India wants Baloch leaders to formally apply for political asylum and says that if they are to do so, it would be granted to them within a few weeks, reported News18, which says this information comes from top government sources.



The news channel also spoke with Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti, who said he welcomes India’s ‘historic’ move, and that Prime Minister Modi has helped make Balochistan an international issue. He said that getting an Indian passport would be of immense help to Baloch leaders. Geo News had reported that he would be getting Indian citizenship after long negotiations with the Indian authorities. But the Baloch Republican Party had dismissed this report.

If the Indian government is truly planning to grant asylum to Baloch leaders, the magnitude of the move would be akin to giving the Dalai Lama asylum. The latter has been a thorn in the side of Sino-India relations for decades and if Baloch leaders were to take up residence in Indian cities, the Indo-Pak relationship would be in even more trouble than it already is.