Quetta [Balochistan], October 26 : Agha Hassan Baloch, leader of the Balochistan National Party Mengal (BNP-M), has declared a series of protests throughout Balochistan, beginning with a province-wide shutter-down strike on October 30.
The strike will be succeeded by a wheel-jam protest on Pakistan's national highways on November 2. Baloch stressed that the BNP's protests would remain non-violent, highlighting the party's opposition to the alleged injustices and discrimination faced by the people of Balochistan, Express Tribune reported.
During a press conference, Agha Hassan criticized the recent terrorism-related FIRs lodged against BNP leaders, including Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Akhtar Hussain Langove, and Ahmed Nawaz Baloch among others, in Islamabad.
He condemned the government for equating the expression of ideas with terrorism, questioning, "Is holding a press conference or raising concerns considered terrorism?"
He also pointed out issues such as the alleged inclusion of thousands of Baloch youth in the Fourth Schedule and the obstruction of ID cards and SIM cards, which has led to significant unrest in the province. Additionally, Baloch expressed disappointment over what he termed as "the worst" governance.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Terrorism Court has granted a five-day physical remand for BNP-M leaders Akhtar Hussain Langove and Shafi Muhammad in connection with a riot case at Parliament House.
According to the Express Tribune, during the hearing, Defence Attorney Iman Mazari contended that her clients were accused of trespassing in the Senate lobby while armed, but the specific details regarding who carried which weapon were not revealed.
The defence lawyer urged the court to dismiss the case against the defendants, claiming it was motivated by political revenge. Conversely, prosecutor Raja Navaid stated that the reasons for the accused wanting to enter the Senate still need to be investigated.
He noted that the accused are named in the FIR and requested the court for a 25-day physical remand. Following the arguments, the court granted a 5-day physical remand for the accused.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor