Minister dismisses ‘India-funded Free Balochistan’ posters as insignificant

Abdul Qadir Baloch says government has asked Swiss authorities to shut down the anti-Pakistan campaign

Two days after the Foreign Office lodged a protest with Swiss authorities for permitting the use of its territory for propaganda by elements linked with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) Abdul Qadir Baloch has said that the protest movement by the terrorist organisation does not hold any significance.

He was responding to a Calling Attention Notice submitted in the National Assembly on Wednesday regarding the emergence of ‘Free Balochistan’ posters in Geneva.

According to BBC Urdu, since Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif is in New York to attend the 72^nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session, Baloch in his response said the posters campaign was funded by India, adding that the government has asked the Swiss government to shut down the anti-Pakistan campaign.

On request of parliamentarians to raise the issue at the General Assembly, the Saffron minister said it was not an issue of national importance, and that since law enforcement agencies had restricted the BLA from carrying out terror activities, the banned outfit was trying to find ways to hold protests.



"Pakistan has declared BLA as a terrorist organisation and its activities in Switzerland are against the United Nations and international laws," he said.

On Sunday, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Farukh Amil also wrote to his opposite number – Swiss Permanent Representative Valentin Zellweger – drawing his attention to the ‘Free Balochistan’ posters placed along Rue de Ferney in the Grand Sacconex municipality. The road leads to the UN office in Geneva.

BLA’s operations in Pakistan are believed to be restricted to Balochistan, where it has carried out carries out numerous attacks against armed forces personnel and civilians. It has also been involved in assassinations, murder, and kidnappings of government officials and civilians, along with religiously motivated attacks against minorities.