KARACHI, April 7: Police have again laid siege to the residence of Akhtar Mengal’s house in the Defence Housing Authority, which continued till the filing of this report. Unlike Wednesday’s siege in which police had employed minibuses and water tankers to block the main Khayaban-i-Shamsheer and adjoining streets, leading to Mengal’s house, Friday’s siege was only limited to the street where Akhtar Mengal’s house was located.
However, a visit to the site showed that a police mobile was parked right in front of the house blocking the main entrance of the house. Similarly, no one had been allowed to enter or leave the house since Thursday night when the siege was laid at 2am.
Activists of the BNP were standing across the road holding placards condemning the siege of Mengal’s house and the overall persecution and ongoing operation against the Baloch people by the present government.
Earlier in the day, a brief siege lasting a few hours was also laid to the house of Attaullah Mengal, father of Akhtar Mengal, in Khayaban-i-Sehr.
Initially, the police had blocked the main entrance to Attaullah’s house by parking police mobiles at the gate, but guards at the house resisted the police’s move resulting in the withdrawal of the police mobile from the entrance. Subsequently, after a few hours, police belonging to the Clifton Town were withdrawn.
Akhtar Mengal while talking to Dawn said, “They have created a curfew-like situation and when I ask them if I am under house arrest, they say nothing. I asked them if there were orders of arrest I am willing to oblige, but they said there were no such orders.”
Mr Mengal, who had met leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro outside his residence, was bitterly critical of the government here. His contention was that when there was nothing of that sort, why were the security agencies behaving in such a manner and violating his fundamental rights?
“It’s a mockery of human rights and good governance,” he said, while alleging that “the administration is subservient to the ISI and MI, and incompetent people sitting in the government have no powers at all.”
Asked whether he would seek legal remedy against such a situation, he posed a counter question: “Is there a court in this country? Had the judiciary been independent, the General (Musharraf) would never have usurped power.” He was of the view that this “dirty game” would continue.
Mr Mengal narrated the whole incident to Mr Nisar Khuhro and expressed concern about the security of his children and other members of his family. He also chided the administration for creating insecurity and panic.
Mr Khuhro had gone there to find out facts of the reported incident and express solidarity in the face of “state oppression”.
Mr Khuhro later said that while he was talking to Mr Mengal, the TPO Clifton objected as to why he had brought the media along?
“He did not allow the media to remain there after a few minutes though he had no right to do so,” said Mr Khuhro.
When Mr Khuhro told the TPO that he was a representative of the people and the media had the right to cover his engagements, the TPO told him to do so outside the Karachi Press Club.
Annoyed at the TPO’s “rude behaviour”, leader of the opposition asked him if Akhtar Mengal was arrested or his house declared a sub-jail, the TPO offered no comments and told Mr Khuhro to rather be grateful for allowing him (Khuhro) the opportunity to meet Mr Mengal.
Mr Khuhro was concerned at the “disarming” of the Mengals following cancellation of their arms licences, and asked who would guarantee security to them when the regime itself was oppressive?
About a dozen police mobiles had cordoned off the area and some security men were even armed with teargas guns.
A group of Mengal’s supporters waited far away, chanting anti-regime slogans and demanding an immediate halt to the “repressive operation”.
Later Mr Khuhro, who was joined by ANP’s Amin Khattak, briefed the media, which was pushed away from Mr Mengal’s residence by the security agencies.
