The deadline given to the government has expired; therefore, the sit-in participants will begin their long march toward Quetta tomorrow, announced Akhtar Mengal.
The Balochistan National Party (Mengal) has been staging a sit-in at Lak Pass, Mastung, for the past six days. The protest has disrupted traffic on the Karachi-Quetta and Taftan highways.
A delegation from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), including Salman Akram Raja, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and other provincial leaders, visited the BNP protest site.
BNP leader Akhtar Mengal has declared that the sit-in will continue until the detained women are released, emphasizing that unconstitutional arrests of women are unacceptable. He warned that if the women are not released within two days, the party will march toward Quetta.
Mengal stated that an “incompetent” government delegation came for negotiations, but the powerless Balochistan government is looking elsewhere for direction.
Later, Akhtar Mengal officially announced the Quetta long march, stating that since the government’s deadline has expired, the sit-in participants will begin their march toward Quetta tomorrow.
Meanwhile, authorities are taking measures to prevent the BNP convoy from entering Quetta. Trenches are being dug at various points along the Lak Pass and Dasht sections of the national highway, and containers are being placed to block entry routes in Mastung and other locations.
It is worth noting that BNP’s long march, led by Sardar Akhtar Mengal, initially began from Wadh but was halted in Mastung due to road blockades, leading to the ongoing sit-in at the site.
