PM Modi spoke about Balochistan

very grateful to India

India raised the issue of Pakistan's rights abuses

widespread human rights violations

With inputs from ANI

'India's seriousness about addressing Balochistan issue makes me optimistic'

NEW DELHI: Pakistan is terrified since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken up the cause of the Baloch people who are being oppressed by the Pakistan government and military, said Mehran Marri , the Baloch Representative at the United Nations Human Rights Commission ( UNHRC ), to ANI today."Pakistan's military and establishment is having chills running down their spine since. They have intensified military operations in many Baloch areas in recent weeks," Marri saidThe Baloch leader is referring to PM Modi stepping up the pressure on Pakistan since Independence Day, when he began to highlight human rights abuses in the beleaguered Pakistani province of Balochistan and in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). He's also talking about Pakistani forces last week launching fresh waves of military operations across Balochistan, even attacking and abducting civilians in the operations."Myself and the Baloch nation arefor raising the issue of Balochistan, especially on Aug 15 and then again as recent as two days ago in the UNHRC, so we are very optimistic," Marri said.The Baloch people, he added, believe and see India as being " very serious" about addressing the issue of Balochistan and human rights violations that Pakistan is committing there."The US is well aware of the connivance and dirty games that Pakistan's agencies and its military play in Balochistan. We will request the US Govt to rethink their policy regarding Pakistan and take a step in the same direction as India and Afghanistan have taken," the Baloch leader said.Earlier this week,at the UNHRC."Pakistan is characterized by authoritarianism, absence of democratic norms andacross the country, including Balochistan," India said."It will be in the fitness of things if Pakistan focuses its energies on improving the human rights situation within Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," said Ajit Kumar India's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, said in a statement at the 33rd Session of the UNHRC at Geneva, earlier this week.Pakistan, has on its part claimed that PM Modi's comment on Balochistan is proof of New Delhi's interference in the province. His comment "only proves Pakistan's contention that India, through its main intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing(RAW), has been fomenting terrorism in Balochistan", said the Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz, last month.Pakistan said Modi was trying to divert world attention from the "grim tragedy" that has been unfolding in Kashmir over the past five weeks. He was referring to the violence and unrest in Kashmir since July when security forces killed terrorist Buthan Wani.Close to a 100 people have died in the unrest in Kashmir, and Pakistan has aleged human rights abuses there by the Indian Army that uses pellet guns, which badly maim.