April 5, 2025
Staff Report
LAHORE
Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) and the Balochistan government, are ready for a showdown on Sunday, over the planned long march to Quetta from Mastung. The situation grows tense as the BNP-M leader announced that they would begin their march from Lak Pass near Mastung at 9 am on Sunday.
On Saturday, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind offered BNP-M a compromise, allowing them limited access only till Sariab Road and pissued a stern warning against entering the Red Zone.
“The provincial government held a dialogue and proposed that BNP-M will be allowed till Shahwani Stadium on Sariab Road, but they did not agree and wanted to hold the demonstration in the Red Zone. But the government will not accept that,” Rind said during a press conference in Quetta.
The long march began from Wadh to Quetta last Friday to protest the arrests of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch, as well as the police crackdown on their Quetta sit-in. Sammi was released on Tuesday.
Sit-in continues for 9 days
The BNP-M’s sit-in has now entered its ninth day. On Thursday, party chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal, speaking at Mastung, laid out three demands: the immediate release of all BYC detainees, particularly women; permission to march peacefully into Quetta for a sit-in; or arrest BNP members.
Rind reiterated that while peaceful protest is a constitutional right, the government would not allow disruptions in sensitive areas.
“They have announced to bring the march to Quetta, and they should know that Section 144 has already been declared, and if it will be violated, then the law will take its course,” he warned.
When pressed on as to how the government would enforce its writ, Rind said, “No permission will be given to hold the Red Zone and government functionaries hostage.” He also accused the BNP-M of hosting “anti-state speeches” at their rallies, adding that legal action had been initiated.
BNP-M remains defiant as highways remain closed
Despite the government’s warnings, the BNP-M has remained defiant. In response to Rind’s proposal, the party media cell declared, “BNP has not agreed to any terms with the government, and the location for the protest has not yet been finalized. Once the march enters Quetta, the BNP will then decide where to station itself for the protest.”
The BNP-M has accused the government for closure of all national highways in the province thereby causing a serious issue of transport and communication.
“The BNP has held its sit-in on one side of the Mastung National Highway. But the government has closed all major and minor highways leading to Quetta, including the Lak Pass Tunnel, Mastung, and Kolpur,” the BNP said.
For the past nine days, Quetta’s connection with 12 other districts in Balochistan has been cut off because of this closure of highways, including the Quetta-Karachi National Highway. The administration has dug ditches on Lak Pass and the surrounding highways.
Govt warns of consequences
Rind also addressed Mengal’s criticism of the provincial government.
“The government reserves the right and capacity to respond on the remarks made against the Balochistan government by Mengal yesterday,” he said. “But Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had already stated from day one that no remarks would be made that could derail the political process.”
He revealed that two rounds of negotiations had already taken place with the BNP-M, and Chief Minister Bugti had engaged with other political leaders to build consensus.
“Mengal claimed that the negotiation committee was without authority, so they were given authority,” Rind said. “Our stance was clear: if courts provide relief to BYC detainees, the government will not object.”
Last-ditch negotiations underway
In a last resort effort to prevent the BNP-M long march to Quetta, the Balochistan government’s negotiation team once again met with party president Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal at Mastung on Saturday. The government delegation included former Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, Balochistan Assembly Deputy Speaker Ghazala Gola, Education Minister Raheela Hameed Durrani, and other key figures. Representing the BNP-M were Central Joint Secretary Mir Nazeer Ahmed Baloch, Haji Zahid Baloch, Mir Hamal Kalmati, and Mir Jamal Naseer Mengal.
As talks continued, the government team pressed Mengal to call off the protest march, scheduled to begin from Lak Pass Bypass toward Quetta on Sunday. But Mengal remained adamant, insisting he would not back down until the release of detained women activists. The negotiations were continuing till the publishing of this report.
Sources indicate that despite the negotiations, the BNP-M leader has firmly decided to proceed with the march unless the government meets his demands. The standoff continues as both sides hold their ground. With tensions escalating, the stage is set for a confrontation as the BNP-M prepares to push forward with its march, while the government insists it will enforce legal restrictions.