Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for referring Balochistan and missing Jammu and Kashmir in his address on the occasion of nation's 70th Independence Day, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Tuesday said that he has created an unnecessary controversy and has given an opportunity to Pakistan to falsely claim now that India has an evil eye on Balochistan.
NCP leader Majeed Memon told ANI, "Prime Minister Modi's referring to to Balochistan in his speech, which was fairly long, is very shocking. Balochistan is not a disputed area; it is not an issue between us and Pakistan. Pakistan is doing some atrocities to Balochistan, then the U.S. is doing something in Iraq and England is doing something in Libya and any other country, we are not concerned. There you can show sympathy but don't connect that with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Jammu and Kashmir."
"You have created an unnecessary controversy, and you have given an opportunity to Pakistan to falsely claim now that India has an evil eye on Balochistan, they (India) want to just invade and take away Balochistan. This will unfortunately create more confusion and will give an opportunity to Pakistan to raise the issue and win sympathies of the people," he added.
Stating that Balochistan was out of question, Memon said, "The Prime Minister should have spoken about whole of Kashmir, including PoK. But, unfortunately in such a long speech, the Prime Minister did not talk about 35 days of continued curfew in various districts of the Srinagar region and also in Jammu."
Pointing out the weaknesses in his speech, Memon said, "In fact, it should have been the primary point of his speech that we are sorry that we could not extinguish this fire for 35 days. He did not talk about it at all."
Prime Minister Modi, in his speech, said, "People of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) have thanked him a lot in the past few days and he is grateful to them."
"Today I want to specially honour and thank to some people from the ramparts of Red Fort. For the past few days the people of Baluchistan, the people of Gilgit, the people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the way their citizens have heartily thanked me, the way they have acknowledged me, the goodwill they have shown towards me, the people settled far across, the land which I have not seen, the people I have not met ever, but people settled at far across acknowledge the Prime Minister of India, they honour him, so it is an honour of my 125 crores countrymen, it is respect of my 125 crores countrymen and that is why owing to the feeling of this honour, I want to heartily thank the people of Baluchistan, the people of Gilgit, the people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir for having an expression of thankfulness," he added.