NEW DELHI: Chief Imam of the All India Imam Organisation Umer Ahmed Ilyasi on Friday said Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) would “very soon” be reintegrated with India, while also praising the changes he said had taken place in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.“I want to say one thing to our neighbouring country from standing here in Kashmir that PoK, which is an integral part of India, will definitely rejoin India because the people of PoK want to have a referendum there,” Ilyasi told reporters here.He said the people of PoK wanted to reunite with India and were watching the development taking place in Jammu and Kashmir.“God willing, their ‘ghar wapsi’ will take place soon. It is the people there who want it. They are happy to see the development of Kashmir. Seeing how Kashmir is progressing today, PoK will be rejoined with India very soon,” he said.Ilyasi said he was happy to see what he described as a “transformed” Kashmir and pointed to rising prosperity and tourism in the region.“It has become a new Kashmir. Today’s Kashmir has become excellent; there is prosperity throughout, and tourism has increased. The people here are prosperous. There was a time when young people and children here used to throw stones. Today, they have pens in their hands. They are studying,” he said.Referring to last year’s Pahlagam terror attack that left 25 tourists and a local pony handler dead, he said tourism had briefly declined after the incident but urged people to continue visiting Kashmir. “I want to tell everyone that they should visit Kashmir as there is no atmosphere of fear now,” he said.On the conflict in West Asia, Ilyasi said war only brings destruction and expressed hope for peace.“Wars harm everyone; they are a sign of destruction. I have hopes from our country’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, and God willing, he will mediate, and the war will end soon… there will be peace and tranquillity,” he said.
