Baloch asylum seekers yet to hear from MHA

Baloch activists in-exile, who had requested the Indian government to give them asylum in the last one year, are still waiting for a response from the government. Apart from the asylum seekers, a section of Baloch activists are also pushing for a Baloch government-in-exile to be set up in India, on the lines of the Tibet government-in-exile that functions from Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.

Apart from the Baloch Republican Party (BRP) president Brahumdagh Bugti, another Afghanistan-based Baloch activist who had applied for asylum in India was Umar Daud Khattak who had also visited India last year.

Khattak said, “I had applied for Indian citizenship in November 2015 with Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in New Delhi. I have not got any reply yet. I do not have any other Baloch activist in my knowledge apart from me and Brahumdagh Bugti who have applied for asylum in India or for grant of Indian citizenship.”

Expressing concern, Khattak said, “I have been waiting (for a response from the MHA), but there has been no response. I would again request the Indian government to grant us asylum and help us further the Balcoh cause.”

Professor Naela Quadri Baloch, who has been travelling across India for the second time in a year to gain support from the Indian public to speak out for the Baloch cause, has not applied for asylum in India. She said, “We have requested the Indian government to help us establish a Baloch government-in-exile. It won’t be possible for me to divulge more information on this front since we are still in the process of discussions with the Indian government.” Prof Baloch is the president of the World Baloch Women’s Forum (WBWF) and had sought asylum in Canada where she currently lives. Commenting on some Baloch activists seeking asylum, Prof Baloch said, “Yes, different requests have been made from Baloch activists, but that does not show a difference of opinion. It is just a matter of priority. Asylum is a personal choice, but a government-in exile is in national interest. If we can set up a government-in-exile, it will provide a huge push to bilateral and diplomatic interests of Balochistan on the international level. Establishing a government-in-exile can fulfil a larger purpose than seeking individual asylum, which is a minor matter of where one person can be allowed to live.”

Notably, BRP president Bugti had earlier criticised Prof Baloch’s request for a government-in-exile and was quoted saying that Prof Baloch did not represent the whole of Balochistan.