Mir Suleman Dawood
Jan Ahmedzai, the current Khan of Kalat, left Pakistan in 2006 when the army
killed tribal leader Akbar Bugti.
A Baloch leader,
who has been in self-exile in Wales, has called for India's cooperation to help
tackle the persisting issues of his tribe in the restive Pakistan region. Mir
Suleman Dawood Jan Ahmedzai said India could help "diplomatically" to
lend a hand out to the people of Balochistan to achieve peace, stability and
security.
Ahmedzai spoke to
Hindustan Times newspaper from his home in Cardiff and told about his intention
about the independence of Balochistan, which he said was annexed at gun point.
"We must
explore new ways of cooperation between India and Balochistan. We can help
remove the threat to India from its western border," he added.
He believes Delhi
could do "a lot diplomatically" in regards to the human rights
violations by Pakistan army in the fidgety region that Modi spoke about during
India's Independence Day speech.
"The Baloch,
Indian and other nations who have been the victims of Pakistan-sponsored
terrorism can together defeat it."
Following other
Baloch nationalists, Afghanistan and Bangladeshi leaders, he welcomed Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "brave and long-awaited" comments on
the plight of Baloch people in Pakistan.
Ahmedzai, the
current Khan of Kalat, left Pakistan in 2006 when the Pakistani army killed
tribal leader Akbar Bugti in a battle. He is reported to have self-proclaimed
the title after his father's death.
"India can
help us at the UN and at the International Court of Justice. Together with our
supporters in the US, we can at least get assets of the leading lights of
Pakistan frozen, to begin with," the leader said.
Balochistan issue
is said to be somewhat on the lines of Kashmir issue in India. But Ahmedzai
said the issue his community has been facing should not be compared to Jammu
and Kashmir. He also rubbished claims that Delhi could use Balochistan to
pressurise Islamabad to end sponsoring terrorism in India.
"Indian
national security and future economic growth is dependent on an independent
Balochistan. How? China and Pakistan will surround India if Baloch aspiration
for independence is suppressed and if the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC) is accomplished," he told the Indian newspaper.
"I believe Mr
Modi is interested in India's national interest, and an independent Balochistan
is in India's national interest."
He added that he
might even approach Israel for help for Balochistan province to be separated
from Pakistan. "The situation in Balochistan is very bad. There are no
accurate estimates but 25,000 people are said to be missing and over a million
displaced. Pakistan's rule over Balochistan has never been legitimate, now it
has lost control over Balochistan."
For regular updates about #VBMPLongMarch and Balochistan news visit the
following sites
www.BUCnews.com (For Urdu news)
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