Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal, the head of the Balochistan National Party (Mengal), spoke on analyst Shehzad Khyas’s program Pakistan Experience about the current situation in Balochistan. He stated that the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) enjoys public support and is seen as a liberator by the people.
He claimed that the BLA currently holds influence in 23 districts of Balochistan, while the state has lost control over these areas.
According to him, BLA fighters take control of towns for hours, targeting NADRA offices, Levies stations, and other government properties. After their operations, they freely move around, even shopping in the area, before leaving without resistance.
Mengal emphasized that such actions indicate the growing popularity of the BLA among the people.
He further stated that the primary reason behind the popularity of armed groups in Balochistan is the oppression and atrocities committed by state security forces, which have pushed ordinary people towards supporting these groups.
He also claimed that women and children in Balochistan pray for BLA fighters and consider them their liberators.
Sardar Akhtar Mengal added that people fear state forces because they associate them with enforced disappearances of their young men and children, whereas they do not have the same fear regarding the BLA. This, he argued, is why the BLA enjoys public support.
The BNP leader asserted that the ongoing resistance movement in Balochistan cannot be crushed through force. He suggested that while certain steps could potentially improve the situation, the issue cannot be resolved without the release of forcibly disappeared persons.
