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After publicly thanking the people of Balochistan and Gilgit in his speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15th August, PM Modi yet again, dealt another severe blow on Pakistan today. The PMOÂ announced that the citizens of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) are eligible to apply for the schemesÂ provided by the Government of India. In an unprecedented move, Shri Jitendra Singh (Minister of state for PMO)Â asserted that people residing in the PoK are Indian citizens asÂ according to the Constitution of India entire Kashmir belongs to India. He said that they (residents of PoK) are eligible for all the compensation schemes available to the people of Kashmir and are allowed to apply for all the schemes of Government of India.

This statement from PMO was issued after the cabinet meeting where the compensation for civilian terror victims was increased from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh underÂ the scheme titled “Central Scheme for Assistance to Civilian Victims of Terrorist/ Communal/Left Wing Extremist (LWE), Cross Border Firing and Mine/IED blasts on Indian Territory“. The next kin of any civilian throughout the country who dies in the cross-firing or IED/Mine blast will be eligible for the compensation. A key feature of the compensation scheme that was approved today allows full compensation to anyone with 50% or more disability arising as a result of any terrorist attack.

In last few years, there has been a widespread dissent among the people of PoK against the Pakistani establishment. Last month, there was a massive protest in PoK against the government of Pakistan. The protests against the atrocities of Pakistan army and against Pakistan governmentÂ have increased manifolds since last few years. A large group of persons residing in PoK have also been raisingÂ slogans in praise of India and Indian government. Similarly, the people of Balochistan have been long oppressed by the Pakistan Army and the government, which deny the Balochistani basic necessities of life and oppress them. After PM Modi raised the Balochistan issue publicly, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and many other countries supported PM Modi. Recently, the USA and western countries have questioned Pakistan on the human rights violation in Balochistan.

The statement comes at a time when Pakistan has been pushed to the corner by the policies of Government of India. This has resulted in the USA ending its USD 300 million aid to the Pakistan military and calling off of the F-16 deal at subsidized price. Also, the international community is putting immense pressure on Pakistan and come clean on state-sponsored terrorist organisations operating from its land. Allowing PoK citizens to apply for compensations provided by the Government of India is a very strong statement from the Prime Minister of India. It implies that the government has taken Pakistan head on and is not going to compromise on the issue of Kashmir. The statement gives an indication that the position of the Modi government on Kashmir is very clear. Kashmir, in its entirety, belongs to India and there will be no compromise whatsoever. Pakistan understands only one language – and that language is dealing with iron hands – exactly what PM Shri Narendra Modi is doing. It might be “achhe din” for India, but for PakistanÂ the ominous signs of “burey din” are evident.

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Kshitij Mohan

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