In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that some countries glorify terrorists, asserting that India won’t bend before terrorism.

Expressing his gratitude to the Baloch nations who sought India’s help over Pakistan’s brutalities in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the Prime Minister said he was grateful to them for reaching out to him.

“This is the example of our humanitarian approach, but there are some countries who glorify terrorists. To the youth who have taken up guns, I urge them to return to their parents and shun violence,” Prime Minister Modi said while addressing the nation on the occasion of 70th Independence Day.

“This country will never bend before terrorism. Many innocents were killed in Peshawar terrorist attack, but there were tears in everyone’s eyes in Parliament here,” he added.

“Pakistan forgets that it bombs its own citizens using fighter planes. The time has come when Pakistan will have to answer to the world for the atrocities committed by it against people in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,” Modi said at the all-party meet.

Modi hit out at Pakistan for supporting terrorism. This, he said, was in contrast to the way Indians reacted with sorrow when terrorists slaughtered school children in Peshawar.

“But on the other hand, look at those who glorify terrorists. What kind of people glorify terrorists? The world is watching.

People of Balochistan, Gilgit and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have thanked me a lot in the past few days. I am grateful to them,” he said.

Asserting that ‘unity in diversity’ is the whole essence of the Indian culture, the Indian Prime Minister said there is no place for violence and atrocities in the nation.

Modi asserted that there cannot be a bigger freedom than freedom from poverty.

“I invite all the SAARC countries to work together to fight this. We did not get an opportunity to die for the country but we have the opportunity to live for the country,” he added.

Pakistan’s English daily Dawn criticized Modi’s speech calling his language “aggressive”, and his comments about Pakistan, a breach of “diplomatic norms”.

It added that the Indian PM’s remarks will most likely be interpreted by Pakistan as a threat. The country’s beef with India as to why the latter (or rather, Modi) shouldn’t be raising the issue of Balochistan is because the issue is “senseless” and that Pakistan could easily come up with a retaliatory accusation: that North East India is unstable and plagued by violence.

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri also had similar strong reactions to Modi’s comments.

“The government and people of Balochistan vehemently reject Modi’s statement on the situation in the province,” The Express Tribune quoted CM Zehri as saying.

He also dismissed Modi’s comparison of Balochistan to Kashmir saying that, “people of Balochistan are loyal and patriotic”, and that they wouldn’t offer support the “nefarious designs of the country’s enemies”.

The Dawn further wrote that Modi was in denial of the original India-Pakistan dispute and that he should take a good hard look at the “dismal path he has ventured down”.

Meanwhile, The Nation, in an editorial, concentrated on the violence in “Indian-administered Kashmir” writing that Pakistan will extend its “diplomatic, political and moral support to the valiant people of Jammu and Kashmir till they get their right to self-determination”.

On 22 July, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at a public gathering announced that the country was waiting for the day when “Kashmir becomes (a part of) Pakistan”.

Echoing the view of The Nation, the country’s high commissioner to Delhi, Abdul Basit, dedicated Pakistan’s Independence Day to Kashmir.

“Struggle for independence will continue till Kashmir gets freedom. Sacrifice of the people of Kashmir will not go in vain,” he said during his trip to Delhi.

India-Pakistan ties have plunged further since the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Sharif declared Wani a “martyr” and even observed 19 July as black day to mourn the continuing violence in Kashmir.