Dismissing opposition's charge that the introduction of the J&K Reorganisation Bill and the Article 370 resolution were a violation of the rights of the people, Shah said nobody can stop him from introducing a resolution on Kashmir in the Parliament.

The home minister also said the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir will have an assembly with a chief minister and members of legislative assembly.

On Monday, the Modi government revoked some provisions of the Article 370 of the Constitution of India to take away Jammu and Kashmir's administrative autonomy, and proposed bifurcation of the state into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The J&K Reorganisation Bill fulfils an electoral promise of Bharatiya Janata Party, less than 90 days after the second Modi government took power, Shah had said in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

The Upper House passed the bill will 125 votes in favour and 61 against. The resolution to abrogate Article 370 and the accompanying Article 35A was passed by a voice vote.