Islamabad: An ethnic Baloch political party in Pakistan on Wednesday ended its 20-day-long sit-in in Balochistan province against the arrest of local activists, including their leader Mahrang Baloch.
The Balochistan National Party, led by Sardar Akhtar Mengal, had begun a “long march” from the Wadh area of Khuzdar district towards the capital Quetta on March 28 but was stopped on the way at the Lakpass area of Mastung district where it began the sit-in.
The protest was prompted by the arrest of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders and activists, including Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch, as well as a crackdown on their sit-in in Quetta.
Mengal told a press conference in Mastung that he called off the sit-in but said that the movement of his party would continue.
“We believe in a peaceful struggle. We are not ending the movement but will initiate a public outreach movement from today,” he said, adding that the BNP-M would organise rallies and protests at the district level across Balochistan in the coming days.
“In the first phase, we would hold protest rallies in Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar and Surab. In the second stage, rallies would be held in the areas of Turbat, Gwadar and Makran,” he said.
The third phase of the protest movement would engage the public in the Nasirabad, Jaffarabad and Dera Murad Jamali districts, along with other areas of Balochistan, he said.
Mengal also criticised the arrest of Mahrang, calling it “unconstitutionally” and demanded that all arrested activists should be released.
He also highlighted the threat to his protest sit-in while blasting the state for creating hurdles in the way of protest by his group.
Balochistan has been facing unrest for about two decades due to allegations by the local ethnic Baloch groups and parties that the federal government was exploiting the mineral wealth of the province.
