India to offer political asylum to Balochistan leaders: Report

New Delhi: In a bold move, the Modi government is all set to grant political asylum to Balochistan leaders, who are fighting for Independence from Pakistan, a report said on Saturday.

The CNN-News18 report stated that the Baloch leaders will be granted political asylum in India within weeks if formally apply for the same.

Separatist Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti welcomed New Delji's move saying, "If I ever get a chance to move to India, I will definitely go there for my people."

Pakistan's illegal occupation of Balochistan has gained international attention after Prime Minster Narendra Modi mentioned about the struggle of Balochi people during his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of Red Fort on August 15.

Earlier in the week, Baloch activists had protested outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City against Pakistan's illegal occupation of Balochistan.

Stepping up its offensive against Pakistan on the Balochistan issue at the UN Human Rights Council, India on Friday said Pakistan is a nation that practises terrorism on its own people and the sufferings of the people of Balochistan are a telling testimony in this regard.

Exercising its right of reply, India, raising the Balochistan issue second time in three days at the UNHRC, said the irony of a nation that has established a well-earned reputation of being the global epicentre of terrorism holding forth on human rights.

Media is buzz with reports that Brahumdagh Bugti, grandson of Nawaz Akbar Khan Bugti, is set to get Indian citizenship. He is currently living in exile in Switzerland.

In a first for any Indian Prime Minister in an August 15 Independence Day speech, Modi referred to human rights violations in Balochistan and the part of Kashmir that Pakistan controls.

The public reference to Balochistan by Modi was viewed as India hitting back at Pakistan for persistently raising the Kashmir issue and its attempts to internationalise it.

Notably, Days after PM Modi highlighted the Balochistan issue, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati on Friday launched a website and mobile app for All India Radio's Balochi service to reach out to the people who speak the language across the globe.z