QUETTA: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) provincial president in Balochistan Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind on Saturday condemned the ‘free Balochistan’ campaign in Geneva and alleged that India and Afghanistan were behind it.

Addressing a press conference, he said that those running the ‘free Balochistan’ campaign in Geneva received support from both these two neighbours of Pakistan.

He demanded that the federal government call back Pakistan’s ambassador to Switzerland for some days to register its protest. “If such a campaign was run in India or Afghanistan we would not have any complaint, but it is sad to say that the campaign is being run in a country which is a free and democratic state,” Mr Rind said.

He claimed that the Indian leadership had never wanted to see progress in Pakistan, saying that soon after independence some Indian leaders had started to hatch conspiracies against Pakistan.

On the occasion, former district nazim of Kharan and leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Q Mir Shoakat Baloch announced joining the PTI along with his other colleagues.

Mr Rind welcomed Mr Baloch and his other colleagues in the PTI.

He said the PTI’s central leadership would soon visit Quetta and Zhob. He said on the directives of party chairman Imran Khan, PTI’s local leaders would contact people across Balochistan and tell them about injustices and corruption in the province.

The PTI leader condemned the government for bad civic infrastructure in Quetta, saying that the city had been turned into ruins.

Mr Rind accused a former chief secretary of Balochistan of being involved in corruption. He said after coming into power the PTI would make those accountable who had been involved in corruption in past.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2017