- BLO confirms presence of its political representative in Delhi
India is reportedly preparing to take an aggressive position on Balochistan, in a marked departure from South Block’s Pakistan Policy of the past.
The new Indian position over Balochistan became public when Balochistan Liberation Organisation (BLO) representative Balaach Pardili addressed a gathering in New Delhi on October 4, reading out a statement from BLO’s exiled leader Nawabzada Hyrbyair Marri.
BLO has confirmed to The Hindu newspaper about the presence of its political representative in Delhi. Pardili, who originally hails from Afghanistan, has been living in Delhi since 2009 and was recently contacted by Nawabzada Marri to represent him at public meetings.
The London-based Nawabzada Hyrbyair Marri is the leader of Free Balochistan Movement with a militant arm, Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), and BLO, the political wing. “I hope to facilitate Nawabzada Marri’s visit to Delhi in near future,” Pardili told The Hindu.
In a statement to The Hindu, Nawabzada Marri said: “We wish that India, the largest democracy, have a clear policy about Balochistan. If Pakistani officials can openly meet the Kashmiri leadership, why shouldn’t India do the same? The Red Cross does not have a hotline on Balochistan despite our repeated pleas. I want India’s help to start a crisis hotline with the Red Cross.”
While the dynamics of the new policy have not been fleshed out, officials confirmed to The Hindu that Balochistan would be used more and more when India faces allegations from Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir. “This is an evolving policy.”
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is understood to have pushed the new line on Pakistan.
The event on September 4, where Pardili featured as Nawabzada Marri’s representative, was organised by Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena, which runs namopatrika.com, an e-publication supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “broad-based prosperity” in India. Subsequently, the video of the event was tweeted by some Baloch activists.
Speaking to The Hindu, Pardili said he feels safe in Delhi and has the support of a section of the BJP led by RSN Singh and Tejender Singh of Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena. Pardili is confident of creating awareness on the oppression of the Baloch people in Pakistan.
Tejender Singh says that next; Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena will take Pardili to the prominent universities of India, including JNU.