Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech, Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Adviser on Foreign Affairs said, that Mr. Modi was only trying to divert world attention from the grim tragedy that has been unfolding in the Indian Occupied Kashmir over the past five weeks. Thousands of unarmed youth are protesting every day for their right of self determination. More than 70 innocent Kashmiris have been killed and more than 6000 injured. There is constant curfew and complete media blackout for the past 37 days. These events have nothing to do with terrorism. It is an indigenous movement for self determination, a right promised to the Kashmiris by the UN Security Council. At this time, the contrast between the Indian Occupied Kashmir and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir could not be more stark.
Prime Minister Modi’s reference to Balochistan, which is an integral part of Pakistan, only proves Pakistan’s contention that India through its main intelligence agency RAW, has been fomenting terrorism in Balochistan. This, Mr. Aziz added, was also confirmed by the public confession of RAW’s active service Naval Officer, Kulbhushan Yadav in March this year.
India is a large country, in fact the second largest in the world and this must be acknowledged, but a large country does not automatically become a great country, specially when it unleashes such brute force against innocent citizens to suppress their right to protest or when it deliberately uses pallet guns to permanently destroy the eye sight of over 100 youth.
India should recognize that the core issue of Kashmir cannot be resolved by bullets. It requires a political solution, through serious negotiations between India and Pakistan, Mr. Aziz said in conclusion.
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