'Integrate PoK into India': VHP chief during nationwide protests against Pahalgam terror attack

New Delhi: Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Alok Kumar on Friday called for the integration of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) into India and the end of terrorism sponsored by the neighbouring country.

The RSS affiliate and its youth wing Bajrang Dal held a nationwide protest against the Pahalgam terror attack and burnt the effigies of "jihadi terrorism and sinner Pakistan".

Terrorists struck a prime tourist location in Pahalgam in south Kashmir on Tuesday, killing at least 26 people, most of them tourists, and injuring several others.

"Now the time has come to free the world from Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and free Pakistan-occupied Kashmir from the clutches of jihadis and merge it with India," Kumar said at a protest meeting held at Jantar Mantar here.

He said "tough diplomatic steps" taken by the Indian government after the Pahalgam terror strike have left Pakistan isolated in the world.

"India is capable of completely eliminating any anti-India structure in the entire world including Pakistan," he said, adding, "Now Pakistan should be ready to face punishment for its misdeeds." Kumar further said the Pahalgam terror attack was carried out by Pakistan-backed terrorists as part of a conspiracy in their bid to destroy Kashmir's growing economy and prosperity.

"The prosperity of the Kashmiri people is based on tourism and the conspiracies hatched to destroy the tourism industry through this incident will not succeed," he added.

Joining the protest in Haryana's Rohtak, VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain said the Pahalgam incident was not just an ordinary terrorist attack but a big challenge to the "sovereignty of the country and the Hindu society".

"Now the government has started fighting the battle across the border and the country is confident that expected results will be seen soon," he said.

Jain gave a call to the people for unity, asking them to remain vigilant and strengthen the hands of the security forces with their support.

"Intellectuals and prominent people from social, religious and cultural organisations cutting across all sections of the society participated in the protests held at hundreds of places across the country," the VHP said in a statement released by its national spokesperson Vinod Bansal.

"Everyone had the same demand that now it is enough, it is very important to destroy the group of jihadi terrorism in the country and teach a tough lesson to Pakistan," it added.