Congress body discussing Balochistan today Serious concern conveyed to US

ISLAMABAD (Online): Pakistan has conveyed its serious concern over the US Congress powerful committee’s meeting to be held on Wednesday exclusively on the issue of Balochistan. Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit told Online that Pakistani embassy in Washington has taken strong notice of the scheduled meeting of the US congress committee on foreign affairs to deliberate the issue of Balochistan. The official website of US Congress displayed the notification and topic of the meeting. A Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher will chair the hearing. Rohrabacher recently in an article expressed support for an independent Balochistan. “Perhaps we should even consider support for a Balochistan carved out of Pakistan to diminish radical power there (in Pakistan),” Rohrabacher wrote in his article. “Our embassy in Washington is already in touch with the organizers of the hearing of the committee. They know how we feel about it. Our concerns have been forcefully conveyed in Washington,” Basit told Online when he was asked about US legislator’s planned deliberation over the most sensitive issue of Pakistan. The powerful House of Representatives committee, that would hold deliberations on the hot issue of restive Balochistan, also oversees America’s foreign assistance programs. And the touching a sensitive issue by US legislators is deemed very important when the deteriorating Pak-US relations are in process of repairing. Pakistan is considering the issue of Balochistan as its internal issue and some years ago had refused to allow the US to open consulate in the province. When contacted for his official version over the meeting of the US congress Committee, Advisor on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that a foreign country’s parliament is involved in it, “We cannot comment on it. The Pakistani foreign office comments would be our stance”. The US State Department involved itself in the issue of Balochistan when its spokesperson Victoria Nuland last month urged Pakistan to “really lead and conduct a dialogue that takes the Balochistan issue forward”. “The United States is deeply concerned about the ongoing violence in Balochistan, especially targeted killings, disappearances and other human rights abuses,” she said. Interestingly, Nuland addressed the issue in a “twitter-briefing” that the department holds every Friday. “This was a very popular question on our feed, so we wanted to make sure that we answered it today,” said Ms Nuland who focused on the violence plaguing Balochistan instead of tackling political issues raised in most of the tweets.Pakistani officials say that some foreign hands are involved in fanning the violence in the province along Afghan border. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Defence expressed concerns over deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan and murder of granddaughter of Nawab Akbar Bugti in Karachi, summoning intelligence agencies to brief the panel on Feb 29.While the Supreme Court of Pakistan has also took notice of the situation. Budget for parliamentarians and member of the provincial assembly was also enhanced.