The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) has announced a march on Quetta on April 6 to demand the release of Dr Mahrang Baloch and other detained leaders of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC).
BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal made the announcement on Thursday as a sit-in protest at Lakpass entered its sixth consecutive day.
Speaking to protesters, Mengal said talks with government representatives had failed to yield results. “They are not listening to us in this remote area,” he said. “Now the conversation will take place in Quetta.”
He urged all party workers to reach Lakpass by April 5 to prepare for the march.
Mengal warned that if authorities attempted to block the march, party workers should hold sit-ins wherever they were stopped. “If the government refuses to give us a way forward, we will make one ourselves,” he said. “The government will be responsible for the consequences.”
BNP leaders said that the authorities are digging trenches along the Quetta-Karachi Highway and blocking roads with containers to prevent the march.
The long march, launched from Wadh on March 28 under Mengal’s leadership, was organised in protest against the arrest of BYC leader Dr Mahrang Baloch and other activists.
After facing several obstacles, protesters reached Mastung, where key routes into Quetta—including Lakpass Tunnel and Kund Masuri —were sealed by the authorities.
The protest has since turned into a sit-in at Lakpass.
In a post on X on Friday, Mengal reiterated the party’s commitment to continuing the march.
“I appeal to all political parties, tribal elders, youth, men and women to join us,” he wrote. “We will march for justice, peace, and for the honour of our mothers and sisters.”
“No threat, no force, no oppression can stop us. If we are arrested, we will rise again. If we are martyred, the next generation will take our place.”” he said. “On April 6, at 10:00 AM, we will resume our march toward Quetta.”
Goharam Bugti Arrested Ahead of Separate Long March
In a separate development, Nawabzada Goharam Bugti has been arrested under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ahead of a planned long march from Dera Bugti to Quetta.
Goharam Bugti, leader of the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), had announced the march in protest against the detention of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders, including Dr Mahrang Baloch.
The JWP said that the march was due to begin on Friday, but authorities blocked roads connecting Sui with Sindh and Punjab shortly before Bugti’s arrest.
The arrest comes amid growing tension in Balochistan, where several political groups have launched protests demanding the release of detained BYC activists and leaders.
Gwadar-Quetta March Announced by Haq Do Tehreek
Meanwhile, Maulana Hidayat ur Rehman, leader of the Haq Do Tehreek and a member of the Balochistan Assembly, announced a separate long march from Gwadar to Quetta.
The march, scheduled to begin on 7 April, will protest the arrest of women and the continued enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
Speaking to the media, Maulana Hidayat said the march would travel through Turbat and Panjgur before reaching Quetta.
“Enforced disappearances are a grave issue in Balochistan,” he said. “Instead of resolving this problem, the government is now arresting those who are struggling for the recovery of the disappeared — including women.”
He described the arrests of women involved in peaceful protests as “intolerable”, adding that while Balochistan faces many challenges, the current priority is to demand justice for the missing and those detained.