Pakistan on Saturday said the draft resolution on Balochistan tabled in the US House of Representatives was an “unfriendly and irresponsible” attempt against the United Nations Charter and international law. In a statement, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar took a strong exception to the draft bill on Balochistan submitted in the US House of Representatives on Friday. She said although the bill was an isolated move by a few individuals, it was contrary to the principles of UN Charter and international law.
She said the bill was also against the very fundamentals of the long-standing US-Pakistan relations. She said the National Assembly had unanimously adopted a resolution condemning a recent open hearing on Balochistan by the Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee on Oversight and Investigations. “The National Assembly resolution had clearly represented the legitimate reaction of the people of Pakistan,” she said.
She said such an unfriendly and irresponsible attempt by a few individuals in Washington was aimed to create distrust between the peoples of the two countries. She expressed the hope that the tendentious move would not be allowed to sail through the House by a vast majority of US congressmen who continued to support friendly relations between the two countries.
Soon after the bill was tabled on Friday, Pakistan strongly reacted to the move dubbing it “ill-advised and irresponsible”, saying the resolution showed utter disrespect for international norms and practices.
Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher had introduced a House Concurrent Resolution, which says that the Baloch nation has a right to self-determination.
The bill stated that the Baloch people “have the right to self-determination and to their own sovereign country; and they should be afforded the opportunity to choose their own status”.
According to the resolution, the people of Balochistan that are “currently divided between Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, have the right to self-determination and to their own sovereign country, and they should be afforded the opportunity to choose their own status among the community of nations, living in peace and harmony, without external coercion”.
Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said, “We are confident that this ill-advised and irresponsible move will not be allowed to sail through.” He said the bill was a self-serving attempt on part of those who were driven by arrogance and ignorance. “The bill shows utter disrespect for international norms and practices,” he added.
Meanwhile, State Department Spokesperson Victoria Nuland said the US had no intention to interfere in Pakistan’s affairs. In a briefing to newsmen in Washington, she said the US had concerns over the Pakistan-Iran-Afghanistan gas pipeline project.