When the Baluchistan National Party, Mengal (BNP-M), entered its tenth day on Sunday and the protesters marched in Quetta, the head of the party, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, said an “important operation against [protesters] It is imminent ”as the security forces surrounded the protesters.
The BNP-M had announced a “long march” of Wadh to Quetta last Friday to protest against the arrests of the leaders and activists of the Balochjehti (Byc) committee, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch, as well as the police shaking in his sitting in Quetta. Sammi was released on Tuesday.
The deadline of BNP-M for the acceptance of its demands, including the release of Mahrang, ended on Saturday at midnight. According to its announcement, the BNP-M will begin on Sunday (today) its long march towards Quetta from the Mastung area of Lakpass, where the party has been organizing its sitting during the last 10 days.
According to Mengal, the two previous rounds of negotiations were not successful since the Government delegations did not enjoy any authority to make decisions about the demands presented by the BNP during the conversations.
A day before, Baluchistan government spokesman Shahid Rind offered BNP-M to march to the Quetta stadium in Sariab Road and warned the action party if the city’s red zone is violated.
In a publication about X today at 5:06 am, Mengal said: “We are currently parked in Lakpass, completely surrounded by security forces. An important operation against us is imminent.
“I call all the districts that immediately close all national roads in protest. Let the world witness this injustice. We remain peaceful, but resolved.
“Whatever develops today (the consequences, blood, consequences, will be based solely on the shoulders of the government and the local administration.”
A publication about BNP X shortly after confirmed that the security forces had surrounded megal and the people of the sitting and said it was “deeply worried” about the situation in Lakpass.
“This is an open aggression that will not be tolerated under any circumstance. BNP announces that all national roads must be closed immediately in protest.”
The provincial government has blocked the roads by placing containers around the protest site in Lakpass.
‘Red zone outside the limits’
The Baluchistan government decided on Saturday not to allow the long protesters to enter the Red Zone and, instead, offered BNP leadership to organize their sitting at the Shahwani stadium, Rind said at a press conference.
He denied any government official meeting with Mahrang in the district prison on Friday night.
He said that BNP leadership had been offered an alternative place in Sariab during the negotiations, but did not accept the government’s offer and insisted that they would organize their sitting in the red zone despite section 144.
He, however, said that in case of any violation of the law, protesters will be strictly treated. “The legal procedure has already begun against Dr. Sabiha Baloch, a byc activist, to pronounce an anti-state speech in a protest,” said Rind, added that a formal response will also be issued on the recent discourse of Mengal, which was also considered hostile to the state.
“Sardar Akhtar Mengal is inflexible to organize a sitting inside the red zone,” said Rind, added that the government was exercising restriction despite the security concerns that intensified after the recent attack against the Jaffar Express. “The government had already issued alerts about possible threats in the city,” he added.
Rind, while referring to conversations with the BNP, said that two rounds of negotiations with the BNP leaders had been held, with contributions from BNP-Awami, the National Party and Jamiat Ulema-Islam, but all in vain.
He outlined the three main demands of Mengal, which included the launch of Dr. Mahrang, an issue under judicial scope, not that of the government. The second demand was to allow the seated in the red zone, which cannot be accepted due to the imposition of section 144. “The provincial government defends its supply of letting the protesters meet at the Shahwani stadium, but the BNP insists on marching to the red zone,” he said.
Answering a question about the legitimate status of Byc, the government spokesman said that only Dr. Mahrang could clarify that.
“The public is very aware that after the Jaffar Express incident, the Byc organized protests and sitting. Just yesterday, his leadership made another anti-state speech in a rally under the flag of a registered political party. This complete episode is under a legal review and appropriate measures will be taken.”
In addition, he said that Mengal will not be allowed to enter the Red Zone, the Baluchistan Assembly or the premises of the Superior Court of Baluchistan.
Meanwhile, BNP responded strongly to the government’s position. In an official statement, the party declared that if the rule of law really existed in the country, the situation would not have deteriorated in this regard.
“Here, the laws are elaborated to adapt to the whims and interests of the ruling elite. Such bravuconería is not new: dictators such as Musharraf also made similar threats, which were ignored at that time and will be ignored now,” said the statement.
“These salaried spokesmen simply recite scripted lines for the media. No one takes them seriously.”
