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Exiled Baloch leader Bugti denies he sought asylum in India

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 25 Nov 2017

Exiled Baloch leader Bugti denies he sought asylum in India

Geneva, Nov 25 (JEN): Exiled Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti has said that he has not made any formal request to India to grant him political asylum close on the rejection of his asylum plea to Switzerland, which, many feared, acted under the diplomatic pressure of Pakistan.

Speaking to Indian media Bugti said he has not made any formal request though he had discussed it with Indian officials in their embassy in Switzerland.

“However, if there is an offer of asylum from the government of India in view of the oppression faced by Baloch activists, I will think about it. It would be embarrassing if I were to apply for asylum and it was rejected by India, just as the Swiss have done. I don’t want this situation," he told Indian daily Hindustan Times.

He also took a potshot at Switzerland for ignoring Pakistan's track record in supporting terrorists while branding a political person like him as a terrorist.

"I am still the most wanted person in Pakistan while top terrorists like Osama Bin laden, Hafiz Saeed were being protected and facilitated by the Pakistan Army. Switzerland must consider these facts before considering Pakistani allegations against us," he said.

He earlier tweeted: "I am living in a golden cage. #Switzerland is a beautiful country, it has beautiful weather, the people are very nice. But I cannot travel. My kids cannot go on holidays with their classmates. It is a sort of prison too."

Brahumdagh Bugti's asylum plea was not granted by Switzerland, a place where he has lived in for seven years now. It is widely feared that Switzerland buckled under Pakistan and China's joint pressure.

"After more than seven years of waiting Switzerland has now rejected my application for political asylum," Bugti, the president of Baloch Republican Party, had earlier this week tweeted.

In a follow-up tweet, he accused Pakistan of foul play.

"I am the president of Baloch Republican Party and we believe in political means of struggle. In order to counter our political struggle for rights, Pakistan has always used fake allegations of terrorism against us," he said.

Leaders like Bugti are fighting for a free Balochistan, which was a free nation under the British rule, but came under Pakistani in 1948 when Pakistan sent its army and annexed it.