The Balochistan National Party (BNP) held an emergency press conference in Quetta on Monday night, warning of serious consequences if the ongoing government crackdown on its workers and peaceful protesters is not halted. The party’s leadership declared it would continue its long march and sit-in until all detained Baloch women are released.
The press conference came after the arrest of Gulzadi Baloch, a female member of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which drew strong condemnation from BNP chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal. Her arrest, along with that of several other BYC leaders, has already been widely denounced by human rights groups.
Addressing reporters in Quetta, BNP Senior Vice President Sajid Tareen Advocate said dozens of party workers were seriously injured after the Frontier Corps opened fire on a peaceful protest in Wadh held on BNP’s call. The BNP leader said the workers were demonstrating peacefully, yet they were met with live fire.
Tareen criticized federal ministers who have contacted Sardar Akhtar Mengal for dialogue, including National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, calling them “powerless” in the face of what he described as military control over Balochistan. “You may as well call the establishment the headmaster of this government,” he added.
BNP leaders said hundreds of party activists have been arrested in Quetta over the past few days, while dozens more have been forcibly disappeared. They demanded their immediate and safe release and warned that any harm to Mengal or other party members in Wadh would be the responsibility of what they called the “puppet regime.”
The party has called a high-level meeting on Tuesday to consult allies and long march supporters before announcing the next course of action. “Our protest will continue until all the daughters of Balochistan are freed,” BNP leaders said.
The press conference was attended by BNP Central Information Secretary Agha Hassan Baloch, Malik Naseer Shahwani, Moosa Baloch, Ghulam Nabi Marri, Samad Baloch, Jameela Baloch, Chairman Wahid Baloch, Guman Marri, Haji Waheed, Shakoor Baloch, and other senior figures.