36th Session UNHRC in Geneva: Breakfast with Mr. Husain Haqqani
23-09-2017, Geneva
The EFSAS team had the privilege to be hosted for breakfast at the Grand Hotel Kempinski in Geneva by Mr. Husain Haqqani, former Pakistani ambassador to the US and a renowned writer. Beforehand EFSAS attended an informative Side-event on Balochistan in which Mr. Haqqani spoke, formally criticising Pakistan’s maltreatment of the Baloch people. Not only did he stress how their political rights were being servery violated, he pinpointed how the current military domination in Pakistan has and currently still is, acting as a block ensuring the “sentiments and aspirations of the Baloch people” (Haqqani, 2017) are being heard. Whilst maintaining a patriotic disposition, he did not hold back when underlining how the Pakistani State has been exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources whilst simultaneously economically depriving the Baloch people by allowing 46.6% to continue living without electricity (Haqqani, 2017). Most noteworthy of all, was his acknowledgement of the politically motivated killings of the Baloch people. Many areas of society had become victims of the callous killings and Mr. Haqqani strongly condemned this.
Members of EFSAS having breakfast with Mr. Husain Haqqani, Former Ambassador of Pakistan to the US and a renowned writer, at the sidelines of the UNHRC in Geneva
The meeting of EFSAS with Mr. Haqqani extended upon his comments presented and we further discussed his personal experiences with the Pakistani government. Moreover, Mr. Haqqani provided food-for-thought by placing the Indo-Pak conflict in a geopolitical context. His synopsis of the issue bought in key actors such as Russia, China and the European Union, thereby initiating a wider and more developed understanding of the issue. EFSAS throughly enjoyed and valued the breakfast with Mr. Haqqani and hopes to reciprocate whenever he is in Amsterdam.
