Quetta: Despite the efforts to end the sitting of the Baluchistan National Party (BNP) in Lakassss in the Mastung district, the protest entered 12th day on Tuesday without any advance in negotiations.
The former president of the Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani, visited the protest camp and held an individual meeting with BNP chief, Sardar Akhtar Mengal. However, party sources said the discussion did not produce any progress to resolve the point of the dead.
“Mr. Sanjrani met Sardar Mengal at the camp, but a decision was not made,” confirmed a BNP official. Mr. Sanjrani issued any formal statement after the meeting.
Talking to the media later at night, Mengal clarified that Sanjrani had visited his personal capacity.
“We did not argue to cancel the sitting,” he said, reiterating that the protest would continue since a significant response of the government had not come.
Mengal criticized the management of government negotiations, stating that the ministers who had previously met BNP leaders lacked the authority to make commitments. “In three rounds of conversations, there has been no specific development. Our central demand remains the release of Dr. Mahrang and other detained women. However, there has been no movement about this,” he added.
In addition, he claimed that the government had caused difficulties to the public by blocking roads around the sitting site. “This is the first time that a government has taken such measures: punish people instead of solving the problem,” he said.
He said that the president of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, had contacted him and assured that the problem would be solved, but after that no progress was made so far from the leadership of PML-N and the federal government.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the National Party, led by the president of the party, Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch, arrived at Lahore for conversations with the president of PML-N, Nawaz Sharif.
It is expected that the NP team will meet with Mr. Sharif and the senior leaders of PML-N today (Wednesday) to inform them about the situation in Baluchistan, including recent arrests and ongoing protests.
Dr. Malik is expected to present the proposals of his party to resolve the crisis and seek the political support of the ruling party.
The delegation includes Jan Muhammad Buledi, MNA PHulain Baloch and several leaders of the National Party, including vice president and former MNA Sardar Kamal Khan Bangulzai, provincial president Aslam Baloch, central vice president Shahwize Khan Bizenjo and the president of Punjab, Malik Ayub.
Posted in Dawn, April 9, 2025
