Bugti's plea for asylum sent for security vetting

New Delhi: Baloch leader Brahamdagh Bugti's application seeking political asylum in India has been referred to security agencies for vetting before a final decision by the Union Cabinet. "After examination of Bugti's application for political asylum, we have sent it to security agencies for an in-depth vetting. A security vetting is necessary for such applications before a final decision is taken," a Home Ministry official said.

The decision on Bugti's application for political asylum in India is likely to be taken by the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bugti had applied for asylum in Indian consulate in Geneva last week and the application was subsequently forwarded to the Ministry of External Affairs, which in turn sent it to the Home Ministry. India does not have a comprehensive asylum policy. As per the United Nations, there are at least 6,480 asylum seekers in India but the government does not recognise them. The situation is so complex that the officials in the Home Ministry are digging through 1959 records to check the process.

In 1959, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and his followers were granted asylum by the Jawaharlal Nehru government. Even the term 'refugee' is not mentioned in any domestic law. India has not signed the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention on the Status of Refugees, or its 1967 Protocol that stipulates the rights and services the host states must provide refugees..-PTI