New Delhi:Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati will launch a website and mobile app tomorrow for All India Radio’s Balochi service to reach out to the people who speak the language across the globe.

According to officials, the Balochi website and mobile app will be launched by Prasar Bharati Chairperson A Surya Prakash.

As part of its efforts to find additional platforms to supplement its existing shortwave transmissions for various language services, External Services Division of All India Radio (AIR) is launching a multimedia website and mobile app for the Balochi language service being broadcast since May, 1974, an official said.

“This technological upgradation will not only provide improved reception quality to the listeners in Afghanistan-Pakistan region, the original target of the service, but would also expand the reach of the service to Baloch Diaspora spread in different countries,” the official said.

The move to start an AIR web service comes in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day speech in which he had brought up the issue of Pakistani atrocities on people of Balochistan and PoK.

It was for the first time that the disturbed areas under the control of Pakistan were mentioned by any Prime Minister during his Independence speech.

Earlier, DD News had also sent a team to Geneva to interview Brahumdagh Bugti, leader of Baloch Republican Party.

The External Services Division (ESD) of AIR, at present, broadcasts daily in 57 radio transmissions covering over 108 countries in 27 languages. Out of these, 15 are foreign languages, including Balochi.

India says it will continue to raise Balochistan issue

New Delhi:India today said it will continue to raise the Balochistan issue as long as repression and violation of the fundamental rights of Balochis exist.

The statement came a day after India for the first time raised the issue of Balochistan before the UN, accusing Pakistan of widespread human rights violations there as well as in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The issue is also likely to be raised during the UN General Assembly scheduled for later this month in New York.

The Indian delegation to the 71st session of the UNGA will be led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and she is scheduled to deliver her address on September 26.

Asked if India will continue to raise issue of Balochistan, MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said, “Till repression exists in Balochistan, till fundemental rights of citizens there are violated, India will raise this issue.”

India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative at the UN in Geneva Ajit Kumar said while India’s credentials as a peaceful, democratic, pluralistic society that is deeply committed to the welfare of its people are well established, Pakistan is characterised by authoritarianism, absence of democratic norms and widespread human rights violations across the country including in Balochistan.

PTI