Mengal to announce next phase of protest tomorrow amid crackdown

QUETTA: Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal has said he will announce the next phase of his protest tomorrow (Thursday), as demonstrations against the recent arrests of rights activists entered their sixth day. 

His announcement comes after talks between the government delegation and the BNP-M chief failed to yield any results. 

The high-level government team, comprising ministers Zahoor Buledi and Bakht Kakar, MPA Obaidullah Gorgij, Sardar Noor Ahmed Bangulzai and the Home Secretary spoke with demonstrators who have been camped out for many days.

However, Mengal dismissed the talks as inconsequential, stating the delegation arrived “without any authority to make decisions.”

“We made our position clear – there will be no compromise until our women are freed,” Mengal stated adding that this remained their sole condition, rejecting suggestions of finding middle ground.

The protest leader issued a stark warning about the volatile situation at the current protest site, indicating that “anything could happen” at the tense location. He placed responsibility for any escalation on the government, while reiterating demands for permission to shift their demonstration to Quetta.

With both sides maintaining rigid positions, the impasse continues as authorities face mounting pressure to resolve the standoff that has been brought to a standstill.

Mengal had earlier announced a ‘long march’ from Wadh to Quetta in protest against the arrest of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) chief organiser Dr Mahrang Baloch and other leaders, as well as the police crackdown on demonstrators. 

The sit-in is currently taking place at Lak Pass, where a provincial government delegation—comprising Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Bakht Muhammad Kakar, and Sardar Noor Ahmed Bangulzai—attempted to negotiate with Mengal but failed to convince him to end the protest. 

In a post on X, Mengal said he would announce the next phase of the protest at 5 pm on April 3. 

He criticised the government delegation, saying, “Those who came for talks yesterday had no authority to negotiate freely. They were mere messengers, while the real power lies with those who actually control this province.” 

Mengal further said, “If the government believes these negotiations will distract us, then they have once again miscalculated.” 

Mengal added that senior PTI members were planning to join the sit-in but were prevented from reaching the protest site. 

He alleged that trenches had been dug, additional containers placed, and more security personnel deployed. “The government’s attempts to cover its stains are only making them more visible.” 

The long march, which started on March 29 from Mengal’s hometown of Wadh, was joined by members of various political parties. 

On March 26, BNP-M had claimed that over 250 of its workers had been arrested. A suicide bomber had also targeted the march near Mastung, but Mengal and other participants remained unharmed.