A group of activists claiming to fight for the rights of Baloch people on Saturday raised anti-Pakistan slogans and raised Indian flags during a protest in Leipzig, Germany. The protestors shouted “Free Balochistan zindabad” and “go ahead Modi”, in a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent words that condemned the alleged atrocities committed against the local population by Pakistani forces.

While the group the activists belonged to was not identified, one of them told ANI, “Our aim is to highlight the ongoing army operation in Balochistan and the human rights abuses. We are very thankful to the Prime Minister of India for raising the voice for Balochistan , for the voiceless people in the region.”

Pakistan had reacted sharply to Modi’s word on Balochistan, saying the prime minister had “crossed a red line” during his Independence Day speech. A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Nafees Zakaria had also claimed Modi violated a “United Nations Charter” by referring to the province.