Diplomatic tensions with Pakistan over Geneva billboards

The posters have been on display for around a week not far from the United Nations headquarters in Geneva and on Geneva's public transport buses (TPG). Balochistan is a province in Pakistan bordering Iran and Afghanistan. According to TP Publicité, the campaign will run for two weeks, as the advertising company explained at the request of the news agency SDA explained on Friday.

The posters were signed by the think tank "Baluchistan House". In the view of the government in Islamabad, this group is linked to the Balochistan Liberation Army, which is calling for the province's independence. The Pakistani government considers them to be a terrorist group. According to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), the Swiss ambassador to Pakistan was summoned to the Foreign Ministry at the beginning of the week for this reason. The FDFA confirmed on Friday a corresponding article from the online portal of the French-speaking Swiss radio and television station RTS.info.ch from the previous day.

Request to remove the posters

According to the renowned Pakistani English-language newspaper DawnPakistan's UN ambassador, Farukh Amil, had written to the Swiss authorities urging them to take action against the posters. They were a "blatant attack against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan". The FDFA confirmed that the Pakistani ambassador had contacted the FDFA. The department had explained to him the legal situation in Switzerland, including the right to freedom of expression. The FDFA added that it was not within its competence to decide on the removal of posters. The department was aware that the President of the Pakistani Senate was calling for the withdrawal of the Swiss ambassador to Pakistan. However, no official request had been made. The FDFA would continue to monitor the situation.

For their part, the TPG and TP Publicité are defending themselves. Their task is not to engage in censorship, explained Director General Jean-Claude Schmalz. If they had accepted the campaign, then it was also in line with their ethical principles. They had not been in contact with the FDFA, but had been in contact with the Geneva State Council. The anger over the posters in Geneva also erupted on Pakistan's streets. According to the Sunday View thousands of supporters of the central government demonstrated in several cities in Balochistan on Saturday, writes 20 minutes. In Sui, Dera Bugti and Zhob, they chanted pro-Pakistan slogans and burned Swiss flags. (SDA, 20 Minuten, ed.)

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