Modi lost patience over Pak and took a hardline stand: Chinese media
Beijing, Aug 30: A state-run Chinese daily on Tuesday (Aug 30) cried foul over India's move to extend enhanced compensation for victims of terror to people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "lost patience and switched to the expected hardline tone of hostility". [China downplays Indo-US logistics defence pact]
Referring
to
Modi's
comments
on
Balochistan
for
the
first
time,
an
article
in
the
state-run
Global
Times
website
said
he
is
raising
it
to
divert
attention
from
the
tense
situation
prevailing
in
Kashmir.
"After
reluctant
attempts
to
revitalise
Indo-Pak
relations,
Narendra
Modi,
now
in
his
third
year
as
Indian
Prime
Minister,
has
lost
patience
and
switched
to
the
expected
hardline
tone
of
hostility,"
it
said.
[India's
bid
to
join
US
alliance
could
irk
China,
Pak
and
even
Russia:
Chinese
media]
Describing the extension of Rs five lakh compensation to the victims of terrorism to people in PoK, as a "provocation", the article said "more importantly, Kashmiris on the Pakistani side of the border can claim this compensation, too".
"This is not the only provocation. Another was his Independence Day address on August 15," it said, referring to Modi's remarks that people of Balochistan, Gilgit and PoK were thanking him for raising human rights violations there.
This is the first time Chinese official media referred to Modi's remarks about PoK and Balochistan, where China is building 46 billion dollar Economic Corridor, which was objected to by India as it goes through the disputed territory.
"Analysts see the political push as coming from a small team filled by influential ministers and people who are the veterans of the 'cold war' with Pakistan. Some are members of the national executive of the RSS," it said.
"This risky gesture is not supported by everyone in the Indian government. Outstanding reservations come from his intelligence chiefs and the external affairs ministry," said the article 'Modi's provocations raise risks for India'.
"Why would Modi choose to publicly reference Balochistan when his country kept denying an Indian role there? Even on Kashmir, why would he be so provocative when the Pakistani response will inevitably draw world attention at a time his government is trying to prevent the issue being internationalised?," it said.
"Not surprisingly, there are speculations that Modi is just trying to divert global attention from what's going on in the valley," it said.
"This may only make it even trickier for India to find a resolution by deliberately expanding the range of bilateral conflicts," the article said.
"Another concern for Modi is the 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit, which will be held in Pakistan this year. Modi is scheduled to visit Islamabad for the Saarc summit in November, but the impatient Prime Minister has decided to break up the Indo-Pak impasse to see what can be fished from the troubled waters," it said.
"But the long-term cost will be the moral blow to India when it tries to manage its own insurgencies and secessionist movements, which tends to invite international attention and intervention," it said.
PTI