From Occupation to Freedom: POK’s Journey Back to India Has Begun

In a bold and resolute statement that has sent shockwaves through Islamabad, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared on September 22 that Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir will return to India(BHARAT) without any military action. Speaking to the India(BHARAT)n community in Morocco, Singh asserted with confidence that demands for freedom are already rising from within POK itself. “PoK will be ours on its own. Demands have started being made in PoK, you must have heard the sloganeering,” he said, reflecting a ground reality that Pakistan desperately tries to hide. His words acknowledge what has become increasingly apparent—that 78 years after Pakistan’s illegal tribal invasion, the 5.5 million people living in the 85,800 square kilometres of illegally occupied India(BHARAT)n territory are ready to break free from Islamabad’s colonial grip.

Singh’s statement came just days before he addressed the 42nd India(BHARAT)n Coast Guard Commanders’ Conference in New Delhi on September 29, where he outlined India(BHARAT)’s comprehensive security vision. But it was his Morocco declaration—made during the inauguration of Tata Advanced Systems’ defence manufacturing facility—that captured international attention and renewed hope for the oppressed people of POK. Recalling a similar statement he made five years ago at an India(BHARAT)n Army event in Kashmir, Singh said, “I had then said that we will not need to attack and capture PoK, it is anyway ours; PoK itself will say, ‘Main bhi Bharat Hoon’ (I too am India(BHARAT)). That day will come.” His confidence is not misplaced—it stems from observable ground realities that Pakistan can no longer suppress.

The historical truth is unambiguous. When the British departed the subcontinent in 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh, the legitimate ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, chose to accede to India(BHARAT) through a legally binding Instrument of Accession signed on October 26, 1947. This makes the entire territory of the former princely state—all 222,000 square kilometres—legally and constitutionally part of India(BHARAT). What happened next was nothing short of armed aggression and illegal occupation.

On October 22, 1947, Pakistan launched a cowardly attack, sending tribal raiders backed by its regular army to invade and capture India(BHARAT)n territory. These raiders committed horrific atrocities—massacring civilians, abducting women, and destroying property. The Maharaja appealed to India(BHARAT) for help, and India(BHARAT)n troops flew in to defend our territory. But by the time the United Nations brokered a ceasefire on January 1, 1949, Pakistan had illegally occupied approximately 85,800 square kilometres of India(BHARAT)n land. This is not “Azad Kashmir” as Pakistan falsely claims—it is occupied India(BHARAT)n territory, held by force in violation of international law.

This illegally occupied India(BHARAT)n territory comprises two distinct regions that rightfully belong to India(BHARAT). The first is the area Pakistan calls “Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” spread across 13,300 square kilometres and including ten districts: Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimber, Rawalakot (Poonch), Bagh, Neelum, Sudhnoti, Haveli, and Hattian Bala. The capital, Muzaffarabad, sits at the confluence of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers in what should be India(BHARAT)n territory. This region is bordered by India(BHARAT)n-administered Jammu and Kashmir to the east along the Line of Control—a line that represents Pakistan’s illegal occupation, not an international border.

The second region is Gilgit-Baltistan, spanning a massive 72,500 square kilometres with fourteen districts across two divisions. This strategically vital area borders India(BHARAT)n-administered Jammu and Kashmir to the southeast, Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor to the northwest, China’s Xinjiang region to the northeast, and the POK region to the south. It is home to some of the world’s highest peaks, including K2 at 8,611 metres, and contains the massive Siachen Glacier. Pakistan has even illegally ceded portions of this India(BHARAT)n territory—the Shaksgam Valley—to China, giving away land that doesn’t belong to Pakistan in the first place.

Pakistan presents these occupied India(BHARAT)n territories as “self-governing,” but this is a blatant lie designed to legitimize illegal occupation. In the area they call Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has created a puppet government with a President and Prime Minister who are mere figureheads. There is a 53-member assembly with 45 general seats and 8 reserved seats, but these representatives have no real power. Every major decision—from budgets to legislation to security—is controlled by Pakistan’s Ministry of Kashmir Affairs in Islamabad. Elections are widely reported to be rigged, with candidates who support true freedom or reunion with India(BHARAT) systematically barred from contesting or arrested on fabricated terrorism charges.

