Bill on Baluchistan turn up in US Congress

WASHINGTON:  A bill has been proposed in the US House of Representatives asking Pakistan to identify the right of autonomy for Baluchistan.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA46) in a House Concurrent Resolution that stated that Baluch nation has been an independent nation in past so they deserve a historic right of autonomy.

The bill offered that the Baluchi people “have the right to self-determination and to their own sovereign country; and they should be afforded the opportunity to choose their own status.” 

“The Baluchis, like other nations of people, have an innate right to self-determination,” says Rohrabacher. “The political and ethnic discrimination they suffer is tragic and made more so because America is financing and selling arms to their oppressors in Islamabad.” 

Most people in Pakistan condemn the bill and aren’t happy with the interference by the US in this matter. The Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (G-BLA) collectively passed a resolution condemning the bill introduced in the US Congress on Baluchistan. They called it an attempt to sabotage ties between the two nations.

 Along with G-BAL, Khyber Paktoon (KP) Assembly condemned the US bill too. However, they couldn’t pass the unanimous resolution because of the lack of quorum. But still they managed to stage a rally against US bill on Baluchistan.

The Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy Islamabad, Richard E. Hoagland said that supporting Baluchistan independence is not the policy of the Obama administration.

Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistan director of a US NGO, Human Rights Watch (HRW), was the only Pakistani who appeared as a witness on Baluchistan issue for the hearing of US House of Representatives’ Committee. Popular opinion believes that the testimony which was given against Pakistan was presented by giving wrong facts and figures.

The co-sponsors for the bill were Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and Steve King (R-IA) who signed on the bill as original co-sponsors.

It’s not that only Pakistan and U.S. are concerned about this issue but people from different countries are also concerned about this and really want this problem to be resolved.

However, Barhamdagh Bugti, separatist leader and founder of Baluch Republican Party (BRP), has said he supports US Congress bill, espousing self-determination for Baluchistan.

Let see what good this bill will bring to the people of Baluchistan as this bill was not taken positively by many people in country.