April 7, 2025
Staff Report
QUETTA/KHUZDAR
The Balochistan National Party on call of Sardar Akhtar Mengal will be observing a shutter-down strike in different cities of the province. The call for the protest comes in the midst of a violent clashes.
Five people were injured as protesters in Wadh were forced to disperse, and two of the injured protesters were shot, one in the face and hand, and the other in the back. They were shifted to Khuzdar Teaching Hospital. Three people were injured in a baton charge by the police and have been shifted to Wadh Hospital.
Samiullah, a young man who was injured in the firing during the clash between the police and protesters in Wadh, told Voicepk that they had been sitting on the road for the peaceful protest, when the security forces opened fire without warning.
“The FC and police came and started firing at us, in spite of the fact that we did nothing violent,” he said as he lay on the hospital bed. “I got shot in two places. Sardar Mengal had ordered us to close the road and we followed his directions. When we did that they began firing at us.”
“Wadh is in full protest, but in the middle of the night around 1200 men of the security forces came at night and began attacking us from all sides,” cried a BNP worker in Wadh, Abdul Rab Baloch. “They have been targeting peaceful protesters, shelling and firing, due to which five of our people have been injured. We are not here to pick up guns and attack anyone, so this kind of violent attack on us was uncalled for. and also request the authorities to stop violent action against the protesters, otherwise the protest will only intensify.
Mengal long march
Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s long march was launched on March 28, from Wadh to Quetta demanding for the release of Baloch Yekjehti Committee organizer Dr Mahrang Baloch, Beebow Baloch, Bebarg Baloch and other detainees.
When the long march reached Mastung, the government closed the Lak Pass Tunnel, as a result of which the long march resorted to becoming a sit-in in Mastung for the past 10 days. Yesterday, Sardar Akhtar Mengal announced to continue the long march from Mastung to Quetta. However, the attack came on Sunday night and security forces stopped the long march from going to Quetta while the police took action against workers present in Quetta who were getting ready to welcome the long march and arrested more than 50 workers.
According to BNP activist Asad Baloch, security forces have surrounded the sit-in site from all sides and dug up the roads.
Balochistan National Party leader Shafiqur-ur-Rehman Sasoli said that a large number of workers under the orders of Sardar Mengal have collected at the site. “If forced, we will close all inter-provincial national highways for an indefinite period,” he said.
Meanwhile in Mastung, there is also a large number of women protesters, including families of missing persons. Across the province, the Balochistan government has imposed Section 144. Mobile data services have been inactive in various cities of the province for several days. Quetta has been cut off from adjoining three divisions. The government has installed containers on the routes of the long march. Trenches have been dug on the national highway at Lak Pass.
Provincial government spokesman Shahid Rind said in a statement that even though Akhtar Mengal is not supported by a majority of the people in the province, he is still demanding for closure of roads,
“The day Akhtar Mengal came to Quetta from Wadh, he had about 4000 people with him, while the number of participants in the sit-in for the past nine days has been from 1500 to 2500. The highways have been closed for 9 days. The government has not shown the strictness that it was supposed to show yet,” he said.