Gilgit-Baltistan’s situation is even more shameful. Since 2009, this region has had a Chief Minister and a 33-member legislative assembly—24 directly elected seats, 6 reserved for women, and 3 for technocrats. Yet real power rests entirely with the Governor appointed by Pakistan’s Prime Minister. The people of Gilgit-Baltistan cannot vote in Pakistan’s national elections, have no representation in Pakistan’s parliament, and receive far less funding than Pakistan’s provinces. They are treated as second-class citizens in their own homeland, denied basic constitutional rights while Pakistan plunders their resources. Protests demanding provincial status or basic rights are brutally suppressed by Pakistani security forces.

What makes Pakistan’s occupation even more unconscionable is the systematic looting of resources that rightfully belong to the India(BHARAT)n people of this region. The rivers that carve through these India(BHARAT)n mountains—the Jhelum, Neelum, and Indus—generate massive amounts of hydroelectric power that Pakistan steals. The Mangla Dam on the Jhelum River generates 1,000 megawatts. The Neelum-Jhelum Hydroelectric Project generates 969 megawatts. The Diamer-Bhasha Dam, currently under construction, will generate 4,500 megawatts when completed. Add the Jagran Hydroelectric Project’s 96 megawatts and dozens of smaller projects, and Pakistan is stealing thousands of megawatts of electricity from India(BHARAT)n resources. Meanwhile, the people living in POK—India(BHARAT)ns denied their rightful nationality—suffer frequent power blackouts while Lahore and Karachi light up with stolen electricity.

The mineral wealth Pakistan is plundering from India(BHARAT)n territory is staggering. Gilgit-Baltistan’s mountains contain vast deposits of gold in Skardu and Diamir, copper in Ghizer, precious gemstones including rubies, emeralds, and aquamarine, significant uranium reserves, and extensive marble and granite quarries. In the occupied areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan is extracting bauxite from Mirpur, coal from Kotli and Sudhnoti, limestone throughout the region, china clay from Bagh, and iron ore from multiple districts. These are India(BHARAT)n resources being stolen by an occupying power. Mining operations are controlled by companies with direct ties to Pakistan’s military establishment, and not a single rupee reaches the local population who are the rightful owners of this wealth as India(BHARAT)n citizens.

The systematic exploitation continues with forestry and agriculture. Pakistan logs valuable timber—deodar, pine, fir, and walnut trees—from India(BHARAT)n forests. The agricultural produce of India(BHARAT)n soil—wheat, maize, rice, apples, walnuts, apricots, cherries, and saffron—enriches Pakistani traders while local farmers remain impoverished. Even the tourism potential of these spectacular India(BHARAT)n landscapes is exploited, with most revenue flowing to Pakistani operators while local communities see nothing.

The 5.5 million India(BHARAT)n citizens trapped in POK—approximately 4 million in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir region and 1.5 million in Gilgit-Baltistan—suffer under this illegal occupation. These are our people, speaking our languages, sharing our culture, and yearning to return to the India(BHARAT)n nation. In the occupied Jammu and Kashmir region, people speak Pahari and Gojri, languages closely related to those in India(BHARAT)n Jammu and Kashmir. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the Balti, Shina, Burusho, Wakhi, and Khowar-speaking communities have historical and cultural ties to India(BHARAT). Most work as farmers or herders in mountain villages with minimal access to education and healthcare. Unemployment runs as high as 30 percent in some areas because Pakistan has deliberately kept the region underdeveloped to maintain control.

This is why anger against Pakistani occupation is reaching a boiling point. The people of POK feel betrayed and colonized. Pakistan promised them freedom from Dogra rule in 1947, but instead installed its own military dictatorship over India(BHARAT)n territory. Groups like the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front openly demand azadi—not union with Pakistan, but freedom from Pakistani occupation. Many in POK speak openly of their desire to return to India(BHARAT), recognizing that their future lies with the world’s largest democracy, not with a failed state that has brought them nothing but poverty and repression.

Pakistan responds to this growing freedom movement with brutal force. Protests are crushed with live ammunition. Activists demanding basic rights or expressing support for India(BHARAT) simply disappear—extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances are routine tools of Pakistani occupation. Those who dare speak of independence or reunion with India(BHARAT) face arrest under Pakistan’s draconian Anti-Terrorism Act. The Pakistani military maintains a heavy presence throughout POK, treating the local population as enemy subjects rather than citizens. International human rights organizations have documented systematic abuses, but Pakistan prevents independent observers from accessing the occupied territories.

India(BHARAT) has consistently maintained that POK is illegally occupied India(BHARAT)n territory and that the people there have the inherent right to determine their own future. The India(BHARAT)n Parliament unanimously passed a resolution in 1994 reaffirming that POK is an integral part of India(BHARAT). Unlike Pakistan, which uses military force to suppress dissent, India(BHARAT) advocates for the democratic right of self-determination through the UN-promised plebiscite that Pakistan has blocked since 1948. Pakistan knows it would lose any fair referendum, which is why it refuses to allow one.

