Congress welcomes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Baloch comment

NEW DELHI: The Congress leadership on Monday welcomed the prime minister’s statement on Balochistan, but demanded to know what the Modi government intended to do against the human rights violations in Balochistan and PoK.

In a formal statement, AICC chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Pakistan Army was committing human rights violations in Balochistan and PoK.

“India should raise the issue both at the bilateral and multilateral forums.

At the same time, it is important to know what the government does beyond speaking about it from the Red Fort,” Surjewala said.

Distancing Congress from Salman Khurshid’s comment earlier in the day, Surjewala said: “What Salman Khurshid said on Baluchistan is his personal view, not Congress stand.”

“By bringing in Balochistan, we are going to ruin our own case on PoK...I do not know who advised the PM...It will dilute our claim on PoK… Balochistan is a different kettle altogether. We have no business (there),” Khurshid had told reporters.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, targeted the PM for not “uttering a single word about the boys and people killed in Kashmir from the Red Fort”.