Baloch Americans are Americans of Baloch descent.
Contents
A 2015 eight-part documentary by VSH News, the first Balochi language news channel, called Baloch in America, shows that Baloch Americans live in different parts of the United States, including Washington D.C., New York, Texas, North Carolina and Washington. While some American Baloch come from Pakistan's Balochistan province, others belong to the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan, Pakistan's city of Karachi and elsewhere in Pakistan. Baloch Americans work at nonprofits, information technology companies and in public sector. Due to Pakistan's persecution of the Baloch, many young Baloch political activists, journalists and intellectuals have moved to the United States and sought political asylum. The United States has mostly accepted Baloch asylum seekers.
Political Activism
The Baloch Americans are politically active in dealing with issues concerning Baloch population in Iran and Pakistan. A congressional hearing of the United States (US) Committee on Foreign Affairs on February 8, 2012, chaired by Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, highlighted human rights atrocities attributed to the Pakistani security forces in Balochistan. The hearing drew severe criticism from the Pakistani government which described it as interference into its domestic problems. Soon after the hearing on Balochistan, Rohrabacher introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives on February 18, 2012, calling upon Pakistan to recognise the Baloch right to self determination. House Representatives Louie Gohmert and Steve King co-sponsored the motion that highlighted Balochistan’s troubled past with Pakistan. In an op-ed published in the Washington Post, Why I support Baluchistan, Rohrabacher said, "I make no apology for submitting a resolution championing the oppressed people of Baluchistan in their dealings with a Pakistani government that has betrayed our trust." The Baloch Americans staged a demonstration outside the White House to protest a visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in October 2013. On October 22, 2015, a Baloch activist named Ahmar Mastikhan heckled Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his speech at the U.S. Institute for Peace. The protester chanted "free free Balochistan" and termed the Pakistani prime minister "Bin Laden's friend". Baloch activists from the Baloch National Movement (BNM) protested outside the White House on February 13, 2016 to condemn the killing of BNM Secretary General Dr. Manan Baloch. On September 14, 2016, Baloch activists protested outside the United Nations Headquarters to condemn what they described as Pakistan's illegal occupation of Balochistan.
Organizations
The Balochistan Institute in Washington D.C., founded by Malik Siraj Akbar in February 2016, is a think-tank focused on research and dialogue on Balochistan. DC Live, a podcast, tells the stories of the Baloch Americans.