Ex US diplomat backs creation of
independent Balochistan to end
decade-old violence

M. CHRIS MASON

 Washington, Dec 27(ANI): Former US diplomat Chris Mason has backed Pakistan province, Balochistan's claim for
independence pointing out that its people have been victims of persecution and neglect for decades.


He said the Pakistan army has killed thousands of hapless unarmed Baloch civilians over the years and added that an
independent Balochistan would free the region from the shackles of corruption, tyranny and ignorance at the hands of the
country.


Mason said though the United Nations and United States would likely oppose the re-drawing of Pakistan's boundaries, it
has proved a viable solution to end violence if one were to look at examples from history.


He cited recent examples including North and South Sudan, Kosovo, Eritrea, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, the Czech
Republic, Slovakia, East Timor and Bangladesh to substantiate his stance.


Mason argued that a sovereign Balochistan would create a territorial buffer between Iran and Pakistan and act as a
transportation and pipeline corridor for Afghanistan and Central Asia to the under-utilized Gwadar port, The Globe and the
Mail reports.


An independent Balochistan would be the answer to NATO's logistical concerns in Afghanistan, help target the Taliban and
provide greater access to Waziristan to root out militancy in the region, he added.


Balochistan has been an independent nation for over 1,000 years when Great Britain notionally annexed it in the mid-19th
century.

His comments came in the wake of escalating tensions between the Pakistan army and the government in the Memo Gate
probe.


Mason said Pakistan's recent actions have indicated that it has no intention of conceding to US demands regarding
Afghanistan.

He predicted that Pakistan would instigate the Taliban to re-launch a civil war in Afghanistan to resume power after the
NATO troops withdrawal, as a part of its ambitious plot to use Afghanistan as its colony. (ANI)


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