LAHORE - Brahamdagh Bugti has asked New Delhi for issuing him a passport at the earliest to avert his possible handover to Pakistan, BRP contacts told The Nation yesterday.

Contacts in banned Baloch Republican Party (BRP), told this paper that Mr Bugti wants an earliest exit from Switzerland as Pakistani security agencies are preparing dossiers to get a Red Warrant to catch him through Interpol.

BRP is a propaganda voice for terrorist outfit Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and Brahamdagh heads both these organisations.

There are a number of cases of high crime - including terrorism, sedition and subversion - pending in different courts at home against the renegade Baloch leader. The head of BRA and BRP is one of the most-wanted criminals in Pakistan. Government is making efforts to bring back Brahamdagh and other high-profile commanders of Baloch terrorist outfits who are operating from abroad. Brahamdagh Bugti, who is currently in Switzerland, is the first to be pursued by the government following intelligence agencies’ dossiers on him, according to intelligence officials.

He has failed to secure political asylum in Switzerland primarily due to Pakistan’s intelligence agencies’ informing the Swiss authorities in an informal dossier that he is one of the most-wanted persons in Pakistan and he continues to run his terrorist ring from Geneva. Pakistan government is likely to pass on more information on him to Swiss authorities in next few weeks. A case is also being prepared for issuance of a Red Warrant by Interpol to bring BRA chief back home and present before the courts. This is why he is desperately trying to get an Indian passport so he could move to New Delhi and avert possible deportation to Pakistan.

According to BRP contacts, Brahamdagh is in contact with India’s Ministry of External Affairs officials, who are part of RAW’s Area-1 (Pakistan Desk), to get an Indian passport at the earliest. They also disclosed that Brahamdagh Bugti has summoned a meeting of his associates in Geneva next week to get a formal ratification of his decision of seeking Indian passport and discuss the separatist operations of BRA in Balochistan.

BRA chief could also go to other countries which have no extradition treaty with Pakistan if New Delhi dithered on issuing him a passport. He could opt for South Africa, Cuba, Norway, Britain, Germany, Kenya, Tunis and France, they added. The other commanders on the list to be pursued through an international campaign include Harbiyar Murri, chief of Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), who is currently in India, and Javed Mengal, head of Lashkar-e-Balochistan, who is in Dubai.

Ghaizain Murri, brother of Harbiyar Murri, who keeps moving between Qatar and Bahrain, raises funds for BLA. Mir Mehran Murri, another brother of Harbiyar, lives in Germany but keeps moving to other European countries too for the purpose of propaganda against Pakistan govt and its security agencies.

Riaz Bugti, Kareema Bugti and Wadood Raisani - three underbosses of Brahamdagh ring – are residing in Kandahar and Spin Boldak areas of Afghanistan and they are involved in aiding and abetting terrorism.

Sher Muhammad Bugti and Naila Qadri (location Switzerland and India respectively) are propagandists of Brahamdagh’s gang and they are also to be pursued for bringing them back to country.

Intelligence officials told this paper that news reports in some sections of Indian media denying any move to give asylum or passport to Brahumdagh were circulated to camouflage the actual developments in this regard.

“This is just a deception to mislead Pakistani security agencies and the Swiss authorities to enable him escape Geneva quietly,” they added.