Nawaz Sharif is a political entity, says Brahumdagh Bugti

ISLAMABAD: Self-exiled Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti while expressing solidarity with ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif has warned that if general elections 2018 are rigged in Punjab against the PML-N, it would have an adverse impact on the entire country.“I support the stance of Nawaz Sharif; this is for the first time that any leader from Punjab has stood up against the powerful establishment. I can see that Nawaz Sharif is gaining more power. I think if upcoming elections of 2018 are rigged against him, it would adversely impact the entire country,” said Brahumdagh Bugti while exclusively talking to the correspondent via phone from Switzerland. Brahumdagh Bugti is the grandson of late Akbar Bugti who died during an operation in Balochistan. He is currently heading Balochistan Republican Party (BRP) from Switzerland which under Pakistani laws is not banned, unlike some other nationalist parties in the region. Bugti further said anyone who is able to think and ponder soundly would have taken upon the similar stance as Nawaz Sharif. He said that his doors for negotiations are always open; he is not against Punjab or the people of Punjab, rather against the establishment which unfortunately is predominantly manned by Punjabis. When asked what the elder Sharif did for resolving issues in Balochistan, Bugti said he is aware that the PML-N Quaid was serious to resolve the issues in Balochistan but probably was asked not to interfere in the province.Recalling the time when Federal Minister Lt. Gen (retired) Qadir Baloch along with the then-Balochistan Chief Minister Dr. Malik visited him in Switzerland, he said, “They had come to me with a message from Gen Raheel. I told them about our issues but there is no follow-up regarding them. He said thrice-elected PM Nawaz Sharif is a prominent politician and a political entity whom we can talk to and we would surely talk to him if he again comes back to power.” Bugti also said that the absence of civilian supremacy is the actual problem in Pakistan; if you accept it under the constitution, then rest of the issues can easily be resolved. Bugti feared saying, “Pre-poll rigging is already being carried out, but if elections are rigged on election day against the PML-N then establishment would rule Pakistan for the next 15 to 20 years and destruction would be destined.”When asked if the current Balochistan government can help resolve issues, he said that the Balochistan affairs are being handled by an officer of an intelligence agency who sits in Quetta, no government exists there.When confronted about alleged support given to him by Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Bugti out-rightly denied any support or help provided by India or RAW. Brahumdagh Bugti also shared his memory of leaving Pakistan in 2006 when his grandfather Akbar Bugti died in Balochistan who he was accompanying at that time. “I last met my grandfather (Akbar Bugti) on 19th or 20th of August, 2006. We were together but we would be at a distance of 9 to 10 kilometers for security purposes.” He added, “It was a routine meeting and later on I could not meet him as the area where my grandfather was living was surrounded by security forces.” He further shared that after learning about his grandfather’s death he went to Afghanistan and after a brief stay came to Europe. Self-exiled Bugti is living in Switzerland with his wife and three children (two boys and one daughter). It is also pertinent to mention that young Bugti faces a number of terrorism-related cases back in Balochistan, for which he is wanted by the local courts.