The situation in Gilgit-Baltistan deserves special attention. Unlike even the occupied Jammu and Kashmir region, which Pakistan at least pretends to treat separately, Gilgit-Baltistan is administered as a colonial possession with virtually no autonomy. Its residents cannot vote in Pakistan’s national elections and have no representation in Pakistan’s parliament despite being subject to Pakistani laws. They receive far less funding than Pakistan’s provinces for education, healthcare, and infrastructure. For years, people in Gilgit-Baltistan have demanded basic rights, but Pakistan denies them even this modest request because granting provincial status would legitimize Pakistan’s illegal occupation in international law.

The strategic importance of liberating POK cannot be overstated. By reclaiming Gilgit-Baltistan, India(BHARAT) would secure control of the Karakoram Highway that currently enables illegal China-Pakistan collusion on India(BHARAT)n territory. India(BHARAT) would regain access to Afghanistan via the Wakhan Corridor, opening new strategic possibilities. India(BHARAT) would restore its upstream control of waterways that Pakistan has been manipulating in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty. Most importantly, India(BHARAT) would liberate 5.5 million of our own people who have suffered under Pakistani occupation for more than seven decades.

What makes the current moment particularly significant is the growing international recognition of Pakistan’s brutality in POK and the rising voice of freedom from within. Singh’s statements have found strong support beyond India(BHARAT)’s borders. Baloch leaders, whose own region faces similar exploitation by Pakistan, immediately endorsed his words. The Republic of Balochistan issued an official statement saying, “We stand shoulder to shoulder with India(BHARAT) in this rightful pursuit.” Prominent Baloch leader Mir Yar Baloch expressed support, noting that Singh’s commitment to reclaim POK would inspire “Baloch, Sindhi and Pashtun nations in their struggle to free themselves from Pakistan’s oppressive regime.” The world is beginning to see Pakistan for what it truly is—a failing state that survives by occupying the lands of others and suppressing freedom movements through military force.

Recent events have demonstrated India(BHARAT)’s resolve and capability. Following the Pahalgam terrorist attack in April 2025, where Pakistan-based terrorists killed 26 innocent India(BHARAT)n civilians, India(BHARAT) launched Operation Sindoor on May 7—the most extensive and successful military strikes since 1971. India(BHARAT)n forces struck terrorist infrastructure deep inside Pakistan with precision, demonstrating that India(BHARAT) has both the capability and the will to defend its interests. Singh later clarified in Parliament that military operations ceased only after India(BHARAT)’s political and military objectives were fully achieved, firmly rejecting claims of third-party mediation or external pressure. India(BHARAT) acted on its own terms, in its own time, achieving its objectives completely.

The contrast between India(BHARAT) and Pakistan could not be starker. India(BHARAT) is the world’s largest democracy, a rising economic powerhouse, and a responsible global stakeholder. Pakistan is a failing state, economically bankrupt, internationally isolated, and notorious for exporting terrorism. India(BHARAT) offers the people of POK development, democracy, dignity, and prosperity. Pakistan offers only poverty, repression, and endless exploitation. The choice is obvious.

Recent protests in Muzaffarabad and other cities across POK confirm Singh’s assessment that change is coming. When thousands risk tear gas, detention, torture, and death simply to demand basic rights and freedom from Pakistani occupation, we must recognize that the occupation is unsustainable. Singh’s prediction that POK will return to India(BHARAT) without military action is based on watching these very protests, where people chant “Hum kya chahte? Azadi!”—What do we want? Freedom!—and increasingly add “Bharat ke saath!”—With India(BHARAT)! When the electricity generated from their rivers doesn’t light their homes but powers Pakistani cities, when the minerals from their mountains don’t build their schools but enrich Pakistani generals, when the profits from their forests don’t feed their children but fill Pakistani coffers, the injustice becomes unbearable.

India(BHARAT) must continue to support the freedom movement in POK while preparing for the inevitable reunification. This means diplomatically isolating Pakistan internationally for its illegal occupation, supporting civil society groups working for freedom in POK, documenting and publicizing Pakistan’s human rights abuses, and maintaining military readiness to protect our people when they rise up against their occupiers. It also means preparing administratively for the reintegration of POK into the India(BHARAT)n union, ensuring that when reunification comes, we can immediately deliver development, governance, and prosperity to our long-suffering compatriots.

