Fears of Baloch jab cutting both ways

Modi delivers the Independence Day speech at the Red Fort on Monday. Picture by Ramakant Kushwaha Charu Sudan Kasturi, TT, New Delhi, Aug. 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's unprecedented reference to Balochistan in his Independence Day speech may help shine global focus on rights violations in the restive province but risks getting India bracketed with Pakistan as interfering in another nation's internal affairs, experts have warned.  Modi had on Friday told an all-party meeting that Pakistan must answer to the world for its "atrocities" against the people of Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and asked the foreign office to lobby globally on behalf of the people of PoK.  But his address today marked the first time an Indian Prime Minister had referred to the Baloch struggle against Islamabad from the ramparts of the Red Fort.  Modi said the people of Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK had expressed "deep gratitude" for his remarks, and that he was thanking them in return. His remarks are expected to further escalate the diplomatic tiff with Islamabad over the clashes between security forces and protesters in Kashmir that have left over 50 people dead since July 8. But while Modi's comments signal a firm riposte from his government, which has accused Pakistan of fomenting the strife in Kashmir, they could bolster Islamabad's allegations of support for Baloch separatists that New Delhi has consistently denied. "This is quite disturbing," Happymon Jacob, associate professor of disarmament studies at JNU, said. "We don't want to be like Pakistan, in our diplomacy and approach to our region. But when the PM says this, it will be seen as evidence of Indian involvement in another country. This could get us bracketed with Pakistan." By evening, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's foreign affairs adviser, Sartaj Aziz, had referred to Modi's comments as proof of India fomenting "terrorism" in Balochistan. Pakistan had earlier this year arrested a former Indian navy officer, Kulbhushan Jadhav, and accused him of assisting Baloch separatists. India has denied the charge and said he was possibly abducted from the Iran-Pakistan border by Pakistani agencies. Balochistan's chief minister, Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, too hit back, saying: "The government and people of Balochistan vehemently reject Modi's statement on the situation in the province." Modi's comments came on a day Pakistan's foreign secretary, Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry, summoned Indian high commissioner Gautam Bambawale and handed him a letter inviting Indian foreign secretary S. Jaishankar for talks on the Kashmir dispute. The "invitation" is more a diplomatic move to signal to the international community that Pakistan is ready for dialogue on Kashmir rather than a realistic stab at a resolution. India has already said that while it welcomes talks, the dialogue needs to focus on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and Islamabad's actions against the 26/11 terrorists. Some experts argued that Modi's comments today carried benefits too. They represent a signal, they said, that if Pakistan continues to push terrorists into Kashmir, India isn't averse to lobbying, at least diplomatically, on behalf of the Baloch movement and Islamabad's critics in PoK. By focusing on Pakistan's human rights abuses in Balochistan and PoK, Modi's comments could also help distract attention from Islamabad's allegations against New Delhi in Kashmir. "There is a convergence of strategic and ethical interests, and what we are trying to do is to dilute the international community's focus on Kashmir," Sanjay Bhardwaj, professor of South Asian studies at JNU, said. "It was the need of the hour."