Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Thursday said that the Army troops are ready to retrieve Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and make it a part of India. He also said that while the Army troops are ready to take action on a cue, it is the government which takes decisions in such matters.

Speaking to news agency ANI, General Bipin Rawat said that the next agenda of India is to retrieve PoK from the clutches of Pakistan and the decision in this regard has to be taken by the government.

"The next agenda is retrieving PoK and making it a part of India. The government takes actions in such matters. The institutions of the country will work as per the orders of the government. The Army is always ready," he said.

Earlier, Union Minister Jitendra Singh had said that next agenda of the government is to "retrieve" parts of Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) and make it a territory of India.

"Now, the next agenda is retrieving PoK and making it a part of India. It's not only me or my party's commitment, but it's a part of a resolution unanimously passed by Parliament in 1994 during Congress government headed by PV Narasimha Rao," Jitendra Singh told reporters in Jammu.

Highlighting the success of 100 days of the Narendra Modi government, the minister said that the Central government took several historic decisions but abrogation of Article 370 was the biggest achievement of them.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, too, had said that if talks were held with Pakistan in a terror-free atmosphere, it will be on Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Lambasting Pakistan for gross human rights violations in PoK, the Minister asserted that "if any talks in the terror-free atmosphere with Pakistan will be held that will be on PoK."

India had on August 5 scrapped the provisions of Article 370 that gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing the media, Jitendra Singh said that the decision would help in the industrial growth, employment generation and bettering of the healthcare system in the two newly created territories.