Quetta [Balochistan] April 7 : The Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), under the leadership of Sardar Akhtar Mengal, has initiated a province-wide protest campaign after its long march to Quetta was impeded by authorities at Lakpass.
A report by The Balochistan Post (TBP) indicated that the party has called for a complete shutdown and a wheel-jam strike throughout Balochistan, while protest sit-ins have started in various districts.
Sardar Akhtar Mengal stated that the march was obstructed by government-created barriers near the Lakpass Tunnel, where the main sit-in will now continue indefinitely. "The Lakpass sit-in will remain in place until we are permitted to proceed with the long march toward Quetta, even if it takes ten days or months," Mengal asserted, as reported by TBP.
He also issued a warning that any harm to party members would be the responsibility of state institutions and the provincial government.
The TBP report highlighted that the party activists across the province have been directed to initiate sit-ins at their present locations. Meanwhile, a substantial number of security forces have been deployed at the Lakpass protest site, heightening concerns about a possible crackdown on the peaceful demonstrators.
It has been reported that at least 20 BNP-M activists have already been taken into custody in the Sona Khan area of Quetta. In Sibi district, police detained senior BNP-M leaders, including District Vice President Gul Rehman Marri, General Secretary Malik Sultan, and others.
The provincial government has escalated its efforts to prevent the long march by digging trenches and placing containers at significant entry points to Quetta. Mobile phone networks in and around the city have also been shut down, as stated in the TBP report.
In Gwadar, Section 144 has been enforced, and residents have been advised to remain indoors. In Hub, BNP-M activists conducted a sit-in at Bhawani Chowk, obstructing traffic on the Karachi-Quetta highway, according to TBP.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has fully endorsed BNP-M's call for highway blockades and the shutter-down strike. In a statement, the BYC condemned the government's crackdown on the long march, the arrest of political activists, and the violent suppression of peaceful demonstrations, characterising it as "a brutal form of state terrorism," as highlighted in the TBP report.
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