Exiled Baloch leaders welcome Trump's Afghan, S Asia policy

Washington: Top Baloch leaders in exile have welcomed President Donald Trump’s new Afghan and South Asia policy and urged the US to fulfill its responsibilities to recognise and differentiate between its “friends and foes” in the region.

Trump last week hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to “agents of chaos” that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has “much to lose” by harbouring terrorists.

“We urge the US to fulfill its responsibilities to recognise and differentiate between its friends and foes in the region. We hope the US will not let us down this time and we will not have to do (sacrifices) like (killing of) Shahid Nawab Akbar Bugti who stood and fought for our shared values,” said exiled Baloch leader Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti.

Switzerland-based Bugti, president of the Baloch Republican Party and successor of the slain Nawab Bugti was speaking at an event “Real Story Behind Assassination of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti,” organised by American Friends of Balochistan at the National Press Club here on Friday.

“We welcome President Trump’s statement about new American strategy on dealing with Pakistan,” Bugti said, adding that it was really encouraging for Baloch people to see the US Government recognise the real face of Pakistan.

Bugti said that the UN and US designated terrorists like Haqqani network leaders and people like Hafiz Saeed roam freely in Pakistan while the political leaders and activists of Balochistan are abducted and killed on a daily basis.

“My grandfather opposed Pakistani plan of giving borders to the Chinese. China is now building a huge military base in border in the pretext of so called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which the Baloch call the corridor of death and destruction,” he said.

Nawab Mehran Marri, chief of the Marri tribe and president of the Balochistan House, also welcomed the new Afghan and South Asia policy.