Time is ripe to pressurise Pak for Balochistan's freedom: BJP

A day after Baloch Republican Party (BRP) activists showered praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dera Bugti (Balochistan) holding his pictures and Indian flags, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said it was the right time to put pressure on Pakistan to free Balochistan.

BJP leader Ravinder Raina told ANI that since 1947, the Pakistani establishment and the army, including the ISI, are committing atrocities on the people of Balochistan.

"We have seen the worst kind of human rights violation in Balochistan, where people, women and children are being butchered by the Pakistani forces, and there was nobody to support them even at the international level," he added.

"Their stalwart leader Akbar Bugti was assassinated during the Musharraf regime by Pakistani army men. He was gunned down and even after that episode no body raised the voice. But, the way the honourable Prime Minister of India supported the people of Balochistan for their freedom movement...it is but natural that the people in Balochistan are thanking and supporting him," he added.

He said it is the responsibility of the Centre to raise the issues of human rights violations committed by the Pakistani forces and the Pakistani establishment in Balochistan.

"It is right time that we should come together and build pressure on Pakistan all along with the international forces so that Balochistan may get freedom and it becomes an independent nation," he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, another BJP leader Nalin Kohli said the protest revealed that the government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly exposing Pakistan at the international level.

"It reveals that Modi ji's popularity extends beyond the boundaries of India. It also exposes the duplicity of Pakistan with regard to its so-called worry and concerns to human rights, with regard to its duplicity on terrorism, the distinguishing between good terrorist, bad terrorist. All such elements seem to find a safe haven within Pakistan. The international community is obviously taking note of it and expressing concern on it. The government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is constantly exposing all these," he added.

The BRP yesterday vented their ire against Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri for declaring Brahamdagh Bugti a "traitor".

Holding pictures of Prime Minister Modi and late Baloch leader Akbar Bugti and his son Brahumdagh Bugti, the protesters, including children, with their faces covered raised slogans against Islamabad and also burnt Pakistani flag.

Challenging Zehri, one of the protesters dared him to visit the Quetta market without security.

Protests have been going on for the past four days in Sui, Dera Bugti, Jafarabad and Nasirabad among other locations in Balochistan province.

Speaking on the 70th Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi signalled a distinct hardening of posture against Pakistan by raising human rights violations in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

He said the people of PoK and Balochistan had thanked him for flagging the human rights abuses by Pakistani security forces.