QUETTA: Amid an ongoing political standoff in Balochistan, opposition party JUI-F has offered to mediate between the provincial government and the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) to resolve the two-week-long protest sit-in over the detention of Dr Mahrang Baloch and other female activists of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).
On Friday, a JUI-F delegation led by the party’s Secretary General Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and the party’s provincial emir Senator Maulana Wasay held a meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. The delegation also included the opposition leader in the Balochistan Assembly, Younis Aziz Zehri, and other party lawmakers.
Officials said the meeting focused on the province’s deteriorating law and order situation and the ongoing BNP-M protest in the Lakpass area. “Despite multiple efforts by the government and political leadership, a deadlock persists and no agreement has been reached to end the sit-in,” a senior Balochistan government official noted.
CM Bugti briefed the JUI-F leadership on the outcome of three rounds of negotiations held with BNP leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal. He added that the government had offered to allow the long march participants to enter Quetta, but no breakthrough had been achieved so far.
Maulana Haideri offered to play a reconciliatory role in the current political crisis. “We are ready to mediate and help bring the province out of this worsening situation,” he told CM Bugti.
The chief minister welcomed the offer and emphasised that restoring peace and political stability was a collective responsibility of both the government and the opposition. He acknowledged JUI-F’s constructive political contributions and praised its commitment to democratic principles.
CM Bugti reiterated his government’s commitment to resolving all political issues through dialogue and consultation and welcomed all positive steps in this regard.
Govt legitimacy rejected
Meanwhile, opposition parties held a joint press conference in Quetta, rejecting the legitimacy of the current provincial government. They accused it of being formed through electoral manipulation, alleging that the people’s mandate was stolen with the support of the establishment.
BNP-M Senior Vice President Sajid Tareen, PkMAP Secretary General Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, PTI Balochistan President Dawood Shah Kakar, BNP-Awami Vice President Hassan Advocate and other leaders spoke at the press conference.
Mr Tareen condemned recent remarks by PPP ministers against BNP-M leaders, calling them “baseless and abusive”, and accused them of hiding the details of closed-door negotiations. “They are not worth responding to; all they know is how to hurl accusations,” he said.
He also alleged that a fake leadership had long been imposed on Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the resources of both regions were exploited to develop Punjab. He rejected the authority of the current parliament, terming its decisions illegitimate.
Mr Ziaratwal said Pakistan must be governed under the principles of the 1940 Resolution, which called for provincial autonomy. He alleged that in the Feb 8 elections, eight PkMAP seats were fraudulently handed over to rival candidates, prompting the formation of the Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz-i-Ayeen-i-Pakistan to safeguard the Constitution.
He opposed constitutional amendments passed by the present government and denounced legislation transferring control of provincial minerals to the federal government, vowing to resist such actions.
Dawood Shah Kakar also warned against federal encroachment on the mineral wealth of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “We will not allow this to happen,” he said, voicing support for the BNP-M protest sit-in.
Mengal slams PPP
BNP-M President Akhtar Mengal also strongly rebutted allegations made by PPP ministers during a recent press conference, challenging them to organise a public gathering at the same location where his party has been staging a sit-in for the past two weeks.
Speaking at the sit-in in Lakpass on Friday evening, Mr Mengal lashed out at the PPP leadership, accusing it of betraying citizens. The PPP promised roti, kapra aur makaan to the people, but instead delivered bullets, shrouds and burned down huts, he said, referring to repeated crackdowns against protesters.
Addressing PPP leaders Sadiq Umrani and Ali Madad Jattak directly, he dared them to bring their party supporters to the protest site. “We’ve been sitting here in this rugged terrain for 14 days, demanding the release of our daughters and sisters. Your people can’t even match the courage of our women,” he said.
He also criticised former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, claiming he ordered crackdowns on Baloch people and jailed their leaders. He also President Asif Ali Zardari of abandoning Sindh and its people. “He faked illness and vanished to avoid facing public anger over Punjab canal construction. PPP has never stood with the Baloch — their hands are stained with our blood,” he alleged.
The BNP-M chief noted that while leaders from various parties have visited the protest site in solidarity, the PPP and PML-N have remained absent. “They are only interested in clinging to power,” he said.
Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2025
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