The US embassy deputy chief of mission, Richard E Hoagland has once again disassociated the US government from a Congress resolution seeking independence of Balochistan by maintaining that such a resolution does not reflect the Obama administration’s policy. During interviews with Pakistani media on Sunday, Hoagland said the US administration respected Pakistan’s sovereignty. Reiterating the US State Department’s stance, he said Balochistan was an important issue but it did not form a part of the US foreign policy.
“We had taken up the human rights violation in the province with the Pakistan government. More than 4,000 resolutions/bills were presented in the Congress in a year but only 91 got approval,” he was quoted as saying. The spokesman said Washington respected Pakistan’s sovereignty as the province formed an integral part of the country. In a statement, US embassy spokesman Robert Raines said, “The United States respects the territorial integrity of Pakistan. Members of Congress introduce legislation on numerous foreign affairs topics and these bills do not in any way imply US government endorsement of any particular policy.”
Independent Balochistan not US policy: embassy
