‘PoK is a room in India occupied by strangers’: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat amid unrest across the region

“Many Sindhi brothers are sitting here. I am very happy. They did not go to Pakistan; they went to undivided India. Circumstances have sent us here from that home because that home and this home are not different,” Bhagwat said, drawing loud applause from the audience.

“The whole of India is one home, but someone has removed one room of our house where my table, chair, and clothes used to be kept. They have occupied it. Tomorrow, I have to take it back...” he added, as the audience clapped in agreement.

Unrest deepens in PoK

Bhagwat’s remarks come at a time when Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir has been gripped by violent protests against Islamabad’s rule.

Thousands of residents, rallying under the Awami Action Committee (AAC), have been demanding economic relief and political reforms.

Over the past three days, clashes between protesters and Pakistani forces have left at least 10 people dead and over 100 injured.

In Dhirkot, Bagh district, four protesters were shot dead, with more casualties reported from Muzaffarabad, Dadyal (Mirpur), and Chamyati near Kohala.

Analysts noted that Pakistan’s reliance on force instead of dialogue has further inflamed tensions in the strategically sensitive region.

Experts also said the uprising has exposed Islamabad’s long-standing false narrative about Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the anti-India propaganda amplified for decades.

‘India’s response showed global resolve’

Earlier on Thursday, Bhagwat emphasised the need to bolster India’s security capabilities.

Referring to the international reaction to the Pahalgam terror attack, he said it revealed “who our friends are in the global arena and to what extent they are willing to stand by us.”

He added that India’s political leadership and armed forces gave a “fitting response,” demonstrating “the firmness of the leadership, valour of the armed forces, and determination and unity of society.”