Unanimous condemnation in NA for US Balochistan hearings

Pakistan summons US Charge d' Affairs, lodges formal complaint over the Balochistan hearings.


Web Desk February 13, 2012

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Monday unanimously approved a resolution condemning a US Congressional Foreign Relations Sub-committee hearing on Balochistan, Express News reported.

The resolution said that they will not tolerate any interference in the internal matters of Pakistan.

The house voted after Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar had moved the resolution.

The Foreign Office said in a statement that the US Charge d' Affairs, Richard Hoagland, was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was officially conveyed the government's serious concern.

"This was unacceptable as it amounted to interference in the internal affairs of the country," the Charge d' Affairs was informed.

Hoagland assured that the US Administration had not extended any support to the initiative nor did it subscribe to such views, the statement added.

Pakistani Senators and Ambassador in the US had voiced their concerns over the hearing last week. Senator Raza Rabbani said the US Sub-Committee had no jurisdiction, and that it was “direct intervention” into Pakistan’s internal matters. Sherry Rehman called the hearing “ill-timed”.

Last week, for the first time after decades of simmering strife, disenfranchisement and disenchantment in Balochistan made it to the limelight in the US – and not unexpectedly Pakistan was cast in negative light in a US congressional hearing.

In a packed room of the Rayburn House Office Building, members of the House Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on February 10, 2012, focused on condemning the Pakistani government and accusing it of broad human rights abuses against the Baloch.

Correction: An earlier version of this story, as per information available then incorrectly mentioned that the US Ambassador was called to the Foreign Office to lodge a formal complaint. This is incorrect,  the Charge d' Affairs had been summoned - as clarified in a statement issued by the Foreign Office. The error is regretted.

COMMENTS (33)

Harry Stone | 12 years ago | Reply

@Haseena:

Really..........and what is PAK........oops forgot ........the land of the pure.

Hafeez | 12 years ago | Reply

Sometimes I am amazed at the naivety of commentators. Many people here are more concerned about killing of Punjabis in Balochistan but they completely overlook the atrocities Baloch people are undergoing at the hands of our security establishment. Ofcourse, killing innocent people whether they are punjabis or urdu speakers is totally unacceptable, but at the same time we should not forget what turned these groups of balochs from being a very hospitable people into militants. The only answer that comes to mind is, our security establishment's ill devised policies. See what we did in East Pakistan and lost half of our homeland and we are repeating the same thing again, and expect the results to be different? Wake up, please.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