QUETTA:
The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) has continued its long march for the seventh consecutive day in the Lak Pass area of Mastung, with party chief Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal leading the demonstration.
The protest aims to demand the release of Mahrang Baloch, the chairperson of the Committee for Missing Persons, along with several other political workers who have allegedly been subjected to enforced disappearances.
Leaders from various political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central leader Salman Akram Raja and senior politician Sardar Latif Khosa, have joined the sit-in to express solidarity with BNP-M’s cause. They condemned the alleged disappearances in Balochistan and urged the government to take immediate action to recover the missing persons.
Meanwhile, internet services remain suspended in Quetta and several other parts of Balochistan. Official sources have cited security concerns as the reason for the disruption.
However, BNP-M leaders and protesters believe the internet blackout is an attempt to suppress coverage of the ongoing demonstration.
In the meantime, the Jamhoori Wattan Party (JWP) has also extended its support to Mengal’s long march. Party leader Nawabzada Gohram Bugti has announced a rally from his hometown of Dera Bugti to Quetta and Mastung, scheduled for Friday (today), further amplifying pressure on authorities to address the issue of missing persons.
Last Friday, the BNP-M announced a long march from Wadh to Quetta to protest against the arrests of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders and activists, including Dr Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch, as well as the police crackdown on their sit-in in Quetta. Sammi was released on Tuesday.
