KARACHI, April 5: The police and rangers on Wednesday laid a siege around Sardar Akhtar Mengal’s residence in Defence and did not allow anybody to enter or leave the house.

The former chief minister of Balochistan who is also chief of the Balochistan National Party described the siege as “illegal”, saying the government can arrest him, if there is a case against him.

He, however, lamented that his family and the people in the neighbourhood had been harassed.

He said that on Monday he received a phone call from a school in DHA about the kidnapping of his two children. The report was based on a call from some government agency received by the school administration, he said.

The Baloch leader said the driver who brought the children home, told him that they (driver, children) were chased by “unknown persons” who were riding two motorcycles. Following this incident, the children did not go to school on Tursday.

On Wednesday morning, Akhtar Mengal said he himself dropped the children at school and later picked them up. On way back to his house, he noticed that he was being chased by unknown persons.

Subsequently, he stopped his vehicle and asked them to identify themselves. In the meantime, Mr Mengal said one of them fled.

Sensing some foul-play, his security guards caught the second one and brought him to his residence. The man identified himself as an MI official.

“After sometime, an agency official visited my residence and threatened me of dire consequences,” he further said.

The Baloch Sardar said he later handed the “MI man” to the SHO Clifton.

Immediately after this, he said a number police and rangers vehicles moved intoo the area and laid a siege around his residence.

They also cordoned off by-lanes and link roads.

In the meantime, BNP Rehbar and father of Akhtar Mengal, Sardar Ataullah Khan Mengal, condemned the siege and said it had proved that there was no rule of law and it was being ruled by one-man.

Talking to Dawn, he termed the action extremely provocative and said the “government wants to crush us” and it was no secret as General Musharraf had explicitly declared it many times.

Secretary-General of the National Party, Hasil Khan Bizenjo, also condemned the siege of Akhtar Mengal’s residence and termed it “state terrorism”, saying that such types of actions would further add to the existing bitterness between the government and Balochs.

BNP’s Abdul Rauf Mengal, two MPAs Akhtar Lango and Akbar Mengal besides deputy Secretary-General of the party Jehanzeb Baloch who came to see Akhtar Mengal were not allowed to meet the besieged leader.

Mr Jehanzeb Baloch said they had informed the Sindh chief minister, chief secretary and interior minister about the situation.

According to him, Sindh home minister Rauf Siddiqui had informed him that the matter was not related to Sindh government.

Secretary-General of National Workers Party Yusuf Mustikhan condemned the siege.

PROTEST: A bus was put to torch on Jahangir Road at Baloch Para when some people staged a protest demonstration against the siege on the bungalow of Akhtar Mengal.