A day after criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising Balochistan issue in his Independence Day speech, the Congress on Tuesday claimed that the Congress led UPA Government had consistently spoken about the "spiraling violence" and "heavy Pakistani military action" in the region.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not the first to raise concern over the situation in Balochistan. Congress and UPA Government have condemned the human rights violations in Balochistan as also in PoK by Pakistani forces and establishment on multiple occasions in the past," AICC chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, noting that the first time the UPA did so was on December 27, 2005.
Besides, he said, none less than the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in reply to a parliamentary question on March, 2, 2006, categorically condemned the spiralling violence in Balochistan and heavy military action, including use of helicopter gunships and fighter jets by the government of Pakistan to suppress the people of Balochistan.
Earlier, in the wake of reported killing of 50 Baloch people in the Pakistani army action, a spokesman for the External Affairs Ministry had expressed hope that the government of Pakistan would exercise restraint and take recourse to peaceful discussions to address the grievances of the people of Balochistan, Surjewala said.
The Congress appeared to be speaking in different voices on the issue as Surjewala distanced himself from Salman Khurshid’s criticism of Modi for raking up the issue of Balochistan. Congress termed Khurshid's remarks as "his personal view".
In his address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Monday, Modi had talked about the situation in PoK, Gilgit and Balochistan and said people from there have thanked him for raising their issues.
Noting that Modi must realise the "folly" of BJP and its leadership in opposing Congress and UPA earlier, Surjewala said the Prime Minister instead of indulging in self-praise and self-promotion as he did in the Independence Day address, needs to have a sense of history and must thank his predecessor Singh.
"Rhetoric from Red Fort and headline management by PM Modi is fine but he needs to tell the nation about the BJP Government's actual 'Pak Policy' that leaves even the most vocal supporters of Modi completely confused and bewildered," he said.
Surjewala said that in August, 2006, the UPA had spoken about the unfortunate killing of the veteran Baloch leader, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, describing it as a "tragic loss" to the people of Balochistan and Pakistan. It had underlined the need for a peaceful dialogue to address the grievances and aspirations of people of Balochistan, noting that "military force can never solve political problems", he said.
Besides, he said, a reference to Balochistan also appeared in the joint statement dated July 16, 2009 at Sharm-el-Sheikh when Pakistan "conceded for the first time" its role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack as also recognised the overwhelming evidence handed over by India.
"It is a different matter that BJP, which was then in opposition, had bitterly attacked Manmohan Singh, the then PM, and UPA for compromising India's position," he said, adding even at that time, Balochistan leaders had thanked Singh and the UPA government for raising the issue.