'The Baloch have lost a great friend' - Sushma Swaraj's demise condoled by ethnic leaders

Baloch leaders like Allah Nazar and Naela Quadri Baloch joined the rest of the world in extending their condolences over the demise of former External Affairs Minister (EAM) and BJP stalwart Sushma Swaraj who breathed her last in New Delhi on Tuesday.

"Sushma Swaraj's death is a great loss to the region. One of the finest foreign minister's of India, she was a voice of peace and reconciliation in a world torn apart by conflict and hatred. Under her able leadership the Indian foreign policy embraced a principled position of calling upon the international community to address the plight of marginalised and oppressed people across the region," wrote Nazar.

"Three years ago, at the UN General Assembly, she drew the international community's attention to "the brutality against the Baloch people," which she rightly pointed out "represents the worst form of State oppression" faced by the Baloch people in Pakistan," the leader added.

"Our world would be a better place, if like Sushma Swaraj people fought for justice to oppressed people irrespective of national boundaries. The Baloch people will forever remember her for this bold act of bringing the plight of a marginalised people at the centre stage and hope that her able successors will further her principled foreign policy. India has lost a great daughter and an able leader, but the Baloch people have lost a great friend. May her soul rest in peace," he stated.

Professor Naela Quadri Baloch, the President of the World Baloch Women's Forum also highlighted Swaraj's people-first approach to diplomacy and how she highlighted the Baloch people's plight in the international arena.

"Sushma Swaraj was a beacon of women empowerment. She not only defied stereotypes by rising to the position of Foreign Minister but also redefined the public face of Indian diplomacy. Under her leadership, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs transformed from a seat of cold diplomacy into a caring arm of the government. Her concern for people was not confined with national borders though," she said.

"She went out of her way to help foreign nationals from not so friendly countries needing Indian visas for medical treatment. The oppressed people of Balochistan gratefully remember her for raising their plight in the international arena. We sincerely hope that India will continue to follow the enlightened approach initiated by her and stand by oppressed people everywhere. May her soul rest in peace," she added.

Swaraj breathed her last on Tuesday night at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here after suffering a cardiac arrest. She was the foreign minister in the first term of the Modi government in 2014. She opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing ill health. The former EAM was cremated with full state honours on Wednesday.