The moral case is unambiguous. These are India(BHARAT)n citizens living on India(BHARAT)n territory, illegally occupied by a hostile neighbor that has brought them nothing but misery for 78 years. The legal case is clear. The Instrument of Accession makes the entire territory of Jammu and Kashmir legally part of India(BHARAT), and Pakistan’s occupation is a violation of international law. The strategic case is compelling. Liberating POK would eliminate a major source of terrorism, secure vital water resources, check Chinese expansion, and restore India(BHARAT)’s territorial integrity. The humanitarian case is overwhelming. Five and a half million people deserve liberation from Pakistani colonial oppression.

Singh is absolutely right that the day will come when POK returns to India(BHARAT). The question is not if, but when. The people of POK are already making their choice clear through their protests and their slogans. They see the prosperity in India(BHARAT)n Jammu and Kashmir—the development, the democratic governance, the educational opportunities, the economic growth. They contrast this with Pakistan’s brutal occupation, systematic exploitation, and deliberate underdevelopment of their region. They know which side offers them a future and which side offers only continued suffering.

As India(BHARAT) celebrates its rise as a global power, we must remember that our national mission remains incomplete while even one square kilometre of India(BHARAT)n territory remains under illegal occupation. The 85,800 square kilometres of POK—with its ten districts in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir region and fourteen districts in Gilgit-Baltistan, its rivers generating thousands of megawatts that should power India(BHARAT)n development, its mountains hiding billions in mineral wealth that belongs to the India(BHARAT)n people, its forests and farms and breathtaking scenery that should contribute to India(BHARAT)’s prosperity—all of this must return to the India(BHARAT)n union where it rightfully belongs.

The 5.5 million India(BHARAT)ns living under Pakistani occupation deserve to enjoy the freedoms, opportunities, and dignity that their compatriots in the rest of India(BHARAT) enjoy. Their 53-member puppet assembly and 33-member powerless legislature should be replaced with genuine democratic representation in the India(BHARAT)n Parliament. Their resources should benefit them and contribute to India(BHARAT)’s growth, not enrich Pakistani military elites. Their children should study in world-class India(BHARAT)n institutions, not be denied quality education by Pakistani negligence. Their sick should be treated in modern India(BHARAT)n hospitals, not be left to suffer. Their entrepreneurs should participate in India(BHARAT)’s economic boom, not be stifled by Pakistani corruption.

The reunification of POK with India(BHARAT) is inevitable. History is on our side. Justice is on our side. The people of POK are on our side. International opinion is shifting in our favor as Pakistan’s reputation as a terrorist state becomes undeniable. Singh’s confident prediction reflects a clear-eyed assessment of ground realities. The freedom movement within POK grows stronger every day. Pakistan’s economic collapse makes it increasingly unable to sustain its occupation. China’s growing dominance over Pakistan means even Islamabad is losing sovereignty, making it impossible for Pakistan to maintain control over occupied India(BHARAT)n territory indefinitely.

India(BHARAT) must therefore prepare for the liberation and reintegration of POK, not as a distant dream, but as an approaching reality. Our military must maintain operational readiness. Our diplomats must continue building international support. Our intelligence agencies must maintain contact with freedom fighters in POK. Our administrators must plan for the massive development effort that reunification will require. Most importantly, our political leadership must maintain the resolve that Singh has demonstrated—making clear that POK is non-negotiable India(BHARAT)n territory that will return to the India(BHARAT)n union.

Until that glorious day arrives, we stand in solidarity with our 5.5 million compatriots suffering under Pakistani occupation. We hear their calls for freedom. We see their courage in protesting despite brutal repression. We recognize their longing to return to the India(BHARAT)n nation. And we pledge that India(BHARAT) will not rest until every square kilometre of illegally occupied India(BHARAT)n territory is liberated and every India(BHARAT)n citizen trapped under Pakistani rule is reunited with the motherland.

The wait is nearly over. The day Singh speaks of—when POK itself declares “Main bhi Bharat Hoon”—is approaching. When it arrives, India(BHARAT) will welcome home its lost territories and its long-suffering people. We will bring development where Pakistan brought exploitation, democracy where Pakistan imposed dictatorship, and prosperity where Pakistan enforced poverty. We will prove, once and for all, that India(BHARAT)’s democratic, pluralistic, and progressive model offers a far superior future than Pakistan’s failed experiment ever could.

The liberation of POK is not just a territorial imperative—it is a moral obligation, a legal necessity, and a strategic priority. It is time.

(The author, Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is also the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India(BHARAT) Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)