Police have raided the Islamabad residence of Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal, with reports of detentions and alleged abductions.
Mengal said that BNP Senator Naseema Ehsan was confined to her apartment during the raid, and her son was reportedly abducted. Additionally, Senator Qasim Ronjho, who had left for dialysis earlier in the day, is said to be missing, along with his son.
In a post on X, Mengal wrote: “My lodges in Islamabad have been raided. My party Senator Naseema Ehsan is confined to her apartment, and her son has been abducted. Meanwhile, my party’s other Senator Qasim Ronjho, who went for his dialysis at 8 a.m. in Islamabad, has been untraceable along with his son since then. Is this what democracy looks like?”
BNP leader Sajid Tareen confirmed the raid, stating that police had cited intelligence reports as the basis for the operation. He described the raid as an attempt to intimidate party members, adding: “The police said they were acting on intelligence, but we see it as a tactic to intimidate party members.”
Mengal, who had resigned from the National Assembly due to what he described as the government’s mistreatment of Balochistan, has previously expressed frustration over the treatment of his party members.
In an earlier post on X, he said: “I resigned from the assembly because of how this government and those in power have treated Balochistan. Despite this, the agencies continue to harass my two senators and families. My only remaining option is to ask the senators to step down. You’ve left us with no other path.”
As of now, there has been no official response from law enforcement authorities regarding the raid or the reported disappearances.