Dec 16: Around December 16 festivities to celebrate Bangladesh's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war of independence, two exiled Baloch leaders are participating in seminars in Dhaka and meeting prominent members of the civil society to seek support for their struggle for an independent Balochistan.

Mir Suleman Dawood Jan Ahmedzai, the Khan of Kalat, a title meant for former rulers of Kalat which is part of Balochistan, said from Dhaka that he wanted to remind the people that Pakistan's action in Balochistan was similar to what Bangladesh had to face before its independence.

"The same government, the same people and the same actors committed atrocities in Bangladesh.... They are lucky that they have got independence. We are fighting our battle against Pakistan and human rights, economic and social conditions are very bad in Balochistan. We need the Bangladeshi brothers by our side," Suleman, exiled in the UK since 2006, told The Telegraph over phone.

Victory Day is celebrated on December 16 to mark Bangladesh's triumph over Pakistan in the Liberation War of 1971. This time the biggest-ever celebrations outside Bangladesh are being held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Calcutta for five days.

In Dhaka, Suleman and his colleagues spoke in a seminar called "1971 to 2016: Justice and Genocide in the World". It was organised by the Centre for Genocide Studies of Dhaka University.

They also took part in a painting exhibition on atrocities in Balochistan and Bangladesh. The team is expected to call on some senior Bangladesh foreign ministry officials tomorrow to brief them about the situation in Balochistan.

The Sheikh Hasina government has testy ties with Pakistan because of historical reasons. The relations hit a new low after Pakistan criticised Dhaka for executing several war criminals, who had connived with the Pakistani army during the Liberation War, over the last two years. Intelligence agencies in Dhaka have accused several Pakistani diplomats posted in Bangladesh of involvement in "terror plots" and "subversive activities".

The establishment in Dhaka has not said anything significant about Balochistan.

Only Hasanul Haque Inu, information minister in the Hasina government, said Balochistan was facing the brunt of Pakistan's military establishment.

He said Bangladesh was constitutionally bound to support liberation struggles and would soon declare an official policy on Balochistan.

During his visit to India earlier this year, Inu had backed Narendra Modi after the Prime Minister referred to the "Baloch freedom struggle" in his Independence Day speech.

Though the Hasina government is yet to come out with its promised policy, Munir Mengal, president of Baloch Voice Association and Foundation in France, said Dhaka's approach was "encouraging".

"The fact that we have been allowed to come here and hold programmes is an indication of the support that we have from the Bengali brothers here," said Mengal.

Both Suleman and Mengal said they were happy with the response they got from people in Bangladesh during their stay in the capital.

"We are thankful to the Indian Prime Minister as his comments during the Independence Day speech has helped us to reach out to more people. We have already reached out to Afghantistan and in the coming days, we would have more support," said Suleman.