Baluch separatist leaders today called on Pakistan to follow in Britain's footsteps by holding a referendum similar to Scotland's on granting independence to the insurgency-wracked province.
Scots rejected independence in a vote that left the centuries-old United Kingdom intact despite a surge in nationalist support in the final fortnight of the campaign.
Dr Bashir Azeem, secretary general of the outlawed Baluch Republican Party, told AFP: "The Baluch have been struggling against the excesses and tyranny of Punjab-dominated establishment of Pakistan for decades," referring to the country's largest and most powerful province. "If a fair referendum is conducted after creating an atmosphere for it, providing the opportunity to Baluch population for deciding their future, it is welcomed," he added. |