Top Baloch nationalist leader ‘detained’ in Switzerland

Baloch nationalist Mehran Marri, also known as Mehran Baloch, tweeted that he had been detained along with his wife and children at Zurich airport on the request of the Pakistan government.

Updated on: Nov 17, 2017, 24:03:06 IST

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | By Rezaul H Laskar

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Top Baloch nationalist leader Mehran Marri, who has been living in self-exile outside Pakistan, was on Thursday detained at Zurich airport in Switzerland and informed by officials that there is a “lifetime ban” on his entry into the country.

Baloch nationalist leader Mehran Marri seen with former UN secretary general Kofi Annan in a photo posted on his Twitter account. (Twitter)

Marri tweeted that he had been detained along with his wife and four children soon after he flew into Zurich. He said in the tweet that he felt he was “under arrest by Swiss authorities on the request of the Pakistan Govt”.

Pakistan’s Geo News channel reported, citing its sources, that the ban on Marri’s entry into Switzerland was placed at the request of the Pakistan government. The report said Pakistan had handed over a dossier to Switzerland detailing Marri’s alleged links with militant groups in Balochistan.

There was no official word from the Swiss or Pakistani authorities on the development.

A number of top Baloch leaders fled Pakistan when former dictator Pervez Musharraf launched a military operation against nationalists and insurgents in Balochistan in 2006. Akbar Bugti, one of the most senior Baloch nationalists, was killed during the operation.

In recent months, Pakistan has stepped up protests through diplomatic channels to European governments after Baloch dissidents and activists launched campaigns highlighting rights abuses in several European cities, including Geneva and London.

Baloch groups put up billboards with slogans such as “Free Balochistan” in these cities. Pakistan registered a strong protest after “Free Balochistan” banners appeared on buses and taxis in London over the past few weeks.

Brahamdagh Bugti, the son of slain Baloch leader Akbar Bugti, tweeted that he was “really shocked” to learn that Marri had been stopped at Zurich airport and barred from entering Switzerland. Bugti is also the brother-in-law of Marri.

There were reports that Marri and Bugti had planned to hold a conference on Balochistan in Switzerland on November 18 with the aim of uniting top Baloch nationalists and forging a joint strategy for their movement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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