Congressional hearing on Balochistan annoys Pakistan

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Pakistan has conveyed to the United States its serious concerns over a powerful US Congress committee’s meeting to be held on Wednesday exclusively on the issue of Balochistan.
Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit told Online that the Pakistani embassy in Washington had taken strong notice of the scheduled meeting of the US Congress Committee on Foreign Affairs to deliberate on the issue of Balochistan. The official website of the US Congress displayed the notification and topic of the meeting. Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, who recently expressed support for an independent Balochistan in an article, will chair the hearing. “Perhaps we should even consider support for a Balochistan carved out of Pakistan to diminish radical power there (in Pakistan),” Rohrabacher had written in his article. “Our embassy in Washington is already in touch with the organisers of the hearing of the committee. They know how we feel about it. Our concerns have been forcefully conveyed in Washington,” Basit told Online when he was asked about US legislators’ planned deliberation over the most sensitive issue of Pakistan. The committee that would hold deliberations on Balochistan also oversees America’s foreign assistance programmes. US legislators touching on a sensitive issue in Pakistan is seen as an important development when frozen Pakistan-US ties are just beginning to thaw.
Pakistan considers the issue of Balochistan an internal one, and some years ago had refused to allow the US to open a consulate in the province. Human Rights Adviser Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar refused to comment on the matter, saying the Foreign Office comments represented Pakistan’s stance.
The US State Department involved itself in the issue of Balochistan when its spokeswoman Victoria Nuland last month urged Pakistan to “really lead and conduct a dialogue that takes the Balochistan issue forward”. “The United States is deeply concerned about the ongoing violence in Balochistan, especially targeted killings, disappearances and other human rights abuses,” she had said. Interestingly, Nuland addressed the issue in a “twitter-briefing” that the department holds every Friday. “This was a very popular question on our feed, so we wanted to make sure that we answered it today,” said Nuland, who focused on the violence plaguing Balochistan instead of tackling political issues raised in most of the tweets. Pakistani officials say some foreign hands are involved in fanning the violence in the province along the Afghan border.

23 COMMENTS

  1. . this is a pressure tactic used by America to send a message if you guys dont listen and do what I say . I will create more trouble in Bolachistan

  2. this is how pressure tactic work and this is how this super power work, the message is if you dont open supply route, we will create a new route through your country even if it takes to create a new country in the process!

  3. The US has an agenda in Balochistan;
    A) Frustrate the Iran Pipe line deal
    B) Frustrate Pakistan's attempts to settle Balochistan's problems
    C) Prevent Gawadar becoming a Chinese outlet to the Gulf, Arabian sea and the Indian ocean beyond
    D) Have Gawadar function as a US port and/or part of an Afghan sea access not controlled by Islamabad.
    Pakistan should be alert and ready for all possible scenarios

  4. If Americans have decided to intervene on such matters then a much bigger humanitarian issue of Kashmir should be top on their agenda, where more than hundred thousand people have been killed, a million injured and thousands are missing, due to the brutalities of Indian security forces, which has the world's largest concentration of troops in the human history. Moreover, if such internal interventions of Americans are not stopped forthwith, Pakistan should immediately stop it's air space for Americans and ask them to take back their ambassador from Islamabad. This what Americans are rewarding with after our 13 years of sacrifices in their war on terror?

    • Reality check:

      – Kashmir is becoming 'non-international' issue ('bilateral' is the most Pakistan would get) …

      – Baluchistan is becoming 'international' issue (Pakistan won't be able to escape), caused by the long ignorance, selfishness and over-confidence of the Pakistan's Military-Political elites …

      " … Pakistan’s former high commissioner to the United Kingdom (Dr. Akbar S. Ahmed) , told Dawn.com (2/7/2012) that the congressional hearing was a “significant step” in highlighting Balochistan’s problems. “The information provided in the event,” he said, “will not only be used by members of the US Congress but will also be picked up by the world media.” …"

      – Baluchistan is going to be the bad news for Pakistan in this decade…

  5. Look who is talking about human right violations. I am not surprised they forget all the human right violations their soldiers did and are committing in Iraq and Afghanistan. After all they are the biggest hypocrite of the world.

  6. Wow! what a hypocrisy!! Just across the Balochistan border, there it is Iran which the US is planning to bomb to death through sanctions & war-mongering!! Will the Balochies still believe US !! What will be a Balochi independence?? Not much different to the "independence" that Lybia or Iraq enjoys today!! I fully support affirmative action for all Balochi population! They must be provided Jobs, free homes & schools in exchange for opening up/securing the Makran coast!! They must be offered partnership licenses in any future businesses popping up in the Makran coastal area!! For Balochistan, it is better to build another Dubai than to whitewash itself with a pseudo-independence that ll turn it into another Afghanistan!!

    • Your idea says, somebody would do it for them (which never happened in the long, long past). Now they are thinking about being in the control of their own destiny…

  7. Any person in america who is called tom,dick and harry, gets up one day and says something bull crap kind of thing about Pakistan and our print and electronic media picks it up and starts making hue and cry. Now this person name Rohrabacher, has came up with an idea about balochistan. i think he should first go and search for his legtimate father or mother for this matter. and if he still have time, he can work on finding his daughter,with whom she is sleeping now a days.

    • y r u being so personal man? It's a most common line in pakistan that, don't see who's saying, see what's saying. people in Pakistan even call us "Balochi" rather than "Baloch" then how could they understand our problems and needs? Pakistani people don't have any knowledge about Balochistan and the Baloch, even they don't know the major city names of Balochistan then how can they claim their ownership on Baloch's motherland? Pakistani are just interested in resources which Balochistan has. they just have greedy glasses on their eyes through which they can't see the reality. we don't expect humanity or pity from pakistanis. we just hope they would survive after the Freedom of Balochistan, after losing control on resources of Baluchistan 🙂 they 'cuz they know the terrible life without CNG.

  8. US congressional hearing is a glamour of hope for Balochs because of long lasting strive for the independence struggling to be achieved.. We (Balochs) were not, are not and will not be a part of Pakistan so it is not fair to pronounce us (Balochs) as pakistani , pakistanis our so-called brothers even can’t pronounce our name correctly so how can the call us as a part of them. Only cause of pakistanis to call us their brothers is the mineral resources of Balochistan. Mutilated dead Balochs dead bodies thrown by pakistani security officials are the main cause of making the conditions worse.. So it is better that the world major powers take strict measure to give us (Balochs) our liberty back as it was in 1948 and before British occupation.. And a long duration of 65 years have passed and several government have passed that’s why deteriorating conditions in Balochistan are not due to government failure..

  9. Balochistan`s freedom become realigy Only If Panjabis and other Pakistani people are lucky. You Dhugha Panjabis and Slindhis, if Balochistan become free, you get everything. Freedom from Foujis, freedom from loadsheding, freedom from pevery and etc. etc. etc.

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