'Free Balochistan' campaign in Switzerland irks Pakistan

Islamabad/Geneva: Pakistan on Monday summoned Switzerlands envoy designate Thomas Kolly over a "free Balochistan" campaign being run in Geneva by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

Pakistan registered a strong protest over the smear campaign, and conveyed to the envoy that the use of Switzerland's soil for such subversive activities was a violation of international laws, a Foreign Office statement said.

On Sunday, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Farukh Amil wrote to Swiss Permanent Representative Valentin Zellweger, drawing his attention to the "Free Balochistan" posters placed along Rue de Ferney in the Grand Sacconex area.

Amil "has counted eight posters and one digital poster on display since September 3," the letter reads.

According to the ambassador, a car "remained parked near (the digital poster) and seemed to be guarding (it)".

"It is quite conceivable that local city authorities received certain revenue fee for display of these posters," Amil said in the letter, stressing that "any notion of 'Free Balochistan' is a flagrant attack on sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan."

According to the letter, the BH -- the apparent sponsor of these posters -- is an affiliate of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which is a "listed terrorist organisation under the laws of Pakistan and other countries, including Britain".

"The use of Swiss soil by terrorists and violent secessionists for nefarious designs against Pakistan and its 200 million people is totally unacceptable," the ambassador said, demanding that "the incident is fully investigated with a view to blocking its recurrence in the future".