Baloch Council of North America

Baloch Council of North America
Formation 2004
Headquarters 1629 K Street NW, Suite 300
Washington D.C., USA
20036
Leader Wahid Baloch

Baloch Council of North America (BCNA) is a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy organization in the United States that seeks to "unite all Baloch people and secure Baloch rights, including the right of self-determination, within the Pakistani Federation."[1] BCNA is one of several politically active organizations with roots in the Baloch diaspora, working alongside the Baloch Human Rights Council in Canada, Baloch Unity in Russia, and the Baloch Voice Foundation in France.

History

BCNA was originally founded as BSO-NA or Baloch Society of North America in 2004 by Dr. Wahid Baloch in Washington D.C... Dr. Wahid Baloch graduated from Bolan Medical College in Quetta in 1990 and in 1992, he immigrated to the United States.[2] The BSO-NA lobbied the U.S. government and Israeli political activists to support the independence of Balochistan. In 2012, Dr. Baloch and representatives of American Friends of Balochistan and the Baloch Human Rights Council met with American Congressmen and allegedly had meetings with several CIA officials. Dr. Baloch had long claimed that the Pakistani state was committing acts of genocide against the Baloch people, and that the government's aim was to plunder the province's vast mineral resources.[3] In January 2014 he released a letter appealing to the United States and Israel for direct assistance in preventing an alleged "killing spree" of Baloch people by what he called the "Pakistani terrorist army".[2] Nationalists have accused the group of receiving aid from the U.S. and Indian governments.

Disbandment and reorganization

Dr. Baloch disbanded and reconstituted his organization in 2014 with a newfound emphasis on human rights advocacy.[4] Dr. Baloch disbanded the BSO-NA, claiming that the war of independence for Balochistan was actually a "war of independence of Khans, Nawabs and Sardars". He reconstituted the group as the Baloch Council of North America (BCN), dedicated to working with all democratic and nationalist forces in Pakistan to secure Baloch rights through democratic, nonviolent means, within the federation of Pakistan.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Baloch Society of North America disassociates from the so-called war of independence of Khans, Nawabs and Sardars of Balochistan."
  2. 1 2 "Influential Baloch lobby group in US decides to end activism against Pakistan". Terminal X. 2014-07-15. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Voice of Baloch Nationalists in powerful US congress forum". Pakistan Christian Post. 8 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Anwar Iqbal (9 June 2014). "Overseas Baloch group to struggle for rights within federation". Dawn.
  5. ↑ "Baloch Society of North America (BSO-NA)". Bso-na.blogspot.com. (Registration required (help)).
  • "Baloch Council of North America". (Registration required (help)).
  • "Dr. Wahid Baloch on Twitter".
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