\u2022 Akhtar Mengal says Monday\u2019s conference will discuss key provincial matters, marchers\u2019 demands
\n\u2022 PML-N wants BNP-M to resolve issues through dialogue, not protests
\n\u2022 PPP urges govt, opposition to hold parleys on Balochistan<\/p>\n
QUETTA: The Balochistan National Party (BNP-Men\u00adgal) has decided to convene a multi-party conference (MPC) on Monday amid a deadlock in negotiations with the government, which refused to allow the party\u2019s long march \u2014 launched from Wadh to demand the release of Dr Mahrang Baloch, chief organiser of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, and other women activists \u2014 to enter Quetta.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters at the sit-in, which has now entered its third week, BNP-M President Sardar Akhtar Mengal announced on Saturday evening that the MPC would take place at the sit-in site, and invitations had been sent to leaders of various political parties.<\/p>\n
He said the MPC would discuss the demands of the long marchers and address other serious issues faced by Balochistan, adding that the conference would also determine a future course of action in light of the government\u2019s lack of seriousness regarding the province\u2019s concerns.<\/p>\n
Mr Mengal reiterated that the BNP-M\u2019s primary demand was the release of arrested women political activists, including Mahrang Baloch. \u201cIf the government had accepted our demand, we would have ended the sit-in and returned,\u201d he said. He added that three rounds of talks had been held with the government, but none resulted in any meaningful resolution, reflecting the government\u2019s indifference.<\/p>\n
He accused the state of being disinterested in resolving Balochistan\u2019s issues, clai\u00adming that the province was facing its fifth militar operation. \u201cThe people who went to the mountains were once protesting peacefully on these roads,\u201d Mr Mengal said, adding that when the government responds to grievances with enforced disappearances and the dumping of bodies, it leaves the people with no options.<\/p>\n
He criticised parliament, calling it a \u201crubber stamp\u201d where women legislators are being coerced into voting for constitutional amendments through the abduction of their sons and husbands. \u201cEarlier, there was kidnapping for ransom; now it\u2019s kidnapping for constitutional amendments,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n
He also accused major political parties of having no genuine concern for the people of Balochistan, claiming that they were complicit in looting the province\u2019s resources and stealing the public mandate through collaborations with the establishment.<\/p>\n
Mr Mengal also denied media reports suggesting he had submitted demands to Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti through backdoor channels.<\/p>\n
Political dialogue<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the PML-N Balochistan leadership on Saturday emphasised that all issues should be resolved through political dialogue between the BNP-M and the government, rather than through sit-ins and highway blockades.<\/p>\n
PML-N Parliamentary Leader and provincial Minister for Communications and Works Mir Saleem Khosa made these remarks during a press conference, accompanied by fellow ministers from the party, including Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani, Noor Muhammad Dummor, Nasimur Rehman Mulakhail, Mir Barkat Ali Rind, Wali Muhammad Noorzai, Sardar Masood Luni, and Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe right way to find solutions to issues is through dialogue,\u201d Mr Khosa said, adding that attempts to push illegitimate demands through protests and highway blockades were not the appropriate way to compel the government. He extended an offer to BNP-M chief to initiate political dialogue to address the issues for which the sit-in had been staged.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf judicial matters are to be resolved on the streets, we might as well shut down the courts,\u201d Mr Khosa remarked. He questioned why Sardar Mengal did not speak up for the victims of terrorist attacks and accused him of misleading the public by portraying his protest as legitimate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe state of Pakistan gave him honour and a political platform, yet now he is using his rhetoric against that very state,\u201d Mr Khosa said, adding that the people of Balochistan are politically aware and have moved beyond the politics of hate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2022 Akhtar Mengal says Monday\u2019s conference will discuss key provincial matters, marchers\u2019 demands \u2022 PML-N wants BNP-M to resolve issues through dialogue, not protests \u2022 PPP urges govt, opposition to hold parleys on Balochistan QUETTA: The Balochistan National Party (BNP-Men\u00adgal) has decided to convene a multi-party conference (MPC) on Monday amid a deadlock in negotiations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8091,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8090"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8092,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8090\/revisions\/8092"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weeklyyoung.pk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}