QUETTA: Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the president of the Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal), asserted during a public meeting in Sariab that his party is determined to thwart attempts by certain forces to treat Balochistan as a ‘commodity for sale’.

He emphasised the power of the vote to defeat those who seek to divide the province through empty slogans. Speaking at the BNP’s election campaign event on Sunday, Mr Mengal warned that any manipulation of election results would be a ‘severe blow’ to democracy.

Addressing the crowd, he, along with other BNP leaders, including Senior Vice President Sajid Tareen, Agha Hassan, Mir Maqbool Lehri, Akhtar Hussain Langove, Ghulam Nabi Marri, Shumalia Ismail, and Shakeela Naveed Dehwar, stressed the party’s commitment to continuing its democratic struggle despite the imposition of Section 144 in Quetta.

Mr Mengal highlighted the unity among different nationalities, expressing that the love for Balochistan is shared by Baloch, Pashtuns, Sindhis, and Punjabis residing in the Chiltan foothills. He affirmed the strategic approach needed in both elections and on the battlefield.

Running in four constituencies, including Quetta and Kalat, he clarified that his goal is not just to enter the assembly but to defeat those forces responsible for making mothers and sisters widows.

“No one can remove the politics of nationalism from the hearts of the people of Balochistan,” Mr Mengal said, adding that his nomination papers were rejected as he was demanding recovery of missing persons.

“They used an FIR which was registered against me during Parvez Mushrraf’s government to reject the nomination papers,” he said.

He once again condemned violence committed by police in Islamabad against women who were protesting enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

“When the politicians needed votes, they made an agreement with us and admitted that people are really missing and have signed their signatures and the same signature is still a witness,” Mr Mengal said.

“Now these people are saying that the missing people are in Afghanistan or in other countries, you cannot deny that state institutions are directly involved in missing persons,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2024

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