WASHINGTON: The United States categorically assured Pakistan on Tuesday that it did not support independence for Balochistan.
In
an earlier statement, the US State Department shared with Dawn its
general commitment to Pakistan’s territorial integrity and distanced
itself from India’s effort to stir an international controversy over
Balochistan.
But on Tuesday, the State Department shared
another statement with Dawn, removing all ambiguities about its stance
on an issue that many Pakistanis fear can be exploited to endanger the
very existence of their country.
“The US government
respects the unity and territorial integrity of Pakistan, and we do not
support independence for Balochistan,” said a State Department official
in the statement shared with Dawn.
But
the official also expressed US concerns about the human rights
situation in the province where Pakistan is fighting a simmering
insurgency by both separatists and religious extremists.
International monitors claim that both insurgents and security forces commit human rights violations in Balochistan.
Official also expresses concern over human rights situation in province
“We do have concerns about the human rights situation there,
and have reported that for several years in our Human Rights Report,”
the State Department official said.
“However, we have
consistently urged all parties in Pakistan to work out their differences
peaceably and through a valid political process,” the official added.
Hundreds
of people have been killed in Balochistan in attacks on sectarian and
ethnic minorities while scores of people have disappeared. Sometimes,
tortured bodies of those who disappear are found abandoned in remote
areas.
Baloch nationalists blame the security forces for
those disappearances, a charge the government rejects as incorrect and
accuses the militants of kidnapping people and of killing them when they
fail to get ransom.
In a speech last week, Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi too talked about the situation in Balochistan and
urged Indian diplomats and the media to highlight this issue.
Pakistan reacted angrily to the speech, calling it a breach of international norms and intrusion in the country’s sovereignty.
While
commenting on Mr Modi’s statement, Pakistani officials and the media
said that the Indian prime minister was trying to hide the atrocities
committed by Indian security forces in occupied Kashmir by bracketing
the situation in the valley with Balochistan, which, unlike occupied
Kashmir, was not a disputed territory.
They pointed out
that Kashmir was an internationally recognised issue and there were UN
resolutions supporting the right of self-determination of the Kashmiri
people.
But the Indian effort to internationalise the
situation in Balochistan received support from the Bangladeshi
government and former Afghan president Hamid Karzai.
During
a visit to India earlier this week, Bangladeshi Information Minister
Hasanul Haque Inu said Bangladesh supported Mr Modi’s stand on
Balochistan and Dhaka would soon make a policy declaration on this
issue.
Mr Karzai, who was also in New Delhi this week,
said that Mr Modi’s remarks should make the Pakistani government “see
the gravity of the situation”.
Meanwhile, at a State
Department news briefing, a journalist drew the spokesman’s attention to
India’s decision to register a sedition case against Amnesty
International. Indian authorities claimed that Amnesty International
committed sedition when it held a seminar to highlight the fate of
broken families in occupied Kashmir.
“We’ve seen these
reports that local police in Bangalore have initiated preliminary
investigation into allegations of sedition against Amnesty
International,” said Deputy Spokesman Mark Toner.
“We
obviously, as we do around the world, support the right to freedom of
expression and assembly, including through civil society,” he added. “We
respect the right for Amnesty and others to express themselves freely.”
The official, however, urged the journalist to contact the Bangalore police for more details.
Responding
to another question, the official urged both India and Pakistan to
resume their dialogue for reducing tensions in South Asia.
“We
strongly support all efforts between India and Pakistan that can
contribute to a more stable and prosperous region, and that includes
meetings at any level between Indian and Pakistani officials,” Mr Toner
said.
“Our longstanding position has always been that
India and Pakistan stand to benefit from a normalisation of relations
and practical cooperation, and so we would be encouraged that India and
Pakistan continue to engage in direct dialogue aimed at reducing
tensions,” he said.
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