Responding to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech, Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said that Modi was only trying to divert world attention from the grim tragedy that has been unfolding in the Indian Occupied Kashmir over the past five weeks.

“Thousands of unarmed youth are protesting every day for their right to self-determination. More than 70 innocent Kashmiris have been killed and more than 6000 injured. There is constant curfew and complete media blackout for the past 37 days”, Aziz said in a statement.

Foreign Affairs Advisor said that the events unfolding in occupied Kashmir have nothing to do with terrorism as they were a consequence of an indigenous movement for self-determination, a right promised to the Kashmiris by the UN Security Council.

“At this time, the contrast between the Indian Occupied Kashmir and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir could not be more stark”, he added.

Sartaj Aziz said that Modi's reference to Balochistan, which is an integral part of Pakistan, only proves Pakistan's contention that India through its main intelligence agency RAW, has been fomenting terrorism in Balochistan.

This, Aziz added, was also confirmed by the public confession of RAW's active service Naval Officer, Kulbhushan Yadav in March this year.

“India is a large country, in fact the second largest in the world and this must be acknowledged, but a large country does not automatically become a great country, specially when it unleashes such brute force against innocent citizens to suppress their right to protest or when it deliberately uses pallet guns to permanently destroy the eyesight of over 100 youth”, he said.

Sartaj Aziz further said that India should recognise that the core issue of Kashmir cannot be resolved by bullets, it requires a political solution, through serious negotiations between India and Pakistan.

Ex-Indian FM slams Modi over Balochistan reference

Commenting on Modi's statement during a televised interview to an Indian news channel, former Indian foreign minister, Salman Khursheed, said that Balochistan is an internal matter of Pakistan and Modi should not have referred to it in his speech.

He questioned the Indian premier, "Does India discuss internal matters of Europe or Africa?"

"We may discuss Kashmir, but not Balochistan," stated the Congress leader.

Khursheed went on to say that Modi's statement will serve as basis for Pakistan to discuss India's internal issues. "We need to be careful while discussing matters relating to an independent and sovereign state", he advised.

He further slammed Narendra Modi asking do we let the United States to talk of atrocities being carried out in our country, or do we ourselves talk of injustices in European or African states.