Balochistan govt warns to arrest Mengal if BNP-M protest enters Quetta

QUETTA: The Balochistan government has threatened Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) chairman Sardar Akhtar Mengal with arrest if his party’s ongoing march against the imprisonment of Baloch activists enters Quetta.

Balochistan govt spokesperson Shahid Rind in a statement said that Mengal was informed at 6 a.m. on Sunday that he may be arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law.

“Mengal was unwilling to give up,” said the spokesman.

“Law enforcement agencies [LEAs] are in Quetta as the government and police have made it very clear to Mengal that he would be detained if he approaches the city,” Rind added.

He said that the BNP-M’s call to block national highways at this time would only add to public hardship. “The administrations of all districts have been instructed that national highways will not be shut,” Rind added.

The provincial government claims that after two rounds of discussions with BNP leadership, they were asked to stage their demonstration at Shahwani Stadium in Quetta. But the party had refused, insisting on marching to the red zone of the city.

Meanwhile, the administration placed containers on entry routes and stationed a large number of security forces personnel to effectively prevent BNP leaders and workers from entering the city.

Earlier, Akthar Mengal, in a post on X, stated that security forces were encircling him and his allies near Lak Pass and that a significant operation appeared to be on the horizon.

The BNP responded by calling for protests throughout the region, claiming that its leaders and employees were being targeted by the current administration.