Pakistan strongly reacts to US Senate resolution on Balochistan

Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit, in a statement, said, "Pakistan has strongly reacted to table a bill in the US Congress on Balochistan, terming it a highly irresponsible move and a sheer violation of the international laws."

The spokesman said the bill was based on poor information and ignorance. He expressed the belief that the US Congress would not pass the bill.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's embassy in Washington has rejected the move as ill-informed and unacceptable.

The statement issued from Pakistan's Embassy in Washington said, "We reject this ill-informed move and the Congressman's misplaced concern on Balochistan, which is a part of the Pakistani Federation."

The embassy, while commenting on Representative Dana Rohrabacher's move in the House on the rights of the people of Balochistan, reminded sponsors of the move that Balochistan has a directly elected provincial assembly of its own and has due representation in the National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan.

"The resolution seeks to cast doubt on the territorial integrity of a member of the United Nations and a friend of the United States, and is totally unacceptable," said the statement.

The Pakistani embassy made it clear that "Balochistan's affairs and issues are an internal matter of Pakistan and it is for the people of Pakistan and our democratic institutions to address these."

The embassy statement further stated, "We would advise those behind this resolution to reserve their concern and solicitude for problems closer to home. Needless to say provocations such as these will seriously impact the Pakistan-US relations. We value this relationship but not at the cost of our dignity, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2012