National

Brahamdagh Bugti likely to get Indian citizenship

September 17, 2016

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Recent reports suggest that exiled Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bugti is likely to get asylum in India. Long negotiations between the Baloch leader and Indian authorities are underway to obtain an Indian passport.

Sources said that Bugti will soon seek asylum in the Indian embassy of Geneva. The outlawed Baloch Republican Party (BPR) has convened a meeting in Geneva discuss the process.

BRP sources have confirmed that the India in principle has agreed to grant citizenship to Bugti and his key aides. BRP representatives have said that just like India facilitated Dalai Lama, who uses an Indian passport to campaign around the world against China, the Baloch leader too can move freely across the globe and highlight the plight of Balochis.

Brahamdagh’s only sister is married to prominent Baloch leader Mehran Baloch, who is a British national but lives mostly in Dubai and represents Balochistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

“Everything is agreed and settled between the Indian government and Brahamdagh. He will submit his official request to the Indian mission in Geneva after getting endorsement from his party,” said the source.

Indian establishment opened negotiations with Brahamdagh Bugti on granting him Indian citizenship earlier this year – much before the Indian premier Narendra Modi broke his cover of supporting Baloch insurgents a month ago – after Brahamdagh Bugti came to the view that he might not get Swiss passport anytime soon and could stay confined in Switzerland for an indefinite time period.

On January 16 this year, this correspondent reported exclusively, quoting credible Baloch and Swiss sources that the asylum application of the outlawed BRP leader Brahamdagh Bugti had been turned down by the Switzerland immigration authorities. The BRP reacted with fury and said that the report was “propaganda” against the Baloch exiled leader.

But now Brahamdagh himself and the BRP officials accepted that the grandson of Nawab Akbar Bugti had asked the Swiss immigration authorities to make a decision on his case but he was informed at the start of this year that his case “remains in the process” and “no timeframe” could be given.

Bugti alleges that the Switzerland government is under pressure from Pakistan for not granting him citizenship status, enabling him to get the Swiss passport for travel. The source said if India could give sanctuary to anti-Chinese leader Dalai Lama, there should be no problem for Brahamdagh Bugti. He revealed that Brahamdagh Bugti was in contact with a “leading western power and the response we have received is great.”

“India has facilitated Dalai Lama against the pressure from a powerful country like China. It helped Sheikh Mujeebur Rehman as well. It will help Brahamdagh and his colleagues as well. Brahamdagh has asked for Indian citizenship for himself and all his colleagues.

There are 15,000 Bugtis stuck in Afghanistan. Around 2,000 are in various countries including European. Their asylum applications have been either approved or in the process. Brahamdagh would like all these people to be accommodated along with his own case,” said the source. Media has learnt that at the first stage, it has been agreed that Indian will give citizenship to Brahamdagh and his key lieutenants in Switzerland including his trusted aides Sher Muhammad Bugti and Azizullah Bugti.

“We will use Indian papers to travel around the world to campaign against Pakistan and to highlight our case. We have openly thanked Narendra Modi for his support and we are no more hiding anything. We have no other option. We don’t care what our opponents think of our support for Modi and his support for us,” said the source.

In the meeting on Sept 18-19 in Geneva, seven members of the 16-member BRP will be present to endorse Bugti’s decision of getting help from India openly. The BRP members from Germany, London, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland will attend this meeting.

Bugti fled his hometown Dera Bugti in Balochistan in 2006 following the assassination of his grandfather Akbar Bugti. He lived in Afghanistan as a state guest and was then flown from there to Switzerland. He reached Switzerland in late October 2010 and has been living there ever since on political asylum with his family.