QUETTA: Balochistan National Party-M (BNP) chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal has again expressed concern over “slow implementation on our six-point demands” during the last one year and warned that his party may part ways with the federal government should it continue to follow the precedent set by its predecessors as far as the Baloch issues are concerned.

He said that the six-point agenda — which was part of the agreement between the BNP-M and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) as a pre-condition for the former’s help in the latter’s bid to form government — is a solution to the grave issues Balochistan has been facing since long.

Mr Mengal was speaking to the party activists after offering condolences over the death of BNP senior leader Abdul Samad’s father in the Karkh area of Khuzdar district on Friday.

Responding to the allegations by his opponents that he (Mengal) had was supporting the prime minister for personal gains, he said: “The BNP-M had decided to sit with the PTI at the Centre after Imran Khan assured us that he would address Balochistan’s woes, not to serve our personal interests.”

He said that Rs40 million has been allocated for development of Karkh and that construction of two dams in the area will start in the near future.

Mr Mengal lauded the sacrifices the BNP-M activists have rendered in the cause of the party, saying “my workers are my true strength.”

“Today I have come to Karkh to offer condolences to Abdul Samad, but soon I would pay a proper visit to the area to meet the party workers and local people for ascertaining their problems.”

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2019