QUETTA: Sardar Akhtar Mengal, president of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), will lead his party’s long march from Khuzdar to Quetta today (Sunday) to protest the situation in Wadh town, which has seen recurring clashes between rival groups of the Mengal tribe for months.

The party has announced that marchers are arriving in Khuzdar from different areas of southern, central and eastern Balochistan.

The march will begin from Khuzdar around 7am on Sunday, with buses, trucks and other vehicles moving in the procession. Mr Mengal and other BNP-M leaders will address the participants in various towns and cities, including Surab, Kalat, Mangochar and Mastung.

The party has announced that the march will reach Quetta in the evening, where Mr Mengal and other leaders will address a public meeting at Ayub Stadium.

Despite requests from the provincial government to postpone the march due to security concerns and the imposition of Section 144 — a provision that bans protests, public meetings and processions — in Quetta and other areas, the BNP leadership has refused to budge from their position and has confirmed that the march will proceed as planned.

The local administration has granted permission to the party for the march and a public meeting in Quetta. However, it has advised people against travelling on the Quetta-Karachi highway on Sunday, as they may face difficulties due to the protest.

Published in Dawn, October 22th, 2023