PoK at Pravasi Day raises questions

The possibility of India inviting delegates from PoK to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas — attended by members of the Indian diaspora living in foreign countries — seems set to trigger debate given India’s consistent stand that PoK is very much a part of India.

The possibility of India inviting delegates from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir ( PoK) — that includes the GilgitBaltistan region — to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas ( PBD) seems set to trigger much debate.

Some delegates originally hailing from PoK but settled in the United States and Canada — and therefore not Pakistani passportholders — have already been attending the previous editions of the PBD. But the situation will seem more intriguing if the Indian government goes ahead and invites prominent dissidents and Pakistani passport- holders in PoK to attend the next edition of the PBD in Bengaluru next year.

Questions are being raised on the implications of such a move if it goes through.

For one, the PBD events are attended by members of the Indian diaspora in foreign countries — who may or may not be Indian citizens ( NRIs and PIOs) — but in this case, India’s consistent stand has been that PoK is very much part of Indian territory.

But the alternate view is that even though PoK is

Presence of delegrates from PoK to trigger debate; some delegates, originally hailing from PoK, but settled in the US and Canada have already been attending previous editions of the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas

Indian territory, it remains in foreign hands and therefore outside the effective jurisdiction of the Indian State.

Observers feel that it would be much easier to invite delegates originally hailing from PoK but now settled in the West rather than inviting delegates based in PoK which would make it a complicated process since India would have to issue visas to Pakistani passport- holders,

When asked whether delegates from PoK would be invited for the PBD, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had replied, “Wait for the Government’s decision”. Any move to invite delegates from PoK will be calibrated to exert more pressure on Pakistan. But how the script pans out in the days to come depends on the Indian Government’s decision in this regard.