PM Modi had mentioned Balochistan in his Independence Day speech (Agence France-Presse photo)
Highlights
- PM cited human rights abuses in Balochistan in speech
- Pak objected, said he had "crossed red line"
- PM met with top ministers, discussed whether to cite Balochistan: report
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top aides to prepare last week's annual Independence Day address, some senior bureaucrats warned him against mentioning Balochistan, Pakistan's restive southwestern province.
News agency Reuters says that according to a senior official at the meeting in early August, the more hawkish politicians in the room, angered by what they saw as Pakistan's recent trouble-making in Kashmir, thought differently, and so did the PM.
"The bureaucrats suggested that talking about Balochistan is a good idea but may be the Independence Day speech was not a good platform for it," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the meeting's sensitivity, according to Reuters.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar "rejected these ideas", while Home Minister Rajnath Singh "supported him (Parrikar) by saying we should do everything to silence Pakistan", the official reportedly said.
The Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment to Reuters on the debate about PM Modi's speech. His office, and the Defence and Home ministries, reportedly did not respond to requests for comment.
Speaking from the ramparts of the 17th-century Red Fort on August 15, the PM said the people of Balochistan had thanked him for bringing attention to the human rights atrocities in the region by Pakistani security forces.
At the August meeting, Defence Minister Parrikar also allegedly said that by raising Balochistan, PM Modi would be highlighting China's role in unrest in the region, an official present at the session was quoted by saying.
The reference to China reflects India's unease at Beijing's backing of a $46 billion trade corridor running through land in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, onward through Balochistan to the port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea coast.
The PM raised the issue after Pakistan accused India of abusing civilians in the Kashmir Valley during weeks of unrest following the shooting of 22-year-old terrorist Burhan Wani.
Two senior Indian officials unnamed by Reuters said PM Modi has become frustrated with Pakistan's latest attempt to take its complaint about Kashmir to the United Nations.
"Dealing with militancy is our internal issue and we will not tolerate any other country's interference," said one of the officials who belongs to the BJP, according to Reuters.