Sep 14, 2006

Sindh: US Congressman Expresses Concern


A senior US Congressman has said he was "troubled" that Washington had not brought sufficient pressure on Pakistan to stop persecution of political opponents.

Washington, Sept. 13 (PTI): Expressing concern over the plight of the people of Balochistan and Sindh provinces, a senior US Congressman has said he was "troubled" that Washington had not brought sufficient pressure on Pakistan to stop persecution of political opponents.

"I oppose authoritarian regimes, wherever they might be. I am gravely concerned about the persecution of political dissidents in Pakistan.

"I am even more troubled that this (US) administration has not brought sufficient pressure to bear on the government there to stop these practices", Congressman Thomas G Tancredo said in a letter to the US-based World Sindhi Association and other groups which had recently organised a demonstration in Washington to protest the killing of noted Balochi leader Nawab Akbar Bugti.

Observing it was true that US needed Pakistan's cooperation in the war against terror, Tancredo said "that does not mean we should stand by and condone the government of Pakistan's campaign to intimidate or kill opposition leaders like Nawab Akbar Bugti -- who was at one time democratically elected and still dedicated to free and fair elections".

Assuring his continued support to their cause, he said he had spoken to members of US Congress, the administration as well as Pakistani officials about the concerns and added "I believe that your fight for democracy and equality in a region rocked by turmoil and terrorism is a just one".

During the demonstration at the Capitol Hill in Washington, the protestors submitted memoranda to top US Congressmen, including Henry Hyde and Richard Lugar, who are respectively the Chairmen of the House Committee and the Senate Committee on International Relations.