QUETTA: Another round of negotiations between opposition members of the Balochistan Assembly and government representatives in a police station, where the legislators have been staying for the last three days, remained futile on Wednesday.

The MPAs, led by opposition leader in the Balochistan Assembly Malik Sik­andar Khan, went to the police station on Monday and offered their arrest as the police had registered an FIR against 17 MPAs of the opposition parties in connection with Friday’s mayhem on the premises of the assembly.

However, police did not take them into custody saying that no arrest could be made without investigation and collecting proof of the allegations leveled in the FIR.

Mr Sikandar, Public Accounts Committee chairman Akhtar Hussain Langove and Shakeela Naveed Dhewar, talking to media at the police station, said that the government had three options: it may ensure their arrest or withdraw the case or an FIR on the complaint of the opposition MPAs may be registered.

They said that when they came to know about the case registered against them, they came to the police station and offered their arrest but despite the passage of more than 48 hours, they were not being arrested.

“Our colleagues are senior parliamentarians. We have come to the police station on our own,” they said.

The opposition leader said that a government delegation had visited the police station and held negotiations with them but it had no authority to take any decision.

Home Minister of Balochistan Zia Langove also visited the police station and held talks with the protesting opposition leaders but the talks could not reach any conclusion and remained unsuccessful.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf parliamentary leader in the Balochistan Assembly Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind also visited the opposition MPAs and discussed the issue with them.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2021