Three Baloch activists on Sunday raised anti-Pakistan slogans during an address by Prime Minister Imran Khan to Pakistani-Americans at a stadium in Washington. The group demanded freedom for the Balochistan province, PTI reported.
Some supporters of Khan were seen pushing the activists before security personnel forced them to leave the auditorium. Khan, who is on a three-day visit to the United States, was addressing a crowd of 30,000 people.
Baloch groups in the United States on Saturday began a mobile billboard campaign in Washington to seek President Donald Trump’s help in ending “enforced disappearances” in the province.
The Baloch Republican Party and the World Baloch Organization, which are dedicated to defending the political, social and cultural rights of the Baloch people, are jointly running the campaign. They claim atrocities and human rights violations in the province by Pakistani security forces.
The Pakistan prime minister will meet Trump on Monday to renew bilateral ties that have suffered a setback in recent years. The United States president had cancelled military aid in January 2018 and had asked the country to do more to fight terrorism.
The Trump administration is likely to reiterate its stand on terrorism during the discussions and ask Khan to take “decisive and irreversible” action against the terror groups, according to PTI.
Khan reached United States on Saturday in a commercial Qatar Airways flight instead of a private jet in order to cut down on expenses due to Pakistan’s financial crunch.
Khan was not received at the airport by any high-ranking official from the Trump administration. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi received Khan, and they both took a ride on the metro. He is staying at the official residence of the Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, Asad Majeed Khan, IANS reported.
The Pakistan government had offered to pay the US State Department $250,000 (approximately Rs 1.72 crore) to arrange an official welcome for Khan, but the offer was refused, IANS reported.
During his visit, the Pakistan prime minister will also meet International Monetary Fund chief David Lipton and World Bank President David Malpass.
A senior official in the Trump administration claimed that Khan and the United States president would discuss several matters, including counterterrorism, defence, energy, and trade, among other things, PTI reported. The aim of the visit is to push for steady cooperation from Pakistan, advance the peace process in Afghanistan and to encourage Islamabad for strong action to curb terrorism.
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