QUETTA, BALOCHISTAN: Senior Vice President of Balochistan National Party (BNP), Sajid Tareen Advocate, held a press conference at Quetta Press Club on Monday, accompanied by party leaders, where he strongly condemned the recent statement by ISPR labeling Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders as “traitors.”
Calling the accusations baseless, Tareen said, “When someone dares to speak the truth or raise their voice against oppression in this country, they are immediately branded a traitor. We are well aware of these tactics.”
He criticized the judiciary, stating, “We were right when I told the judges of Bench 1 of the Balochistan High Court that they were preparing their CVs. Both judges had already made up their minds against Mahrang Baloch, Beebow Baloch, Gulzadi, Shah Ji, Bibarg, Mama Ghafar, and other BYC leaders. I refused to be part of this drama.”
Sajid Tareen emphasized that BNP under Sardar Akhtar Mengal has always raised its voice for the oppressed people of Balochistan. “Labeling political workers as terrorists will not achieve anything,” he added.
He further announced that after Eid, BNP will launch a countrywide protest campaign in collaboration with parties from the Grand Opposition Alliance to demand the release of political prisoners.
Highlighting BNP’s previous efforts, he said, “Under Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s leadership, we staged sit-ins and held rallies across Balochistan demanding the release of Baloch sons and daughters.”
Referring to the petition filed by BNP’s Information Secretary Agha Hassan Baloch, he criticized Bench 1 of the Balochistan High Court for not transferring the case despite repeated requests. “The judges had already assured the state or government that they would deliver a verdict against the BYC leaders,” he said.
Advocate Tareen strongly condemned the court’s decision to hand over High Court powers to the district administration (DC). “Judges who make decisions on someone else’s instructions are destroying the institutions,” he warned.
He concluded by stating that political activists are being targeted with baseless cases as a means of intimidation, stressing, “The Balochistan issue is a political issue and must be addressed as such.”
