Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, acting BNP secretary general Jehanzeb Baloch, former MNA Abdul Rauf Mengal, former MPA Mohammad Akbar Mengal and other members of the party's central committee accused the “agencies” of masterminding the murder. They said he was killed because he was striving to unite Baloch nationalist forces.

However, the BNP leaders said that such repressive measures would in no way stop the Baloch people from the struggle for their right of self-determination and they would continue to make their efforts till the “restoration of the Baloch state”.

They urged rights organisations to play their due role in stopping the genocide of the Baloch people and “put pressure on the government to accept the sovereign rights of the Baloch people as it is the only viable option to resolve the Balochistan issue”.

The leaders described the Balochistan situation as horrible, saying that targeted killings of the Baloch youths, including BNP workers, had become the order of the day.

They rejected any investigations of the murder by government agencies. Referring to the head of a security agency, the BNP leaders said “We know who the killers are.”

They were of the view that when those in the government could not find the killers of their own leader, how they could ensure proper investigations into the murder of the Baloch leader.

“The killers of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Balaach Marri, Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Sher Mohammad Baloch and Lal Munir are the same,” they said.

They called for a UN-sponsored probe into the targeted killings carried out in Balochistan.

The BNP leaders criticised the Balochistan package and termed it an attempt to hoodwink the people, saying that the Balochistan issue could not resolved by granting charity to the Baloch people.

They said that a meeting of the central committee of the party would be held in Quetta on July 21 to chalk out the party's future line of action. BNP central committee members Mir Mohammad Qasim Roonju, Sardar Nasir Ahmad Mosiani and Hameed Sajna also spoke.

Meanwhile, a large number of political activists staged a protest demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club to condemn the murder of BNP leader Habib Jalib Baloch.

Addressing the participants of the rally, National Workers Party leaders Yusuf Mustikhan and Usman Baloch asked the government to take immediate steps to stop the killings of Baloch leaders.

Sindh CM, MQM condemn murder

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain in their separate statements condemned the murder of Habib Jalib Baloch on Wednesday, adds APP.

Mr Shah prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage and fortitude to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.

Expressing complete solidarity with the bereaved family and BNP leaders and workers, Altaf Hussain called for initiating a high-level probe into the killing of Habib Jalib Baloch. He said the killers must be arrested.