Akhtar Mengal will face arrest if he marches towards Quetta: Balochistan Govt
The BNP-M had begun a “long march” from Wadh to Quetta on March 28 to protest the arrests of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders and activists, including Dr Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch, as well as a crackdown on their sit-in in Quetta. Sammi was released on Tuesday.
The BNP-M’s sit-in at the Lakpass area of Mastung entered its 10th day today. The party is set on heading to Quetta as a deadlock persisted over its demands — including Mahrang’s release — while the Balochistan government warned to limit the march to Quetta’s Sariab Road.
However, that offer seemed to be no longer on the table as Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind asserted today that Mengal would be arrested if he “moves towards Quetta”.
Responding to a post on X by Mengal, who claimed his party was “completely encircled by security forces” at Lakpass, Rind said the BNP-M president had been alerted at 6am about the orders to arrest him under the MPO.
MPO orders are usually issued to maintain public order and cite a “threat to the public safety” along with a possible “breach of peace and tranquility”.
Rind wrote: “Mengal refused to give his arrest. The administration and the police have clearly told him that if he moves towards Quetta, he will be arrested, and this is why law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are present there.
“BNP’s calls to block national highways right now is adding to the difficulties faced by the citizens. The administrations of all districts have been instructed that national highways will not be shut.”
The government spokesperson, without specifying the other party, quipped: “There is one thing common in the beneficiary groups of 2018 [elections]: crafting a narrative, which is why both are doing the same thing.”
The provincial government has blocked roads by placing containers around the protest site at Lakpass. It has also suspended internet services in Quetta, Mastung, Kalat and Khuzdar.
Following Rind’s statement, the BNP-M quoted Mengal as saying: “The state has decided to crush us, but we won’t bow down. This sit-in will continue under all circumstances and now, we will make the entire Balochistan the centre of resistance.”
In another post, the BNP-M shared a video, claiming that LEAs had started shelling on party workers at Quetta’s Sona Khan Chowk gathering to welcome the march. White fumes could be seen billowing in the distance in the purported video.
Mengal, in a post on X earlier in the morning to which Rind had directly replied, stated: “We are currently stationed at Lakpass, completely encircled by security forces. A major operation against us is imminent.
“I call upon all districts to immediately shut down all national highways in protest. Let the world witness this injustice. We remain peaceful, but resolute.
“Whatever unfolds today — the consequences, the blood, the fallout — will rest solely on the shoulders of the government and the local administration,” Mengal added.
A post on X by the BNP-M shortly after also said security forces had surrounded Mengal and the people at the sit-in, adding that it was “deeply concerned” about the situation at Lakpass.
“This is open aggression that will not be tolerated under any circumstances. BNP announces that all national highways should be closed immediately in protest.”
Meanwhile, the BNP-M called for roadblocks and a shutter-down strike across Balochistan tomorrow against obstructions placed for its march to Quetta.
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