Politicos flay steps to ‘quell’ Balochistan protests

QUETTA: Leaders of different political parties on Friday condemned restrictions placed by the government on sit-ins and protests, terming it an unconstitutional act as staging rallies is the right of everyone.

While Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s BNP-M is set to start its march on Quetta from Mastung on Sunday, the government is taking administrative measures to handle the situation.

Despite the fact that both the government and BNP-M had failed to make a breakthrough in talks, backdoor efforts are under­way through political and tribal quarters to defuse the situation, acco­rding to informed sources.

At a press conference jointly addressed by the leaders of several political parties, the government was reminded that Constitution allows every citizen to hold rallies, organise marches and stage sit-ins for the acceptance of their demands.

However, they regretted, the government instead of accepting the people’s democratic and constitutional right had imposed restrictions on their movement and used force against them.

Those who spoke at the presser included BNP-M’s Senior Vice President Sajid Tareen Advocate, National Party’s Secretary General Mir Kabir Ahmed Muham­mad Shahi, PTI’s Provincial President Dawood Shah Kakar, ANP’s Rashid Khan Nasir, and Balochistan Bar Council Vice Chairman Rahib Buledi.

They condemned the government for detaining women leaders and workers, including BYC Chief Organiser Dr Mahrang Baloch, and demanded their immediate release. They accused the authorities of suppressing their democratic rights and vowed to continue their struggle peacefully despite restrictions.

Mr Tareen said that the issue of missing persons and the unlawful detention of innocent individuals is not limited to one party but affects the entire province.

He criticised the authorities for digging trenches on highways to prevent the participants of march.

Mr Shahi emphasised that Balochistan’s problems cannot be solved through force.

He urged the government to show seriousness and immediately release the detained women, stating that the matter has become a question of honour for the people of Balochistan.

Mr Kakar while accusing the government of maintaining double standards warned that the situation could spiral out of control if injustices continued.

Mr Nasir demanded BNP leader Akhtar Mengal be allowed to enter Quetta and all detainees be freed.

Mr Buledi declared that an undeclared martial law was in effect in Balochistan where human rights violations and lawlessness were rampant.

‘No flexibility’

Though both the government and BNP-M leadership did not show any change in their stance on the arrest of Mahrang Baloch and others, efforts were underway to find a solution to the prevailing situation.

It may be recalled that Akhtar Mengal has announced a long march on Quetta and asked supporters to reach the Luckpass area of Mastung by April 5 so that they could start heading towards Quetta the next day. The BNP-M is demanding release of all BYC leaders.

The leadership of National Party, PTI, ANP and other parties have announced joining the march to express solidarity with BNP-M.

On its part, the government is making arrangements to stop the marchers from entering Quetta. Trailers have been brought in to be placed at entry points while security has been beefed up with more personnel deployed.

However, backchannel efforts were also underway through political and tribal quarters to defuse the situation.

Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had a series of meetings with the leadership of opposition parties during Eid holidays, including NP’s Dr Malik Baloch, JUI-F Senator Maulana Abdul Wasey and other leaders.

Last week, Mr Bugti even offered on the floor of the Balochistan Assembly that the government is ready to set up a committee and hand over its chairmanship to Dr Malik or opposition leader Younas Aziz Zehri if they could resolve the issue.

“Both sides still have 24 hours. Let’s see what result will come out of the efforts being made for defusing the situation,” a senior official of the government told Dawn.

Meanwhile, JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza warned that the situation is becoming increasingly critical, claiming that Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti is rapidly losing control.

“If the situation continues, Sarfraz Bugti will lose both his chief ministership and his political standing,” he claimed.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2025

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