Pakistan on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi crossed the “red line” by talking about Balochistan and asserted that it will “forcefully” raise the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly session next month.
The Prime Minister (Nawaz Sharif) strongly pleaded the case of Kashmir during General Assembly Session last year and we will again forcefully raise the issue.Nafees Zakaria, Ministry of Foreign Office Spokesperson
Prime Minister Modi had brought up Pakistani atrocities on people of Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in his Independence Day speech.
It is the violation of the UN Charter... He (Modi) crossed the red line by talking about Balochistan.
Zakaria also alleged that India was involved in subversive activities in Balochistan and Karachi. He claimed that India was referring to Balochistan to cover up its human rights violations in Kashmir.
He added that Prime Minister Sharif will lead the official delegation at the General Assembly session, saying that the UN Secretary General and most of the UN members had already been informed about the “precarious situation” in Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri dismissed Modi’s assertion that people of Balochistan had thanked him.
Zehri, who belongs to ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, while addressing a gathering in provincial capital Quetta, said:
We condemn Narendra Modi’s statement on Balochistan. No one in Balochistan supported his statement.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup however reiterated that the PM had been thanked by people of Balochistan and PoK.
The MEA added that his remarks did not constitute a policy shift as is being construed.
Government of India has made statements about the situation in Balochistan in the past as well. My own predecessor had commented on this issue. The only difference this time was that the various messages the Prime Minister had received had sufficiently moved him to share it with the people of India.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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