Zehri slams Modi saying, “No one in Balochistan supports Modi’s statement. There is no comparison between the struggle for liberation in Indian-held Kashmir and the so-called Balochistan insurgency”
QUETTA – Thousands of people in various cities of Balochistan took to the streets on Thursday in protest against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s statement.
Political leaders, civil society members and citizens in large numbers took out rallies in various cities including Chaman, Lasbela, Bolan, Khuzdar, Dulbidin, Noshki, Chaghai, Dera Murad Jamali and Sibbi holding placards against Indian PM and his government.
People from different walks including the Hindu community participated in rallies and chanted slogans against Modi. The enraged citizens also set Modi’s statue ablaze.
Modi’s speech on August 15, India’s Independence Day, sparked protests across Balochistan. ‘People of Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) have thanked me a lot in past few days, I am grateful to them,’ Modi had said.
“We condemn Narendra Modi’s statement on Balochistan. No one in Balochistan supported his statement. There is no comparison between the struggle for liberation in India-held Kashmir and the so-called Balochistan insurgency,” Zehri said of the protest against Modi.
Chief Minister Balochistan Sanaullah Zehri on Thursday condemned the recent statement by in-exile leader Brahamdagh Bugti and said that he has proved that India is involved in terrorism in Balochistan.
Brahamdagh Bugti is the grandson of the late nationalist leader Akbar Bugti and leader of the outlawed Baloch Republican Army (BRA). He’s currently in self-exile in Switzerland and often accused of indirectly propagating terrorist activities in Balochistan.
Talking to a ceremony held in Law College in Quetta, CM Zehri said that the arrest of Kulbhushan Yadav is a clear evidence of Indian interference in Pakistan specifically in Balochistan.
In Chaman, protesters burnt an effigy of Narendra Modi and Brahamdagh Bugti for their anti-Pakistan statements.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers led rallies in Dera Murad Jamali and raised slogans against India. Persistent protests blocked the main highway in Balochistan.
The protest rally in Sibbi was also joined by members of the Hindu community who strongly condemned the Indian government and Prime Minister for creating trouble in the province.
The remarks of Modi had also been criticized by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto who termed them highly provocative, irresponsible and inflammatory for the people of Pakistan.
