Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, two of the three regions in Pakistan mentioned by Modi in his address, are critical nodes along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a series of energy and infrastructure projects anchored by a road network that will connect China’s western Xinjiang region to the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar, located in Pakistani Balochistan along Persian Gulf shipping lanes and in the Indian Ocean region. Should Pakistan provide India with such an opportunity, is indeed, somewhat astonishing.
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Yaqoob expressed his gratitude to MadaniOIC’s consistent support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their struggle for self-determination. “The ICC has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the global crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes”. The new developments in IOK; the use of pellet guns that incapacitate the youth and hundreds have been blinded and defaced.
Rather stopping human rights violations in IOK, Indian Prime Minister and some of his ministers are constantly levelling the allegations against Pakistan, indeed to mislead the world and divert the worldwide attention from Indian human rights violations in IOK. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wrote letters to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as well as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
While many Baloch nationalist leaders have hailed the Indian PM’s statements, it is more a case of clutching at straws at a time when the world continues to turn a blind eye to the crisis in Balochistan. While telling a lie and misleading the world, Mr Modi has badly lost his credibility.
Alleged RAW agent Kulbhushan Yadav’s confessional video was aired on the Pakistani media two days after the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park blast in Lahore, which targeted Easter celebrations and killed over 70 people. Indeed, the Kashmiris have been and are fighting to become part of Pakistan.
He accused Bugti of “getting funds from Indians”, alleging “that’s why he supported Modi’s statement”.
The need to speak up about human rights abuses in Balochistan can not be overstated. On both efforts, despite Modi’s braggadocio, India is likely to fail. Earlier this year, Mr Kulbhushan Yadav, a senior military officer of the RAW was apprehended by Pakistan for organizing terrorism and separatism in Balochistan.
“I give my opinion to the people of Kashmir, learn from the suffering of Afghan people”. Quick and huge political developments and re-alignments in the region, where no one seems to be anyone’s friend will lead towards a situation of uncertainty and the festering sore of Kashmir conflict will surely add fuel to the existing turf war in the region.
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– The writer is International Relations analyst based in Islamabad.
