Pakistan’s Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani on September 20th asked the government to expel Swiss ambassador over anti-Pakistan campaign in Switzerland.
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid while giving policy statement told the House that the ‘Free Balochistan’ posters were displayed in Switzerland this year by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). He said the use of Swiss soil by a terrorist organisation for its nefarious designs against Pakistan was totally unacceptable. He said allowing the display of posters by the Swiss government in the name of freedom of expression was a serious violation of Pakistan’s territorial integrity and United Nations law and charter.
He said that the Foreign Office should take stern action over the issue and direct the Swiss ambassador to leave Pakistan. The chairman further said that India and other terrorist organisations were behind the campaign against Pakistan in Geneva.
Ambassador Farukh Amil, the permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations (UN), has also written to the Swiss authorities to take action against “Free Balochistan” posters that have appeared in Geneva.
In a letter, written to Ambassador and Permanent UN Representative Valentin Zellweger on September 6 , Amil said that the posters that appeared in the area around Rue de Ferney of Grand Saconnex “mentioned the name of Balochistan House (BH) as a sponsor.”
Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva “has counted eight posters and one digital poster on display since this Monday [September 3],” the letter reads.
In 2006, the federal government of Pakistan exercised its powers under Section 11(b) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, to declare the BLA a terrorist organisation.
On the other hand the Baloch leadership has attacked Pakistan's attempts to paint the Baloch liberation movement as act of terrorism as "the pot calling the kettle black."
In an interview to Times of Geneva, Representative of Baluchistan to European Union and United Nations, Mehran Marri and President Balochistan Republican Party, Brahmadagh Bugti have categorically said that the posters displayed in Geneva have nothing wrong in it.
"I don't understand why Pakistan is getting frustrated on these posters. If you see at the posters, there are only birds flying and I don't see anything wrong in these posters. These are for peace and prosperity and especially to highlight the Baloch problem internationally to make the international community understand the Baloch problem," Brahmadagh Bugti said.
"I think this is the evidence of what Pakistan is doing in Balochistan like crushing our peaceful political movement and now they are trying to crush the same in western countries and this is not going to work internationally and especially in a city like Geneva," he added.
While Mehran Marri said that Pakistan's reaction is quite predictable as it has been paranoid about the Baloch human rights activities in the international community.
"I think their reaction is quite predictable because Pakistan lately has been very paranoid about the Baloch human rights activist activities in the international community and especially since Trump's inauguration. The international community, in particular America, has taken a strong stand against Pakistan and its dubious games in Afghanistan, Balochistan and other neighbouring countries," he said.
"These posters have stroked a raw nerve of the Pakistani establishment, whereas in my opinion the posters are displaying nothing wrong. They're displaying the freedom aspiring Baloch people's will to have an independent free Balochistan. I think that doves are symbol of peace and happiness and that's what we aspire for," Marri added.