Ladakh will again be part of Jammu and Kashmir, says Javid Rana

Srinagar, Jan 06: Cabinet Minister Javid Rana on Tuesday said that days are not far when Ladakh will again become part of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that a united Jammu and Kashmir is inevitable.

Speaking to reporters, Rana said the Government of India would eventually have no option but to restore a united Jammu and Kashmir. He dismissed claims made by a BJP MLA suggesting that Jammu could be carved out as a separate state, calling such assertions imaginary and misleading.

Rana said no such demand for a separate Jammu state has emerged from the Pir Panjal or Chenab regions. He maintained that people from these areas continue to identify with a united Jammu and Kashmir and have not raised any demand for bifurcation.

Highlighting the historical context, the minister said Jammu and Kashmir was once a full-fledged state, parts of which were later occupied by Pakistan and China, while Ladakh was subsequently separated. He expressed confidence that the political situation would change and that Ladakh would once again be part of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said history and ground realities cannot be altered permanently and asserted that the aspiration for unity among the people would ultimately prevail. [KNT]