Balochistan activist Brahumdagh Bugti says he will apply for asylum in India
Highlights
- Exiled Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti has decided to file for asylum
- Mr Bugti will apply for asylum at Indian embassy in Geneva, Switzerland
- Mr Bugti has praised PM Modi for highlighting plight of Baloch people
Exiled Balochistan activist Brahumdagh Bugti on Monday said he had decided to request India for asylum.
"We decided that I'm formally going to ask for asylum," Mr Bugti told NDTV. "India being the largest democracy in the world, (its) internationally condemning Pakistan's action towards Balochistan is very encouraging for us."
In recent days, India had denied reports that there was any move to give shelter to the activist, who is wanted in Pakistan for his separatist campaign.
Mr Bugti, who lives in Switzerland, said that he would apply for asylum in the Indian embassy in Geneva on Tuesday.
The founder and leader of the Baloch Republican Party, Mr Bugti accuses Pakistani forces of killing around 5,000 people in the past few years and causing nearly 20,000 forced disappearances in Balochistan.
He went into exile in Afghanistan after the death of his grandfather, Baloch nationalist leader Akbar Bugti.
When the Pakistani government pressured Afghanistan to extradite him, Mr Bugti shifted to Switzerland in 2010.
Islamabad accuses India of providing aid to Mr Bugti and other Baloch groups it considers terrorists.
Nearly 15,000 Balochis are seeking asylum in Afghanistan, while 2,000 others are spread across various European nations.
Recently, Mr Bugti praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for highlighting the situation in Balochistan in his independence day speech, calling it the most power statement in the past seven decades.