Mastung: Balochistan National Party (BNP) Chairman Sardar Akhtar Mengal, during a press conference in Mastung, questioned the state’s actions, saying, “If our protest is a failure, then why are the roads blocked? The deployment of forces, the presence of containers, and road closures contradict the government’s own claims. We are not a foreign force, we are ordinary people on the streets demanding our rights.”
He added that several BNP workers and leaders have been arrested from Quetta and other parts of Balochistan, while Frontier Corps (FC) personnel opened live fire on protesters, injuring four individuals, two of whom are in critical condition. There have also been reports of baton charges on women and home raids by security forces.
Sardar Akhtar Mengal further said that no dialogue is being held with them; instead, the government, the establishment, and the bureaucracy are holding talks among themselves.
If women can be arrested, then why the hesitation in arresting me? I personally offered myself, saying if you want to arrest someone, let the girls go and arrest the BNP leadership instead. But ministers responded that they do not have the authority to detain us.
He stated that if the government chooses, the issue can be resolved through negotiations. However, if the path of force and arrests is pursued, the protests will intensify. Mengal condemned the current government actions as political repression and undemocratic, warning that if politicians are not allowed to operate based on political principles, the country will head toward disaster.
Akhtar Mengal noted that today’s successful shutter-down strike across Balochistan, called by the BNP, has demonstrated that the people stand with them. “This is a message to all those forces that seek to suppress the public’s voice.
Additionally, Sardar Akhtar Mengal condemned the abduction-like arrest of a female member of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee from Quetta, warning that such incidents will further deteriorate the situation.
“I was deeply shocked to hear about the abduction of Gulzadi Baloch from Quetta. Such acts are severe violations of human rights and a slap in the face of justice.”
The BNP chairman questioned the intentions behind such acts: “What kind of message are the authorities trying to send when they suppress legitimate voices instead of listening to their concerns?”
He concluded by saying that such actions only deepen mistrust and instability. “The situation is already out of control, this approach will only make it worse.”
